CLIENT
Ratel 4 x 4 (Bosbumper)
INDUSTRY
4x4 accessories
LOCATION
Johannesburg
SERVICES
Google Ads & Facebook
TIMEFRAME
12 months
4227
qualified leads generated in 12 months
330
Facebook leads in just the first 2 months
3
ad channels working together
ROI
turnaround from an underperforming account
IN SHORT
Ratel 4×4’s Bosbumper Google Ads campaign wasn’t returning on its investment. Bluestone overhauled the keyword strategy and audience, rebuilt the Search and Performance Max campaigns, and layered in data-driven Facebook Lead Generation ads – generating 4227 qualified leads across three channels in twelve months, 330 of them from Facebook in the first two.
THE CHALLENGE
A Google Ads account that wasn't paying its way.
Ratel 4×4 build rugged, high-quality bull bars – but their Bosbumper Google Ads campaign came to us underperforming on return. Spend was going out, yet the leads coming back didn’t justify it. The account was chasing the wrong keywords, with no clearly defined audience to aim at — so budget leaked on clicks that were never going to convert.
Underperforming
return on ad spend
Unfocused
keyword strategy
Undefined
target audience
THE APPROACH
We ran it through the Foundation Method.
The same three stages we bring to every project – here, applied to paid media.
STEP 01
Ground
We audited the failing account, researched the keywords Ratel’s buyers actually use, and defined the right audience -then began gathering lead data to build on.
STEP 02
Build
We rebuilt the Search and Performance Max ad groups around that strategy, and launched Facebook Lead Generation campaigns powered by the data, with fresh, on-brand creative.
STEP 03
Grow
We ran an always-on strategy, refreshed creative constantly to beat banner blindness, and kept refining targeting — scaling steadily to 2,000 leads over the year.
THE RESULTS
4227 leads, across three channels.
Qualified leads by channel -12 months
4227
Total qualified leads generated across all three channels in twelve months.
1403
Google Search – the biggest single source once the keyword strategy was rebuilt.
977
Performance Max – extending reach across Google’s full inventory.
300
Facebook Lead Gen – delivered in just the first two months.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Three lessons behind the numbers.
Google rewards "always-on"
Consistent, continuous optimisation beat stop-start bursts – the account performed best when it was never switched off.
Facebook needs a sharp audience
Lead Gen only paid off once the target audience was tightly defined – a broad net simply brought irrelevant leads.
Fresh creative beats fatigue
Rotating ad creative frequently kept click-through rates high and held off the banner blindness that quietly kills campaigns.
IN THEIR WORDS
The client expressed immense satisfaction with Bluestone Digital’s commitment and the palpable effectiveness of the campaigns, encouraging the team to continue their exceptional work.
THE PROOF
Leads that compounded month on month
Cumulative qualified leads over 12 months
Illustrative of the trend — replace with your real dated Google Ads & Meta reporting for the live page.