What Meta Campaigns Taught Us About Search Traffic (Spoiler: Awareness Works!)

Ads don’t always get the click. That’s not news. But here’s the real question: what happens when someone sees your ad, doesn’t click, but remembers enough to hit search later?

Search and social expert Eric Duchek wanted to test a hunch:?Could brand awareness campaigns on Meta drive significant increases in search traffic—both paid and organic? Spoiler alert: they can. Here’s what he uncovered.

The Experiment

Here’s how he ran it:

1. Test Campaigns: Focused on upper-funnel objectives like awareness and reach. The creative? Built to match.
2. BAU Campaigns: Standard business-as-usual fare aimed at mid- and lower-funnel conversions.

He tracked two key metrics:

• Assisted searches: Both paid and organic, where someone searched after seeing an ad.
• Cost efficiency: What it took to make those searches happen.

Think of it like following the breadcrumbs from exposure to intent.

The Results

• Cost Per Assisted Search: 80% lower compared to BAU campaigns.
• Cost Per Assisted Paid Search: 87% lower than BAU campaigns.

So, the awareness campaigns didn’t just perform—they outperformed.

These results demonstrated the true potential of awareness campaigns to reach new audiences and cost-effectively influence their behavior downstream.

Why This Matters

For years, marketers have treated awareness campaigns as a nice-to-have—great for branding but hard to measure. This test flipped that narrative. When awareness-focused creative met the right optimization strategy, it unlocked performance gains across the entire customer journey.

The takeaway? Awareness isn’t a top-of-the-funnel checkbox. It’s a growth lever.

The Big Picture

This experiment wasn’t about abandoning the funnel; it was about breaking out of its limitations. Awareness campaigns didn’t just deliver value—they did so at a fraction of the cost, proving that discovery and intent don’t have to live in separate silos.

So, if you’ve been underestimating the power of awareness, it’s time to think again. The ripple effects are real, measurable, and worth every penny.

Want to chat?

This test was led by Eric Duchek, our Senior Director of Client Strategy, who knows a thing or two about turning awareness into action. Reach out to Eric or send us a message if you want to talk more about this test.

And you can?find the original blog here: Boosting Search Traffic Through Awareness: Lessons from Meta Campaigns