How sonnenklar.TV's move to charles halved their Meta costs and increased customer engagement
-48% reduction in Meta advertising costs
+61% increase in click-through rate (CTR)
75.5% highest click-through rate (CTR)

 

sonnenklar.TV is a German travel shopping channel specializing in vacation deals, operating via television, online, and mobile platforms. 

WhatsApp was already an established customer engagement channel for the company, but they were limited in the level of personalization and cost-optimization they could achieve with their existing provider.

By partnering with charles, sonnenklar.TV is able to significantly reduce their advertising costs while increasing engagement through more targeted and personalized customer communications.

The Challenge: 

How do you optimize marketing spend while maintaining high engagement in the competitive travel industry?

Founded in 2003, sonnenklar.TV has over 11 million customers, a presence across television, online platforms, and franchise travel agencies with a strong reputation for offering attractive vacation deals.

Despite their success with WhatsApp marketing, sonnenklar.TV was facing significant challenges:

  • Inefficient audience targeting: every campaign was being sent to their entire subscriber base, regardless of engagement levels
  • Rising marketing costs: this broad approach was leading to unnecessary spend on Meta costs
  • Declining engagement rates: inactive subscribers were diluting campaign performance metrics
  • Missed revenue opportunities: without proper segmentation, personalized offers weren't reaching the most receptive audiences

In the highly competitive travel industry, where margins are tight and customer preferences change rapidly, sonnenklar.TV needed a solution that would allow them to communicate more effectively with their audience while optimizing their marketing spend.

 

The Solution: 

Partnering with charles to implement sophisticated audience segmentation strategies that dramatically improved campaign efficiency and effectiveness.

With charles' WhatsApp Marketing platform, sonnenklar.TV transformed their approach to customer communications. Their current strategy includes:

 

1. Acquiring WhatsApp subscribers: sonnenklar.TV leverages strategically placed website CTAs to attract new leads. By offering exclusive discounts and special offers, they encourage customers to opt-in and become part of their WhatsApp community.

 

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Collecting subscribers for their WhatsApp newsletter by offering bargain alerts and access to exclusive deals 

 

2. Collecting zero party data: To create truly personalized experiences, sonnenklar.TV needs deeper insights into their customers' unique preferences and interests. Through an interactive WhatsApp opt-in flow, they gather a double opt-in, along with key data points such as what types of deals subscribers are interested in as well as their email address.

 

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Collecting preferences and email addresses via the WhatsApp opt-in flow

 

3. Detailed segmentation based on engagement: sonnenklar.TV now targets subscribers with precision. Three out of four monthly campaigns are sent exclusively to users who have engaged with the newsletter, while one campaign per month reaches all subscribers – giving inactive users a chance to re-engage. This strategic shift has significantly reduced newsletter costs and increased engagement.

 

4. Personalized travel offers and promotional campaigns: By analyzing customer behaviour and preferences and using segmentation capabilities in charles, sonnenklar.TV delivers tailored travel recommendations that resonate with individual interests – from beach getaways to city breaks or adventure tours. Their "Mega Wednesday Deals" and other time-sensitive offers directly to customers' phones, create a sense of urgency and drive immediate action.

 

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Example of a "Mega Wednesday Deals" campaign message

The impact: 

charles x WhatsApp has helped sonnenklar.TV meet their goal of more efficient marketing spend and higher customer engagement via advanced segmentation and personalization capabilities.

 
  1. Cost-optimization*: a significant 48% reduction in Meta advertising costs through more efficient audience targeting and campaign management.
  2. Higher engagement rates*: a 61% increase in click-through rates (CTR), with up to 75.5% click-through rates achieved by reaching out only to active subscribers, leading to improved conversion opportunities and customer satisfaction.
  3. Improved campaign analytics: providing deeper insights into customer preferences and behaviors.

sonnenklar.TV's collaboration with charles demonstrates how strategic audience segmentation and targeted messaging can transform marketing efficiency and effectiveness in the travel industry. By focusing on engaged subscribers while maintaining periodic contact with all users, they've created a balanced approach that maximizes returns while minimizing costs.

 

*the reduction of meta costs was calculated by comparing the costs per campaign without charles' segmentation capabilities, and thereafter with charles' advanced segmentation capabilities

*the uplift of the click-through-rate (CTR) was calculated by comparing CTRs of campaigns without charles' segmentation capabilities, and thereafter with charles' advanced segmentation capabilities