Results / Case Study / Sports Merchandise
Indy Eleven
On Google Ads, selling club merchandise.
Where they started
Indy Eleven is a professional soccer club in Indianapolis. The club sells its merchandise through an online store, and the budget behind that store gets treated with an owner's caution - every dollar answers to someone.
Brad gets a lot of cold pitches. Most go nowhere. Ours almost did too.
"I don't often jump on email solicitations. We get a bunch of them. But there was something about the email you sent me. I was like oh boy if this goes south I'm in trouble. But to be honest with you, you've exceeded our expectations across the board."
BradIndy Eleven · client interview
That was the bet on his side: an outside partner, a club budget, and his name on the decision. "If this goes south I'm in trouble" is not a throwaway line for someone in his seat.
What the audit changed
The engagement ran diagnostic-first: understand the club's real merchandise economics, then put spend only behind what holds.
That discipline cut both ways. When a campaign looked appealing on the surface but the numbers underneath did not hold, we said no - and left the money on the table. Google Ads got the budget where the economics worked, and nothing where they did not.
What happened
- 4X+ ROAS on Google Ads - selling club merchandise through the online store
- Trust earned by saying no - campaigns we didn't have faith in didn't get the club's money
- Expectations "exceeded across the board" - Brad's words, on the record
"One area where you did earn a lot more trust was when you turned down opportunities. Rather than taking the money on a campaign that you thought you didn't have faith in, you earned a lot of trust when you said no. That's very counterculture."
BradIndy Eleven · client interview
Turning down budget is not a normal move in this business. It is why the club trusts the numbers we bring them.
Hear it from Brad
Unscripted, on camera. Brad walks through the cold email he almost ignored and what the club store's ads look like now.
Verify this case study
Brad put his name and face on this case study. Here is how to check it yourself:
- Watch the full recorded interview above - unscripted, on camera
- Read what partners say on Trustpilot
- Ask about references on your Strategy Call - we'll tell you exactly what's verifiable and how
Run the same math on your own account
Every HoloGrowth engagement starts with the same five numbers: CM3, nCAC, 90-day LTGP:CAC, payback, and new-vs-returning split. The free Scaling Scorecard gives you those five metrics with the exact scale/hold/fix/kill thresholds we use on managed accounts - so you can see what Brad saw before you ever talk to us.
Get the Free Scaling ScorecardYour store's numbers can look like this too - if the spend only goes behind what holds.
It starts with a free 30-minute Strategy Call - we clarify your numbers, name your most likely constraint live, and decide together what makes sense next.