Revitalising Programmatic Display at Mulberry
Objective:
When I joined Mulberry, the objective was clear: to rebuild trust in the programmatic display channel and demonstrate its potential to drive awareness, engagement, and consistent top-of-funnel performance. The ultimate goal was to establish a reliable and high-performing program in time for the brand’s peak festive season, while ensuring every campaign reflected Mulberry’s premium positioning in the UK and US markets.
Challenge:
Mulberry’s past experiences with display advertising had been less than ideal. A prior trial had directed significant spend towards low-quality sites, resulting in placements that were misaligned with the brand’s luxury image. Understandably, this eroded confidence among senior leadership, leaving the channel underutilised. It was my responsibility to rebuild trust, deliver measurable results, and position programmatic display as a core pillar of Mulberry’s marketing strategy.
Core Strategy and Execution
In August, we reintroduced display activity with the launch of the Mobkoi campaign, which focused on premium, brand-safe placements on platforms like Vogue, The New Yorker, and Variety. This campaign used engaging ad formats tailored for mobile, reflecting Mulberry’s traffic behaviour, and delivered strong early results. This success helped to establish programmatic display as a credible channel once again.
By September, we scaled the programmatic strategy with the Rejina Pyo collaboration, a global, through-the-line campaign that required seamless cross-functional coordination. This initiative spanned display, paid and organic social, email, PR, and events across Seoul, London, and New York. Display played a pivotal role in the campaign’s success, with activity running in the UK and US through GumGum and DV360, achieving excellent performance metrics. The campaign was a huge success, achieving full sell-through of the stock.
As we moved into October and November, we continued to refine and expand the display program. GumGum’s AI-driven contextual targeting delivered premium placements, while DV360 allowed us to scale efficiently. In November, we introduced Apple News into the channel mix, adding impactful placements in its Trend Report and Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight. For festive campaigns, we also experimented with innovative formats, such as desktop skins through GumGum, achieving exceptional engagement rates.
Each campaign was treated as an opportunity to test and learn, introducing new site lists, formats, and targeting strategies. By the festive season, we had built a display program that was not only consistent but also highly efficient and tailored to Mulberry’s brand objectives.
Key Achievements
Rebuilding Trust and Delivering Excellence:
Display evolved from a mistrusted channel to a cornerstone of Mulberry’s marketing strategy. For instance, GumGum campaigns achieved CTRs between 0.61% and 1.16%, far exceeding industry benchmarks, while DV360 campaigns provided efficient reach with CPMs as low as £2.54.Global Success with the Rejina Pyo Collaboration:
The Rejina Pyo campaign showcased the power of effective cross-functional coordination and display’s role in driving results. The campaign was a significant success, achieving full sell-through of the collection while building global brand awareness across key markets.Month-on-Month Growth and Innovation:
Each campaign iteration demonstrated measurable improvements, from GumGum’s standout UK CTR of 1.16% in November to the introduction of Apple News for high-impact festive placements. By combining premium placements with cost-effective solutions, the display program delivered sustainable growth in engagement and efficiency.
