Half the marketing spend, better results, and a digital engine built to scale.
Hot Spring Spas, New Zealand's oldest and most trusted spa brand, had spent decades and millions on print, radio and TV. A DigitalArchitect® analysis reframed everything around market share, then re-engineered their buyer journey, halving marketing spend while lowering cost of acquisition around 40% and driving more qualified buyers into showrooms.
Decades of big-budget traditional media, and a plan COVID broke in a week.
Hot Spring Spas were marketing traditionalists. Decades of heavy spend on print, radio and TV cost millions, and often lifted the whole spa category rather than Hot Spring specifically. Digital just "ticked over in the background," managed by agencies reporting keyword rankings rather than commercial outcomes.
Just as a new digital plan was about to launch in March 2020, COVID hit, and the entire strategy had to be rebuilt in a week.
- Millions spent on print, radio and TV over decades.
- Traditional media often lifted the category, not the brand.
- Digital treated as a background supplement.
- Agencies reported rankings, not commercial outcomes.
- COVID forced a full strategy rebuild in a single week.
Market share first, then a buyer journey built to convert.
DigitalArchitect® market-share analysis
We reframed the conversation around market share, the total value of the NZ spa pool market, Hot Spring's share, what competitors were doing, and exactly where to invest for the greatest return. It was the analysis that won over a traditionalist director.
An aggressive 12-month growth plan
We built an aggressive 12-month growth plan, then re-engineered it within a week when the pandemic hit.
A re-engineered buyer journey
We redesigned the digital buyer journey end to end, so awareness and consideration happen online and stay attached to Hot Spring through to purchase, including LiveChat and a website that feeds qualified buyers into showrooms.
Embedded marketing leadership
A Growth Partners consultant stepped in as acting marketing manager, bringing structure and leadership to a talented in-house team.
Spend less, sell more, and be ready to scale.
For the first time, Hot Spring was underspending rather than overspending on marketing, with more qualified buyers reaching the website and showrooms, stronger credibility with dealers and retail customers, and a digital engine ready to scale across the Tasman.
"The return on investment has been phenomenal. We're spending half the amount of money we used to spend on traditional media, but we're seeing better results. When you do it the right way, digital marketing is far more targeted and effective."
Ready for growth like this?
Book a free DigitalArchitect® growth assessment and get a clear, data-led read on where your marketing budget is really going, and how to make it work harder.
Get your free growth assessment