DonorsChoose and M+R Outperform ROAS Goal by 12x With MNTN Performance TV

While they were optimistic about the potential success of CTV advertising, DonorsChoose and M+R were acutely aware of the amount of resources they were investing in the channel. So, to evaluate the efficacy of CTV for their needs, they set up a trial Performance TV prospecting campaign that ran April through May.

Precision audience targeting was of the utmost importance to DonorsChoose and M+R. While reaching a large number of potential customers was key, they were more focused on engaging with the right types of people. To ensure they were targeting these consumers, they leaned on MNTN’s comprehensive audience suite, which gave them access to thousands of specialized segments. They focused first on frequent donors, and then narrowed in on people who had given to children’s charities.

Engaging ad creative was paramount to their success on CTV, as well. For their test campaign, they used an ad that really brought the DonorsChoose brand to life. Visually, it featured fun, colorful animation paired with real-life imagery of teachers and students. As important as what the ad looked like was the story it told — it clearly outlined how DonorsChoose supports teachers and students and how easy it is for people to donate to the organization.

Their initial test campaign with MNTN performed so well that M+R and DonorsChoose decided to continue their CTV efforts in a longer-lasting way (more on this below). And during the pivotal back-to-school time period, they tailored their ad creative to the season by highlighting a child’s wishlist for the upcoming school year and how donating to DonorChoose could support students like this to thrive. All of their ads followed MNTN’s creative best practices, featuring branding throughout and a clear call to action at the end.

Set on understanding the true business impact of CTV, DonorsChoose and M+R were honed in on campaign measurement. MNTN’s comprehensive reporting suite — which integrates with a variety of third party measurement tools — enabled them to easily track performance.

In just two months of running ads on Performance TV, DonorsChoose was able to surpass their return on advertising spend (ROAS) goal by 12x. Because of this they decided to extend their CTV efforts through the pivotal back-to-school period (August through September). This second campaign drove even stronger performance, producing a 74% improvement in cost per acquisition (CPA) from their previous efforts.

This continued powerful performance demonstrated just how beneficial CTV was to DonorsChoose’s business — it drove new donors to their website and directly increased their bottom line. And while they initially viewed CTV as a way to support seasonal tentpole moments like Teacher Appreciation Week and back-to-school, they now use it as an evergreen channel that runs at various times throughout the year.