Altra
Brand Building Strategy Cuts CAC -44% & Strengthens Media Efficiency
Strategic upper-funnel shifts cut CAC by 44% while increasing brand impressions +60% in priority markets.
Altra, a performance-focused running brand, partnered with New Engen to drive sustainable customer growth and improve long-term media efficiency. Historically reliant on lower-funnel DTC performance, Altra was looking for a strategic unlock: one that would expand brand equity and reduce cost-per-acquisition (CAC) over time.
Our approach centered on progressively shifting investment toward Awareness and Consideration campaigns. This reallocation was rooted in the hypothesis that stronger brand equity would lead to more efficient conversion across all channels, and ultimately deliver greater business impact.
Immerse
To lay the foundation for this strategic shift, we immersed ourselves in Altra’s growth goals and market dynamics. We partnered closely with the internal team to understand the nuances of their audience, product positioning, and seasonal retail cycles.
This led to a phased testing approach, designed to validate our core assumption: investing further up the funnel would not only generate qualified demand, but also drive efficiencies downstream.
Inspire
Performance data from early campaigns signaled that long-term efficiency gains could be realized through stronger upper-funnel investment. We interpreted these results through the lens of market saturation, category differentiation, and Altra’s own evolving customer profile.
Two key learnings informed the evolving media strategy. In late 2024, we pivoted Consideration efforts from national to market-level strategies. This shift enabled higher reach and frequency within high-priority regions. As performance metrics validated this approach, we gradually expanded into new states; driven by data, not assumptions.
Concurrently, we narrowed key audience criteria by tightening age ranges, refining socioeconomic profiles, and defining priority geos. This ensured that our reach was concentrated within the most valuable customer segments, maximizing media impact.
Implement
Our strategic evolution was grounded in an always-on, test-and-learn discipline, which allowed the strategy to mature alongside the brand. Four key tactics formed the foundation of our approach to Altra’s media plan.
Gradually increased upper-funnel spend to fuel awareness and consideration, setting the stage for more efficient DTC performance.
Replaced broad national campaigns with focused market-level strategies—continuously optimized based on performance data.
Refined targeting parameters to zero in on high-value segments based on age, income, and region.
Maintained a flexible framework that evolved alongside Altra’s business, reinforcing an agile, partnership-based approach to media.
Impact
Altra’s investment in Brand Building created a ripple effect across its media ecosystem. As awareness grew and demand was unlocked, we saw stronger revenue performance, which in turn unlocked additional budget and further expanded reach. Between FY25 (April 2024 – December 2025) and FY26 (April 2025 – December 2026), this approach drove a -44% YoY decrease in CAC, validating the long-term efficiency of rebalancing the media mix.
This virtuous cycle was especially evident in markets with sustained upper-funnel investment, where new customer sessions consistently outperformed non-awareness markets. Over the same period, Direct and Organic Sessions increased +264% YoY, signaling stronger brand pull and deeper consumer engagement, while Brand Impressions in Awareness markets rose +60% YoY. As performance strengthened, Altra scaled Brand Building investment by +23%, further accelerating reach and reinforcing the strategy’s impact.
The performance gap between awareness and non-awareness markets widened over time, reinforcing the role of strategic upper-funnel investment in driving sustainable growth.
Cotopaxi
