Creative Challenge #1: Can't Use Comparative Statements
Context: While Goose Creek's products often outperform competitors like Bath & Body Works or Yankee Candle, they legally cannot use direct comparisons (e.g., "Unlike other candles…" or "Stronger than…"). This limits one of the most persuasive angles in UGC — competitive differentiation.
Outcome:
- Shifted to experience-led storytelling: "One candle fills my whole home" rather than "better than X."
- Built social proof into UGC with lines like: "I get so many compliments when guests walk in!"
- Reinforced performance without comparison using sensory language (e.g., "authentic," "cozy," "fresh").
Creative Challenge #2: Fragrance Quality Is Subjective & Hard to Show Visually
Context: You can't see scent — and customers' biggest fear is buying a fragrance they won't like or that's too weak.
Outcome:
- Created UGC with multi-sensory cues: creators walking into a room, pausing, and visibly reacting to the aroma ("Wow, this smells like fall at my grandma's house!").
- Leaned into the "Interview on the Street" concept to actually test the scent on strangers & capture their authentic reactions.
- Emphasized emotional + memory associations: "This scent reminds me of baking with my mom."
- Used close-ups of candle lighting moments + creator VO to connect fragrance to mood.
Creative Challenge #3: Overcoming Purchase Hesitation Around Scent
Context: Online candle buyers worry that the scent won't match their taste, be too artificial, or cause headaches.
Outcome:
- Used UGC scripts like "I was worried I wouldn't love the scent, but now I'm obsessed."
- Paired VO with close-ups of labels + cozy settings to anchor scent expectations (e.g., a Fall candle lit next to a pumpkin spice latte).
- Incorporated "scent category" overlays (e.g., "Fresh & Clean" / "Warm & Cozy") to ease the decision-making process.
Performance Challenge #1: Q4 Launch & Exceeding ROAS Targets
Context: Goose Creek is a brand that spends more in Q4 than the rest of the year combined. We signed up with them at the start of Q4 2024, and capturing a hard-to-visualize commodity into converting ads was a challenge that we took head-on.
The Challenge:
- Seasonal Dependency: Q4 represents the majority of annual ad spend
- Visual Limitations: Fragrance is inherently difficult to showcase in digital ads
- ROAS Target: Achieving their target ROAS of 3.0
- Timing Pressure: Starting partnership at the beginning of their most critical quarter
Outcome: Their target ROAS was 3.0 and we overachieved it considerably:
Performance Challenge #2: Overcoming Ad Fatigue & Scaling Spend
Context: One of their challenges was that their ads started strongly but also faded quickly and were not able to spend a significant amount. This is a common issue in the fragrance industry where creative fatigue sets in rapidly.
The Challenge:
- Creative Fatigue: Ads performing well initially but declining quickly
- Spend Limitations: Difficulty scaling individual ads to significant spend levels
- Sustained Performance: Maintaining ad effectiveness over extended periods
- Volume Requirements: Need for consistent high-performing creative output
Outcome: In the last 6 months, our ads have collectively spent around $400k with multiple ads spending more than $10k!
The results demonstrate how strategic UGC can overcome the inherent challenges of marketing fragrance products online, achieving both exceptional ROAS performance and sustainable scaling across multiple creative assets.