01 · university case study MSc module: Social Media & Digital Marketing

Ancient + Brave

A wellness brand that is brilliant at attracting customers, and quietly lets them slip away.

THE BRAND

UK premium wellness SME: science-backed supplements, collagen and mushroom tinctures

THE BRIEF

Audit its digital marketing and build a business case for a better revenue model

MY ROLE

Sole author: audit, personas, journey map and recommendations

DATA SOURCES

Semrush, Meta Ad Library, Google Trends, Trustpilot, Instagram & TikTok

4.7Trustpilot
2,255 reviews
415k
monthly website visits
−27%
unique visitors, falling
65.5%
bounce rate
258k
Instagram followers

01 · THE AUDIT

Loud on Instagram. Silent on Google.

The brand runs 230 live Meta ads but bids on just 21 paid search keywords. So when someone types "best collagen supplement UK" (a search that doubled on Google Trends), they find a competitor instead.

Using Kietzmann's Honeycomb, the social channels score well on Identity and Presence but poorly on Sharing and Conversations: almost no user-generated content and no community.

fig. 2 — where the paid budget goes

Active Meta ads230
Paid search keywords21

Under the PESO model, the mix is heavy on Paid Social and Owned media, and thin on Paid Search and Shared media.

02 · THE PEOPLE

Two customers. One is being ignored.

PERSONA 1 · SERVED

Amy, 32–45

The Wellness Woman

core audience
Goals
Skin health, hormonal balance, energy, longevity
Pain points
Overwhelmed by choice, sceptical of greenwashing, time-poor
Motivated by
Scientific credibility, sustainability, a female-founded brand

PERSONA 2 · UNTAPPED

Joe, 28–40

The Informed Optimiser

no triggers
Goals
Performance, recovery, cognitive clarity, longevity
Pain points
Distrusts marketing claims: wants evidence, not aesthetics
The gap
The mushroom and recovery range is made for him, yet the brand's male ambassador appears in only two Meta ads

03 · THE JOURNEY

Strong start. Weak finish.

click a stage to see the gap ↓

bar height shows how well the brand performs at each stage, based on my journey-map assessment

WHAT THE BRAND DOES

Subscription flexibility and email sequences.

HOW THE CUSTOMER FEELS

Satisfied if the product works, disengaged if the emails feel generic.

THE GAP

Generic post-purchase emails: the brand takes the customer’s data and gives little back.

04 · THE PLAN

No reinvention. Activate what's already there.

Three connected moves that turn a brand that attracts into one that converts, keeps and grows its customers.

recover · acquisition

1. Paid search

Bid on high-intent category terms and quiz-aligned health-goal searches, to catch people at the moment they're ready to buy.

open · new segment

2. Male micro-influencers

A network of trusted fitness and performance creators gives Joe the trigger he's missing (Fogg's Behaviour Model). No new products needed.

convert · lost revenue

3. Post-quiz engine

The quiz already captures each visitor's health goals. Use them to send three personalised emails to anyone who doesn't buy.

fig. 3 — the post-quiz email sequence, built on Cialdini's principles

24 hours

AUTHORITY

Clinical facts and figures matched to the visitor's quiz goal.

72 hours

SOCIAL PROOF

Trustpilot reviews from customers with the same health goal.

7 days

SCARCITY + LOSS AVERSION

A low-risk offer: 20% off the first subscription, cancel any time.

05 · THE THINKING BEHIND IT

Social Exchange Theory · Blau Social Capital · Putnam Social Practice · Reckwitz Behaviour Model · Fogg Honeycomb · Kietzmann PESO · Dietrich Value Proposition Canvas Business Model Canvas

The thread through all of it: the quiz is a fair exchange only if the brand gives something back. At the moment it collects people's goals and returns generic emails. Rebalance that exchange, and attention turns into loyalty.