adidas
AI-driven audience prospecting and bidding (ARO) across the full funnel
adidas expanded its acquisition beyond social and search across MENA markets with Criteo (AI audience prospecting and Adaptive Revenue Optimization) and reports ROAS up 81% in mid-funnel and 66% in lower funnel over five months.
Key points
- AI-driven audience prospecting and bidding across MENA markets.
- Criteo Commerce Growth platform with Adaptive Revenue Optimization (ARO).
- ROAS up 81% in mid-funnel, 66% in lower funnel.
- Evidence level B, mixed signals status.
Objective
Broaden acquisition beyond social and search in MENA markets, letting Criteo's AI prospect new audiences and set bids against a ROAS target.
The deployment
adidas extended its digital acquisition to the Middle East and North Africa with Criteo, beyond social and search channels. The setup combines AI-driven audience prospecting, dynamic retargeting, and the Adaptive Revenue Optimization (ARO) engine, which sets bids at cost per click against the ROI target and optimizes toward web conversions rather than simple visits. Over a five-month campaign, adidas reports ROAS up 81 percent on mid-funnel campaigns and 66 percent in the lower funnel. Lower-funnel ROI rose from 1.25 in January to 2.08 in May. This is a case of optimizing and automating media buying: the AI arbitrates bids and audiences, it does not produce the creative.
Results Proof B
Quantified Criteo platform case study naming adidas and its Performance Marketing Manager; official interested source, hence B. The MENA setup (AI prospecting + ARO) is confirmed by Criteo's official communications.
How it works
Inferred typical approachThe internal detail is not public. Here is a proven approach that leads to the same result, to adapt to your stack.
The stack in detail
- plateforme Criteo Commerce Growth Criteo's acquisition and retargeting platform, the foundation for AI-driven audience prospecting beyond social and search.
- outil Criteo Smart Bidding Criteo's automated bidding technology, which adjusts bids according to the campaign target.
- outil Adaptive Revenue Optimization (ARO) Engine that sets bids at cost per click against the ROI target and optimizes toward web conversions rather than visits.
- infra Tag Criteo et flux catalogue Site tag with purchase events and product feed that power dynamic retargeting and ROAS measurement.
How it runs, concretely
For ops teams-
1ROI target definition performance media team
adidas sets the return target and the scope (MENA markets, products).
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2Audience prospecting AI (Criteo)
Criteo's AI seeks new audiences beyond social and search.
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3Bid optimization (ARO) AI (Adaptive Revenue Optimization)
The engine sets bids at cost per click against the ROI target, optimizing toward web conversions.
-
4ROAS / ROI reading performance media team
The team tracks ROAS and ROI by funnel stage and adjusts the target.
The web conversion (purchase) and the ROI target, against which ARO sets bids at cost per click. Without tracked conversions, optimization falls back on visits and loses value.
How your customers perceive this type of use
Sourced studiesLe pricing algorithmique est le terrain le plus inflammable : 68% des consommateurs disent se sentir leses quand les marques utilisent le pricing dynamique et 80% jugent plus dignes de confiance les marques aux prix constants (Gartner, 2024). L'equite percue varie selon le secteur : le pricing dynamique n'est juge juste que par 33% a 40% des repondants selon qu'il s'agit de concerts ou de cinemas (YouGov, 17 marches). Le prix personnalise par les donnees individuelles est le plus rejete : 47% des Americains s'y opposent fermement (Consumer Reports, 2024).
Acceptance conditions
- La constance des prix comme signal de confiance : 80% jugent plus fiables les marques aux prix stables (Gartner 2024)
- Le secteur conditionne l'equite percue : le pricing dynamique est mieux tolere pour les cinemas (40% le jugent juste) que pour les concerts (33%) (YouGov 2024)
Red lines
- Le pricing dynamique percu comme abus : 68% se sentent leses (Gartner 2024)
- Le prix individualise a partir des donnees personnelles : 47% d'opposition ferme (Consumer Reports 2024)
- Les frais caches et hausses imprevues, vecus par 79% des consommateurs sur un an et associes a la perte de confiance (Gartner 2024)
Sources: Gartner 2024 · YouGov 2024 · Consumer Reports 2024
How to replicate
Inference, not sourcedData prerequisites
- Criteo tag on the site with purchase events
- product catalog
Org prerequisites
- dedicated media budget
- clear ROI target per funnel stage
Possible stack
- Criteo Commerce Growth
- Smart Bidding
- Adaptive Revenue Optimization
The plan, step by step
- Step 1Place the Criteo tag with the purchase event and connect the product catalog feed.Deliverable: Validated conversion tracking and synchronized catalog
- Step 2Set the ROAS or ROI target per funnel stage and split the budget between retargeting and prospecting.Deliverable: Written full-funnel campaign plan
- Step 3Launch dynamic retargeting and audience prospecting under ARO, letting the learning phase run without micro-adjustments.Deliverable: Active campaigns with automated bidding
- Step 4Read ROAS, ROI, and traffic cost by funnel stage, adjust targets and audiences.Deliverable: First quantified review against the social and search baseline
- Step 5Extend to the next markets or products based on the figures.Deliverable: Extension plan decided on measured ROAS and CPA
First step: Place the Criteo tag with the purchase event, set a ROAS target, and launch prospecting + retargeting under ARO.
The same pattern, proven in other industries
Allwyn
AI-driven omnichannel programmatic buying with retail data activation
Nivea
genAI testing and optimization of creative elements + automated localization at scale
Clarins
AI-automated sales campaign plus dynamic catalog ads, evaluated on incrementality via Conversion Lift against last-click
Sources
- S1 adidas | Criteo Success Story Interested party archive pending
- S2 Criteo : adidas partnered with Criteo to expand its audience beyond social and search (MENA, AI-driven audience prospecting and Adaptive Revenue Optimization) Interested party archive pending
An error, newer info, a source?
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