Driving Growth for CIPD’s Festival of Work Event
A high-performance paid acquisition strategy that exceeded the Festival of Work’s growth target, driving record attendance through a smart blend of Google and LinkedIn campaigns.
Client
Measurable impact of digital transformation
The Challenge
The CIPD Festival of Work set its sights on ambitious year-on-year growth, aiming to boost attendance by 20% while widening the audience beyond traditional HR professionals. The goal was to attract business leaders, marketers, and public-sector decision-makers — audiences with very different motivations and media behaviours. At the same time, efficiency had to improve. Rising competition in the events sector meant every impression, click, and conversion had to work harder. The challenge was clear: reach new audiences at scale, maintain strong conversion rates, and reduce acquisition costs — all without losing the Festival’s core HR community.
The Solution
A dual-channel acquisition strategy combined the precision of LinkedIn with the scale of Google Ads. Google campaigns focused on building awareness and capturing intent through high-performing Demand Gen and branded search activity, driving millions of impressions and exceptional click-through rates. Meanwhile, LinkedIn became the conversion engine — delivering over 70% of total sales with conversion rates exceeding 30%. Audience segmentation and creative were tailored to professional motivations, not just job titles, ensuring relevance across every interaction. By continually optimising spend between reach and conversion channels, the campaign turned awareness into measurable action — exceeding both growth and efficiency targets.
The Result
The campaign didn’t just meet expectations — it set new benchmarks. Attendance grew by more than 20% year-on-year, driven by a 30% uplift in conversion rate and a 25% reduction in cost per acquisition. LinkedIn delivered over two-thirds of total conversions, proving its effectiveness for high-intent engagement, while Google provided cost-efficient reach and strong brand visibility. Together, they created a scalable acquisition model that will continue to fuel growth in future years. The campaign’s success demonstrated that combining data-led optimisation with channel-specific creative can deliver sustainable audience growth and exceptional marketing efficiency.
“This campaign set a new standard for how we approach digital acquisition. The blend of strategy, creativity, and precision targeting not only delivered record attendance but also expanded our audience in exactly the right way. It’s proof that smart optimisation really does drive meaningful growth.”
“This campaign set a new standard for how we approach digital acquisition. The blend of strategy, creativity, and precision targeting not only delivered record attendance but also expanded our audience in exactly the right way. It’s proof that smart optimisation really does drive meaningful growth.”
“This campaign set a new standard for how we approach digital acquisition. The blend of strategy, creativity, and precision targeting not only delivered record attendance but also expanded our audience in exactly the right way. It’s proof that smart optimisation really does drive meaningful growth.”
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