The Best Ads for Travel Backpacks

THIS WEEK’S FODDER
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You’re reading Marketing Fodder, a weekly newsletter dedicated to helping you improve your Facebook and Instagram ads.

Today, we’ll be examining the ads of:

1. Peak Design

2. ALPAKA

STARTER
Marketing Headlines

• Semrush acquires Search Engine Land

• Food bloggers beware, Google is testing a “quick view” button on recipe images that keeps the searcher on Google while providing a snapshot of the content from the publisher (Read more)

• Google Analytics is adding a Realtime pages report; this means you’ll be able to see the immediate impact of marketing initiatives on site traffic (Read more)

• How the preferences of Gen Z are changing Search and SEO Strategies (Read more)

MAIN
Backpacks

Trends:

According to Google Trends, US search interest (over the last 3 years) for travel backpacks has increased significantly:

How I Analyze Facebook Ads

A great Facebook ad communicates the benefits of the product or service, not solely the features. Think about it like this: a feature makes the product better but a benefit makes the customer’s life better. Features typically describe a physical aspect of the product, while benefits describe a change in the emotional state of the customer. Makeup companies do this well. Instead of focusing on features like ingredients, their ads highlight how much better someone will look or feel by purchasing the product.

Alright, let’s see how these companies market their travel backpacks:

#1: Peak Design

The Good:

• This Peak Design ad leans heavily on two quotes from National Geographic, one in the Primary text above the image, and the other within the image. Focusing on these quotes is smart because National Geographic is widely known and trusted.

• Including “Guaranteed for Life” in the description section across from the call-to-action button is enticing.

• The image provides a nice sense of how big the backpack is and allows the viewer to imagine wearing it on a plane.

The Bad:

• This ad does not explain the benefit of owning this backpack. Is traveling stress-free if I have this bag? Will I be able to carry all the things I need to enjoy an epic adventure? These things are not mentioned explicitly.

• No URL is included in the URL section below the image. I like when ads include one as it creates trust.

The Recommendation:

• Spell out a few benefits (how someone’s life will change) by owning this backpack.

• Test a similar image but with someone smiling with the backpack on.

#2: ALPAKA

The Good:

• The ad copy explicitly describes the benefits of owning this backpack: “…making you comfortable, all while looking stylish.” This product is offering the viewer a transformation from uncomfortable to comfortable, and non-stylish to stylish (higher status).

• The image does a great job of showing how much this bag can hold and some of the key features that support the benefits.

The Bad:

• The headline and description section only says, “ALPAKA Backpacks.” This is not helping the viewer make a buying decision.

• This ad also lacks a URL in the URL section below the image.

The Recommendation:

• Test a customer review in the primary text or on the image. This ad would benefit from some social proof.

• Include information about a warranty or a free shipping offer in the headline and description section to make the buying decision easier for the viewer.

Pro Tip

When choosing between SEO and PPC, ask yourself these questions:

• 1. What’s more important: fast or steady?

• 2. How well do you know your market and your ICP?

• 3. How precise are your keywords?

• 4. How good (or bad) is your website?

For a full breakdown of each question, read the full article here.