Commonwealth Joe Generated a 158% Return on Google Ads Spend While Cutting Meta CPA by 44%

Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters wanted to grow its direct-to-consumer ecommerce business across Google and Meta while building a paid acquisition strategy that could support both one-time purchases and recurring coffee subscriptions.

Bluum managed and optimized the brand's paid media strategy across both platforms, refining campaign structure, testing creative, improving conversion tracking, and reallocating budget based on performance. Google ultimately generated a 158% return on spend, while a Meta creative test reduced CPA by 44% and doubled conversion volume compared to dynamic creative.

158% Return on Google Ads Spend 🔥 44% Lower Meta CPA With Static Creative 🔥 100% Higher Meta Conversion Volume With Static Creative 🔥

The Challenge

Commonwealth Joe had an established coffee brand with multiple revenue streams, including ecommerce, subscriptions, cafés, and office coffee. Growing the direct-to-consumer side of the business required a paid media strategy capable of reaching new customers while accounting for the different value of one-time purchases and recurring subscriptions.

The existing advertising ecosystem also needed additional structure. Google had opportunities across Search and Shopping, while Meta provided a platform for introducing the brand to new audiences and testing different creative approaches.

Bluum's challenge was to identify where Commonwealth Joe could acquire customers efficiently, improve the data being used to make those decisions, and continuously shift the strategy toward what was actually driving results.

The Pain Points

Scaling ecommerce required more than increasing ad spend. Bluum needed to strengthen the underlying campaign and measurement infrastructure while identifying the channels, audiences, and creative strategies most capable of producing profitable growth.

Distinguishing Subscriptions From One-Time Purchases
A recurring coffee subscriber represented a fundamentally different customer than someone making a single purchase. Early tracking did not adequately distinguish between the two conversion types, limiting the platforms' ability to optimize specifically toward subscriptions.

Finding the Right Channel Mix
Google and Meta played different roles in Commonwealth Joe's acquisition strategy. Rather than dividing budget evenly between them, Bluum needed to understand where each platform was performing best and adjust investment accordingly.

Improving Meta Creative Efficiency
Creative format had a direct impact on acquisition costs. Bluum needed to test whether Meta's dynamic creative approach or more controlled static advertising could generate stronger conversion performance.

Strengthening Google's Ecommerce Infrastructure
Scaling Google required more than Search campaigns. Shopping depended on Shopify, Google Merchant Center, product feeds, approved creative, and reliable conversion tracking all working together.

The Huumans
Behind The Work

Great results don’t come from systems alone, they come from the people behind them.

Each Bluum partnership is backed by a cross-functional team that blends strategy, design, and leadership oversight to move fast and think smart.

Every win starts with the people who make it happen.
Here’s the team that brought this one to life.

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Account Lead

Ally Michelle

Ally served as the main point of contact and project quarterback. She guided communication, managed timelines, and made sure every piece of the partnership stayed on track and on brand.

Lead Designer

B. Bernhard

B. shaped the visual direction of the work by translating goals and audience insights into creative that captured attention and drove action.

Executive Sponsor

Austin Spikes

Austin stayed close to the partnership from start to finish, providing executive oversight, helping remove roadblocks, and keeping the work aligned with the client’s bigger business goals.

The Results

As Bluum gathered more conversion data, the strategy became increasingly focused on what was actually producing results. Creative testing revealed a clear winner on Meta, while Google emerged as a strong channel for continued investment.

158% Return on Google Ads Spend
By July 2021, Bluum reported that Google Ads was generating a 158% return on spend. With budget constraints requiring greater prioritization, performance gave the team a clear reason to concentrate additional marketing dollars on Google.

44% Lower Meta CPA With Static Creative
Bluum tested static image ads against Meta's dynamic creative approach to understand which format could acquire customers more efficiently. Static creative produced a 44% lower CPA, leading Bluum to turn off the dynamic campaign and expand the winning approach.

100% Higher Meta Conversion Volume
The same creative test showed that static ads generated twice the conversion volume of dynamic ads. Rather than optimizing solely around lower acquisition costs, Bluum identified a creative approach capable of improving both efficiency and volume.

Paid Media Decisions Driven by Performance
Instead of maintaining a fixed channel or campaign allocation, Bluum continually used performance data to determine where budget should go next, from shifting Meta creative investment toward static ads to prioritizing Google when it demonstrated stronger returns.

The Strategy

Bluum built Commonwealth Joe's paid acquisition strategy around continual testing and performance-based decision-making. Rather than treating Google and Meta as interchangeable channels, the strategy focused on understanding where each platform could contribute most effectively and shifting budget toward the campaigns producing the strongest results.

On Google, Bluum reduced investment in weaker non-brand Search campaigns and prioritized higher-performing Shopping and branded Search campaigns. The team also worked across Shopify and Google Merchant Center to resolve product-feed issues and keep Shopping campaigns eligible to serve.

On Meta, Bluum improved tracking so subscriptions could be measured separately from one-time purchases, allowing campaigns to optimize toward the more valuable subscription event. Audience targeting was refined based on subscriber data, while creative testing compared Meta's dynamic creative against static imagery. Static creative ultimately produced a 44% lower CPA and 100% higher conversion volume.

Performance then guided the broader media mix. As Google generated a 158% return on spend and Meta testing revealed clear creative winners, Bluum concentrated budget around the channels, campaigns, and creative approaches demonstrating the strongest opportunity for efficient ecommerce growth.

“The strategy made sense, and I really appreciated how Bluum laid everything out for us. Having a clear understanding of where our marketing dollars were going and how the different pieces worked together was incredibly helpful.”

Robert Peck, CEO & Co-Founder @ Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

Cue
Bluum

Scaling ecommerce isn't about being everywhere. It's about understanding what's working and putting the next marketing dollar in the right place.

For Commonwealth Joe, that meant building stronger conversion tracking, distinguishing subscriptions from one-time purchases, testing creative instead of relying on assumptions, and continuously adjusting the channel mix based on performance.

The result was a paid acquisition strategy that produced a 158% return on Google Ads spend, while Meta testing uncovered static creative that reduced CPA by 44% and increased conversion volume by 100%.

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“The strategy made sense, and I really appreciated how Bluum laid everything out for us. Having a clear understanding of where our marketing dollars were going and how the different pieces worked together was incredibly helpful.”

Robert Peck, CEO & Co-Founder @ Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

“The strategy made sense, and I really appreciated how Bluum laid everything out for us. Having a clear understanding of where our marketing dollars were going and how the different pieces worked together was incredibly helpful.”

Robert Peck, CEO & Co-Founder @ Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

Creative That Converts

Instead of assuming Meta’s Dynamic Creative would produce the strongest combination, Bluum tested it directly against controlled static imagery. Static ads delivered a 44% lower CPA and 100% higher conversion volume, giving the team a clear creative winner and a framework for the next round of testing.