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Derringers Music: Amplifying a local brand to a national powerhouse

Image showing a selection of electric guitars

Who is the client?

Derringers Music is an iconic South Australian music equipment store. Serving Adelaide’s musical community for over 40 years, they now sell everything from guitars and drums to recording equipment and lighting Australia-wide.

They were our (SLAM Strategy) first pay-for-performance client and really paved the way for what that model would look like. 

What was their problem?

For 40 years, Derringers Music has built a strong brand in South Australia, becoming the top choice for musicians and technicians. However, their success was largely confined to this local market. Despite its strong reputation and loyal customers in South Australia, Derringers faced low brand exposure and no real presence in other states. 

This posed a major problem as their ambitions had outgrown their local footprint. They saw opportunity in the national market but were unable to make any real headway. 

Interstate, they didn't have a physical store like in South Australia, so they needed to promote online purchases instead of in-store sales. 

When they came to SLAM Strategy, their pain points were clear and tangible. Their business model and brand story weren't resonating outside South Australia, limiting their growth potential. Derringers wanted to bridge this gap and build trust with interstate customers so they could compete on the national stage.

Their needs

  • To become a dominant player in the online direct to consumer sales space
  • Have a presence interstate
  • Scale profitably
We adapted our approach by creating an online experience that replicated the in-store expertise.

What we did

Google Ads

Utilising our brand new commission based Pay for performance model for eCommerce clients, we quickly identified the fastest road to profitable growth. 

To meet rising demand and utilise a warehouse full of stock, we launched a Google Ads strategy to promote Derringers Music nationally. This strategy focused on a Google Shopping ad campaign to showcase their wide range of products to potential customers nationwide. 

This was complemented by targeted Google Search Ads, which captured users actively searching for specific musical instruments and equipment. 

We launched a remarketing campaign to increase conversion rates and enhance brand recognition, keeping Derringers Music in the minds of potential customers who had visited their website before.

The challenges

The main challenge was building trust with an interstate audience who couldn't experience the Derringers’ in-store service or try the products directly. How do you get someone to buy a guitar when they aren’t able to feel what it’s like to play this certain guitar?

We adapted our approach by creating an online experience that replicated the in-store expertise.

This strategy helped us scale the campaign profitably, address initial customer hesitation, and demonstrate that Derringers Music could successfully extend its brand beyond the physical store.

The results

The campaign’s success was immediate and exponential, demonstrating the power of a targeted national strategy. 

The Google Ads campaign delivered a huge 2404% Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), meaning for every dollar invested, Derringers Music saw a return of over $24.

This approach led to an impressive 800% revenue increase, opening the interstate market up and turning their online store into a national powerhouse. 

Our optimisation efforts led to a 56% reduction in cost-per-click, bringing more qualified traffic to the site at a much lower cost.

Conclusion

The partnership with Derringers Music showcases how a local brand can become a national e-commerce success.

We successfully introduced this SA brand to a national audience using a targeted Google Ads strategy, including Google Shopping.

The campaign not only unlocked Derringers Music’s interstate market potential but also solidified its position as a dominant force in the Australian online music retail space.

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