How onX accelerated marketing campaigns with mParticle's AI engine

onX, a trailblazer in navigation apps, caters to the adventurous spirit of outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about hunting, backcountry sports, and off-roading. Faced with the goal of increasing both LTV:CAC ratio and Average Sales Price (ASP), the marketing team knew they had a trail to blaze of their own: incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into their existing workflows to enhance their marketing strategies and boost results, without the hassle of integrating new tools.

Striking the right balance

onX devised a plan to optimize their LTV:CAC ratio and elevate ASP by driving users to upgrade to premium membership tiers. Their strategy would require precision and nuance—overwhelming users with marketing messages and promotions could instead lead to app uninstalls or membership cancellations. In order to strike this delicate balance, Toni Kljucevic, onX’s Lifecycle Marketing Manager, knew they would need a sophisticated, data-driven approach that would leverage customer insights and behaviors to identify and target potential upgraders more efficiently and effectively.

Overcoming technological hurdles

The concept was sound, but implementation posed a dilemma. How does one quickly deploy sophisticated ML predictive models without internal data science resources or the time-consuming process of vetting and integrating a new tool into the existing MarTech stack?

Leveraging familiar ground

This otherwise daunting predicament was quickly and easily solved by turning to Predictive Audiences, powered by mParticle’s AI engine, Cortex. As onX’s longtime Customer Data Platform (CDP) provider, leveraging mParticle’s leading AI capabilities meant there was no need to vet a new tool or for additional integrations with other ML platforms. Predictive Audiences also offered seamless enhancements to workflows the team was already accustomed to performing in mParticle, allowing them to move more efficiently and effectively, without the learning curve.

Key solution highlights:

• Intuitive predictive modeling: Through Predictive Audiences, onX harnessed the power of mParticle's AI engine, Cortex, for nuanced customer behavior analysis.
• Streamlined integration: Utilizing Predictive Audiences within their existing mParticle CDP enabled a quick, efficient deployment, aligning perfectly with onX’s need for a fast, painless solution.

Harnessing AI precision to craft tailored campaigns

Toni set to work creating an Audience in mParticle, as he had done for many campaigns in the past. This time, however, he created a second, intelligent segment of users, with the aim of testing it against his heuristics-based control group. The Predictive Audience developed a predictive model for the campaign, analyzing historical purchase, trial, and upgrade decision data to calculate the upgrade likelihood for each customer. These likelihoods were then used to target customers in the 95th percentile and above with upgrade offers. The campaign was automated, continually targeting users and adjusting as user behavior changed. By integrating these insights within their existing marketing systems, onX efficiently targeted the most promising segment of their user base.

The campaign led to a 44% uplift in membership tier upgrade conversions, compared to the control group. It reached statistical significance within a month, proving that it did not increase cancellations or uninstalls, thus enabling a broader and ongoing campaign rollout. 

A transformative impact on marketing strategy

Results like this are a testament to the power of targeted, data-driven marketing, and highlights the seamless integration and ease of use of mParticle Cortex. While initially wary of AI and machine learning’s lofty promises, it only took one campaign for Toni to deem it an invaluable mainstay in onX’s marketing toolkit.

By leveraging native AI and ML in their existing mParticle workflows, onX was able to deliver a more targeted campaign that meaningfully enhanced both upsell conversions and customer engagement, faster and more easily than ever. This approach serves as a blueprint for how AI can be harnessed to propel marketing teams into a new era as they navigate the increasingly complex waters of digital marketing, proving that with the right tools and vision, the path to success is not only clearer but also more attainable. As onX continues to chart its course in the outdoor industry, its partnership with mParticle remains a cornerstone of its strategy, promising even more groundbreaking achievements on the horizon.

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