How we halved display CPA for a B2B SaaS
display CPA, down from €120 in 5 months
Head of Programmatic · May 2026
One number tells the story: display cost per acquisition fell from €120 to €58 in five months. Here is exactly how it moved, step by step.
The challenge
Display ran as a flat open-exchange prospecting line buying impressions almost nobody saw. Viewability sat in the high-50s, frequency was uncapped, and a €120 cost per acquisition made the channel look like a rounding error next to search.
What we did
- Rebuilt audiences around first-party CRM and product-trial data instead of broad third-party segments
- Moved spend out of the open exchange into private marketplaces and contextual deals on relevant publishers
- Capped frequency at 3 impressions per user per day and dropped placements below 70% viewability
- Shipped a dynamic HTML5 creative set that adapted message by funnel stage and industry
The results
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Display CPA | €120 | €58 |
| Viewability | 59% | 79% |
| Frequency (per day) | uncapped | 3 |
| Trial signups (view-through) | baseline | +41% |
Engagement length: 5 months at about €22,000/month in media. The figures are representative and sit within published display benchmark ranges; no real client is named. Núria led the work.
What this shows
One number moved because several smaller things did: cleaner audiences, better inventory, a sane frequency cap and creative that actually fit. That is the pattern across our work. See the other side of the engagement in display creative & DCO and programmatic media, or read the other case study.
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