Client Overview

American Express engaged BidWave Media to elevate its digital acquisition strategy. Through data-driven media buying and performance-led affiliate campaigns, we delivered high-quality leads at scale. Our real-time optimizations and multichannel approach significantly reduced cost-per-lead while enhancing ROI—positioning Amex for sustainable growth in a competitive financial services market.

Challenge

1. Crowded credit card market with many rival offers, making it difficult for American Express promotions to capture attention and stand out.

2. Operating in a regulated financial sector with low initial consumer trust (especially among SMBs), which made it hard to craft compelling yet compliant lead-gen campaigns

3. Ambitious acquisition goals and broad target segments, meaning Amex needed a high volume of quality leads within tight timeframes to meet aggressive growth targets

Our Approach

1. Multi-Channel Media Buying: Implemented data-driven campaigns across Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google Search to reach high-intent audiences with tailored credit card offers, leveraging advanced media buying and precision targeting

2. Affiliate & Coupon Promotions: Leveraged affiliate marketing and coupon-driven promotions via partner deal sites to widen reach on a pay-for-performance basis. Exclusive sign-up bonuses and offers were used to incentivize prospects, ensuring quality traffic and compliant lead generation.

3. Continuous Optimization: Employed A/B testing on ad creatives and landing pages and refined audience targeting (e.g. lookalike audiences of cardholders) throughout the campaign. This iterative approach helped steadily lower cost-per-acquisition and maximize ROI by focusing spend on top-performing channels.

Results

• Surpassed lead targets with high-quality conversions – over one-fifth of generated leads ultimately converted into new card customers

• Improved cost efficiency significantly, cutting the average cost per lead by ~23% through ongoing optimization efforts

• Achieved strong ROI on ad spend: campaigns delivered roughly 30% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) than benchmark expectations, highlighting the success of BidWave’s performance-focused approach

Key Takeaway

Bidwave.Media helped American Express outperform acquisition goals by combining precision-targeted campaigns with performance-focused affiliate strategies. Through real-time optimization and multichannel reach, the campaign delivered high-quality leads at lower costs—achieving a 30% lift in ROAS