Case Study at a Glance
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Philo is a streaming TV service for subscribers to watch live and on-demand shows
COMPANY LOCATION
San Francisco, CA
FOUNDED
2010
WHY BEN
Flexibility to pivot campaign goals and platforms as targeting and audience needs changed
Data-driven approach to optimize performance based on key learnings
THE BLUEPRINT
Use AI to target audiences that had strongest engagement
Adjust verticals, channels, and creator talking points to best reach these high-performance audiences
THE PLATFORMS
TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Stories


Targeting Audiences with Unique Tactics
TV streaming service Philo wanted to grow brand awareness and drive new customer sign ups by appealing to college students—a cohort Philo anticipated would be a primary audience, given its low-cost, contract-free offering. But when Philo partnered with BEN for an influencer marketing campaign, BEN used its data-driven approach to test multiple verticals and confirm this theory. The surprising findings? The most interest in Philo—and the greatest opportunity for conversions—was actually coming from families, African American moms, and LGBTQ+ viewers.
BEN worked with Philo to change tactics and capitalize on the opportunity to reach these viewers who, though not the expected audience, were engaging at higher rates. Using a combination of AI, custom view per conversion (VPC) models, and human expertise, BEN was able to pinpoint what was driving engagement with these audiences and build different awareness campaigns that were tailor-made for success.
Many audiences saw better engagement from creators who highlighted specific shows that stream on Philo, rather than from promoting the streaming service itself. So BEN sourced actors like Rick Fox and Holly Peete to promote their own shows that stream on Philo, as well as a number of drag queen creators to promote RuPaul’s Drag Race. Interior design creators such as chrislvoesjulia, tarathueson, and ourfauxfarmhouse were able to successfully showcase the aesthetic impact of having a cord-free TV experience. And diverse vloggers like Ken and Derra, Prince Family, Bramty, and Bloveslife highlighted Philo’s affordability.
By finding unique ways to target engaged audiences, campaign click-through rates improved by 172%, reducing the number of views it took for Philo to see subscription sign ups—ultimately boosting conversion efficiency by nearly 10x.
The Execution: Expanding Awareness While Reducing Acquisition Costs
Building off the success of the initial campaign, Philo looked to BEN to expand to new audiences and continue to drive awareness among potential subscribers. After an initial focus on YouTube and Instagram stories campaigns, BEN began running campaigns on TikTok, knowing this would expand not only the base of new Philo users, but also the creators they could partner with as well. Using TikTok drove an additional 8 million views.
With the continued success of reaching engaged audiences, Philo was also interested in pivoting the campaign goals to reduce customer acquisition costs. In tandem with the TikTok campaign, BEN also launched a paid media component that was optimized for conversions, successfully bringing down the average cost per conversion. To do so, BEN retargeted the audiences of certain influencers and amplified their content to reach new lookalike audiences.
BEN and Philo are eyeing additional campaigns and tactics, using playlists, Twitch streaming, live content, and more—ongoing engagement made possible by a partnership that has consistently delivered on performance.
172%
CTR INCREASE
8M
ADDITIONAL VIEWS FROM TIKTOK
10x
CONVERSION EFFICIENCY
INCREASE
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