As the Senior Paid Media Manager Consultant at Darc Sport, I was responsible for driving performance marketing strategy and execution for two of the brand’s largest apparel drops: Fear Thou Not and Batman vs Joker. These drops required precise alignment across creative, merchandising, and paid media to maximize awareness, generate anticipation, and convert at scale during narrow release windows.
I oversaw end-to-end campaign management, including budget allocation, creative asset planning, cross-platform media execution, and performance reporting. My role was to ensure every dollar spent translated into measurable customer acquisition, strong ROAS, and sustainable retention.
Challenge
Darc Sport’s drops operate in a high-demand, limited-inventory model where success hinges on:
Building anticipation pre-launch through teasers and preview traffic.
Capturing new customers without alienating loyalists.
Ensuring budgets scale efficiently across Meta and Google during peak traffic surges.
Coordinating creative assets that matched platform requirements and campaign strategy.
For Fear Thou Not and Batman vs Joker, the stakes were higher than usual: these were flagship collections with cultural significance, requiring flawless execution across media channels.
Strategy
1. Funnel Alignment
I designed full-funnel media strategies that accounted for each phase of the drop:
Pre-Drop (Awareness & Traffic): Meta Traffic campaigns and Google Demand Gen to drive audiences to “Shop the Preview.”
Drop Day (Conversion Focus): Meta Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC) and Google Performance Max, optimized for high-intent purchase audiences.
Post-Drop (Retention & Remarketing): Dynamic retargeting of preview visitors, wishlist users, and anonymous shoppers segmented via Swym and GA4.
2. Budget Management
Daily spend scaled up to $5K–$8.75K on Meta ASC and $10K–$20K on Google, with forecasts aligned to daily net revenue goals.
I created pivot tables in Excel and dashboards in GA4/Triple Whale to monitor hourly ROAS, CPA, and conversion flow from Visitors → Add to Cart → Checkout → Purchase.
3. Creative & Asset Planning
Partnered with the creative team to build asset calendars for each drop.
Ensured compliance with platform specs (Meta 1080×1920 MP4, 1:1 carousels, <30MB images, <4GB videos).
Directed testing of image vs. model-driven creatives, adjusting placements dynamically based on performance.
4. Data & Optimization
Built custom GA4 explorations to segment performance by cohort (new vs. established customers).
Worked with Swym data to isolate wishlist activity and link anonymous shoppers to paid retargeting pools.
Troubleshot pixel attribution mismatches, ensuring incremental conversion values aligned between Google, Meta, and GA4.
Results
Fear Thou Not
ROAS exceeded target by +21% (850% vs 700%).
New customer acquisition grew by 15% compared to previous drops.
Pre-drop traffic campaigns increased preview sessions by 3.2x week-over-week.
Batman vs Joker
Peak drop-day revenue surpassed forecast by +12%.
45% increase in engagement on drop ads compared to prior campaigns.
Dynamic retargeting delivered 3.5x higher conversion rates from wishlist users vs. cold audiences.
Impact
Through these drops, I built repeatable paid media playbooks for Darc Sport that integrated budget forecasting, asset calendars, and funnel optimization. These frameworks not only maximized the immediate performance of Fear Thou Not and Batman vs Joker, but also established scalable processes for future releases.
Key Skills Highlighted: Paid Media Strategy, Full-Funnel Campaign Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Budget Forecasting, Data Analytics (GA4, Triple Whale, Shopify), Creative Direction, High-Impact Drop Marketing