Maintaining a strong presence within markets in California, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona, the 99 Cents Only Store was founded in Los Angeles almost 42 years ago. The chain, initially selling items priced no higher than an affordable 99¢, ranging from closeout branded items to fresh food, saw major success following its inception in the early 1980s, but it needed a bit of help getting people through the door when it first turned to Bloom Ads in the 2020s. 

The Challenge 

There were 400 stores across the country, and with so many retail locations, targeting hyper-local markets and areas made for a tall task. That’s why 99 Cents Only turned to Bloom to help kick off their awareness campaigns, boost their efficacy, and increase foot traffic along with sales. 

Hyper-local targeting is all about delivering highly relevant content to people in specific areas – it’s the opposite of casting a wide net. It’s about pinpointing specific customers in particular areas who are more likely to seal the deal on a purchase – or, in this case, get through the door. It’s effective, but difficult to perfect, especially on the scale 99 Cents Only needed. 

The Solution 

Google Stack 

First, Bloom stepped in to utilize SEM and YouTube to increase awareness. These ads would be targeted to specific locations to drive foot traffic. This approach was needed due to the disparity between market locations. 

Some locations flourished, while others were faltering and seeing decreases in foot traffic and overall sales. These YouTube ads would need to be locally relevant. The way to do this was to find locally relevant keywords that people in the very specific niche area were searching for regularly that pertained to their neighborhoods. Customers are actively looking for goods and services; by showing them that the 99 Cents Only Stores had what they needed at low prices, they would be driven to stop by. 

Radio Advertising 

While some may consider radio advertising to be a thing of the past, there’s much to be gained from this strategy. Ads placed on the radio tend to capture and connect with local audiences that are both already dedicated, and already engaged. 

Bloom turned to terrestrial radio, streaming audio, and audio sponsorships to help get the target demographic’s attention. Specifically, hitting key local events – like festivals, fundraisers, local sporting events, and community gatherings – would help snag the hyper-local traffic that 99 Cents Only Stores was looking for. 

Local advertising relies on the ability to find those key customers right where they’re at – especially when they’re on the move.  In their cars, tuning into the radio on their commute, reminding potential customers of somewhere they can inexpensively stock up on what they need is a great way to boost up that valuable foot traffic. 

Display

Next, Bloom turned to the impact that first-party audiences can bring. To do this, Bloom expanded its reach and frequency on high-quality, high-value publisher websites on behalf of 99 Cents Only Stores. We achieved this by creating lookalike audiences and implementing retargeting campaigns. 

A retargeting campaign is a digital advertising strategy that generates an ad. This particular ad shows up for people who have visited that site in the past while they’re browsing on other sites. A person arrives on 99 Cents Only Store’s website, which creates a targetable ad audience that is transferred over to sites like Meta, where they’ll see an ad for the site. 

Bloom enforced this effort with lookalike audiences; audiences designed to help expand reach and latch on to new customers, which is exactly what 99 Cents Only Stores needed. Bloom’s retargeted ads were specifically tailored to promote precise, individual store locations within contextually relevant categories. 

OOH 

An innovative, dynamic form of local advertising, digital out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaigns were set up in 99 Cents Only Stores’ target areas to help drive foot traffic. Unlike TV, mobile, radio, or any other ad that can be turned off by the user, OOH cannot be ignored. 

It’s also exceptionally location-driven, and with digital OOH, Bloom was able to create dynamic ads that suited the customers the 99 Cents Only Store was trying to reach. Some of the digital OOH strategies that Bloom rolled out included digital billboards, signage, and the networks found in stores, elevators, and public EV charging stations. 

The Result 

When Bloom’s rigorous campaign had hit its stride, it was time to take a step back and see how things were shaping up for the 99 Cents Only Store brand. 

Their site earned 500M total impressions by the end of the campaign, and a staggering 137% increase in new site visits. Of course, those visits to the site lead to 200% more locator visits and, in total, a sales increase of 25%. 

Local Advertising Done Right 

Bloom Ads is proud to have worked with the 99 Cents Only Store, bringing in much-desired foot traffic and a bump in sales. That’s because the creative digital advertising team at Bloom Ads has both the ad placement know-how and creative ability to make it happen – all while keeping a careful eye trained on the analytics side, too. 

If you’re ready to capture your local target audience, get in touch with the team at Bloom Ads.