Australian businesses have been able to grow and expand into international markets with the support of Meta’s suite of ad campaigns and tools.
Tom Hosking, client partner, eCommerce – Meta, told Mediaweek that the tech company’s Advantage+ offering has been a game changer of businesses launching into new markets by disrupting cross-border business through innovations in automation and AI.
He noted Meta has supported businesses through unmatched audience opportunities with over 3 billion monthly users globally, AI allowing brands to focus on discoverability, and connect with culture through local creators and unique seasonal shopping moments.
Hosking said Meta customers have said the platform has offered them a “reliable channel for guaranteed results and return for cross-border marketing.”
“Especially when it comes to testing new campaigns and marketing approaches across different countries, our tools allow brands to easily validate whether their offering and approach works, with the opportunity to tailor their budget spend, before successfully scaling their strategy and investment once the market proves to be viable,” he added.
Among the clients to have a positive experience with the platform’s advertising suite are Clementine Boshevski, founder and CEO of Salt Lab, and Kim Zorn, VP, Growth & Performance at Princess Polly.
Tom Hosking said Meta customers have said the platform has offered them a “reliable channel for guaranteed results and return for cross-border marketing.”
Salt Lab
Boshevski launched Salt Lab in 2017 after experiencing complete burnout which resulted in hormonal issues, insomnia and severe nervous system disruption. She was advised to take magnesium to alleviate symptoms and hormonal deficiencies but couldn’t find a clean, high-quality product that was locally made and owned.
“So I decided to develop my own – a 100% natural, Australian made, topical magnesium oil that has since helped thousands of Australians relax, recover and sleep better.
Since launching eight years ago, the brand has expanded across Australia and in the USA market, and grown to nine employees with plans of growing further and continuing to expand to additional markets.
For Boshevski, reaching an international market was a major milestone for the business in proving global demand for their products while creating new jobs and expanding the size of its team globally. Part of achieving national and global success has been Meta’s suite of tool which Boshevski said helped her business target the right audience at the right time.
“We have been implementing a mix of Meta tools, from manual brand campaigns, awareness and reach campaigns to more specific Advantage + AI tools to best reach and target our diverse audience. A key benefit of implementing Meta’s solutions has been the opportunity to maintain a consistent yet relevant voice to our brand and our values, across different demographics and geographies.
“We also have been able to optimise the performance of our ads, by leveraging testing and refinement of different categories across campaigns – meaning we have been able to reach the right audiences and pivot accordingly depending on our targets.”
Clementine Boshevski: ‘We have already experienced great results and have been having success in international markets closer to home, including Singapore and Hong Kong, but our objective is to establish our position in the USA as a priority, given the size and opportunities offered by such a prominent market.’
Campaign success with Meta
Boshevski highlighted Meta’s tools as having played a particularly important role in raising awareness for the brand with local customers.
Salt Labs took advantage of Meta’s digital marketing solutions to scale the business through targeted ad campaigns, which achieved brand recall and engagement through targeted ad campaigns.
“In 2023, we experienced an arson attack on the storage facility we were using at the time, losing all our stock and production as a result, valued at $1.5M. We were able to successfully bring back our production through a ‘bring us back’ campaign, which we ran organically through our community grown on Instagram and Facebook.”
The successful campaign over the past year resulted Salt Labs doubling in size and achieving 300% YoY growth and expanding our customer base to the USA market through the implementation of ad campaigns run through Meta’s Advantage+ AI tools.
“As a result of this growth, we have also been able to expand our team, hiring an additional five roles and currently looking to continue to grow and further expand our staff to include roles based in the USA.”
Expansion plans
Looking ahead, expansion is on the cards for Salt Labs’ business and customer base across international markets.
“We have already experienced great results and have been having success in international markets closer to home, including Singapore and Hong Kong, but our objective is to establish our position in the USA as a priority, given the size and opportunities offered by such a prominent market.”
Princess Polly
Online clothing retailer Princess Polly entered the market in 2010 from a beachside apartment on the Gold Coast and it has since transformed into a global fashion destination with a big digital presence, loyal Gen Z following and retail stores across the US.
“What’s helped us grow is our deep understanding of our customers. We know the moments that matter most to them, whether that’s graduation, a night out, or everyday campus life,” Zorn said.
“We make it easy for them to discover these looks by meeting them where they already are, on social media. Our international stores represent a new chapter and are a testament to how far we’ve come. Our goal is to give our customers an immersive, unforgettable shopping experience, while continuing to provide accessible and more sustainable styles both online and in person,” she added.
Kim Zorn: ‘Meta Ad Products have allowed us to tap into vast international markets, drive sales, and grow our brand presence efficiently, making Meta an essential partner in our global advertising strategy.’
Delivering results with Meta
Zorn shared that Meta’s Ad Products played a significant role in helping the business reach national and international consumers and highlighted Advantage+ in being a key to driving performance.
“This feature allowed us to optimise campaigns across multiple levers, such as budget, creative, and placement, resulting in more efficient and impactful international sales while decreasing the time to set up campaigns for the team.
“The flexibility and automation that Advantage+ provides have been invaluable to reach diverse audiences across different regions while maximising return on investment.”
Princess Polly also launched Reach Campaigns through the suite, which Zorn said lead to increased Brand Awareness and Consideration.
These campaigns delivered 86% lower CPMs, which not only drove cost-effective exposure but also fueled overall performance across the account. Most importantly, they helped increase our net new reach, enabling us to attract new customers and boost brand visibility on a global scale.
“Together, these Meta Ad Products have allowed us to tap into vast international markets, drive sales, and grow our brand presence efficiently, making Meta an essential partner in our global advertising strategy.”
Ongoing growth
Zorn and the Princess Polly are focused on expanding their customer base and building on early omnichannel expansion and brand awareness efforts while driving strong performance across over 25 active channels.
This year, the clothing retailer is also planning of opening seven physical stores in the US, bringing the total number of shop fronts to 13, including SoHo in New York, Miami, Glendale, Garden City and King of Prussia.
“We already have six stores open along both coasts, and this is the next step in our hybrid retail expansion plan.”
As for the brand’s partnership with Meta, Zorn said: “we will focus on leveraging Meta’s expertise and guidance to create a true omnichannel advertising strategy while continuing our Performance and Reach strategy.”
Meta’s insights on trends and innovations
Hosking noted that the industry can expect to see more brands reach out to European countries which are “relatively untapped opportunities for many local businesses” as uncertainty with exports into markets like the US continues.
He added that another key trend is increased focus on creative, specifically creative systems that promote an increase in volume, velocity and diversity of ad creative.
“Businesses that are well positioned to produce more content, at higher speeds, for a larger range of customer needs and wants, will gain competitive advantage.”
Meanwhile, clients can expect Automation and AI to continue to play a key role in Meta’s offering as it continues to invest in innovation that powers the tools helping advertisers maximise campaign performance.
“This is why we are already testing a revamped Meta Advantage+ campaign setup that ensures AI-optimisations will automatically be turned on sales, app install and leads campaigns, while maintaining the ability for advertisers to make manual adjustments if preferred.
“We are also seeing our customers taking advantage of the new opportunity scores available on Ads manager, to maximise campaign set ups and ads testing from the get-go.”