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Hear From the Brand:
The Brand:
Built Different is a UK-based menswear brand specializing in premium basics designed specifically for big and tall men. Founded by Matt Edge and Tyler Ball, the company offers a range of clothing items including t-shirts, polos, v-necks, hoodies, joggers, and underwear, all tailored to provide a flattering fit for larger body types.
They’ve sold over 1 million shirts, Built Different has established itself as a go-to brand for men seeking well-fitting, versatile apparel.
The Starting Point:
Most ecommerce brands hit a wall. They dominate their home market, but growth plateaus. Built Different faced this exact challenge in June 2024.
The UK-based clothing brand had steady growth with £30,000 monthly Google Ads spend at 3.6 ROAS. But they were looking to expand. Revenue had to grow without destroying unit economics.
International Expansion
Here's the problem with Google ads for ecommerce scaling: domestic markets have limits. You can optimize campaigns endlessly, but eventually you exhaust your audience pool. Built Different had dabbled with international ads before but lacked the team and strategy to scale properly.
International expansion isn't just about changing location settings. You need:
- Market-specific campaign structures
- Localized messaging and creative assets
- Currency and shipping adaptations
- Cultural understanding of each target market
- Proper audience segmentation strategies
Without these elements, brands waste budget on irrelevant traffic. They get clicks but no conversions. ROAS plummets. But we had seen huge potential growth when we got into their account.
The Strategic Opportunity
We saw three clear opportunities:
- Expand presence in high-potential markets like USA, Germany, Ireland, and wider Europe
- Build stronger top-of-funnel pipeline through Demand Gen. and YouTube discovery campaigns
- Improve account structure by separating brand and non-brand campaigns
Over 12 months, Built Different grew from £1.4M to £4.3M in revenue through these 3 focal points.
1. Google Ads International Expansion | Multi-Market Approach
Launching Performance Max International Campaigns
Performance Max campaigns formed the backbone of Built Different's international expansion. We structured campaigns by region to maximize Google's machine learning while maintaining market-specific control.
Campaign Structure by Market:
- USA: Dedicated Performance Max with USD pricing and US-specific product feeds
- Germany: Separate campaign with EUR currency and German language assets
- Ireland: Focused campaign leveraging UK proximity with localized messaging
- Wider Europe: Consolidated campaign covering multiple EU markets
What most media buyers and advertisers fail to understand when expanding internationally is localization goes beyond language. Our team focused on reducing friction at every touchpoint. Research shows that localized marketing efforts can increase conversion rates by 20-30% compared to generic approaches.
Key Localization Elements:
- Transparent shipping costs displayed in local currency
- Clear delivery timeframes for each region
- Local return policies and customer service information
- Duty and tax information for EU markets
- Region-specific landing pages and ad extensions
Full-Funnel Strategy for New Markets
International expansion demanded a comprehensive approach across the entire customer journey:
Top-of-Funnel Discovery: Demand Generation campaigns served as primary awareness drivers, using broad targeting to identify potential customers and build remarketing audiences.
Mid-Funnel Nurturing: Remarketing campaigns targeted engaged users who hadn't converted, using specific product messaging and local social proof.
Bottom-Funnel Conversion: Feed-only Performance Max campaigns captured users with clear purchase intent, receiving highest budgets and most aggressive targeting.
2. Google Ads Audience Targeting | Discovering Untapped Segments
Built Different targets men with fitness and lifestyle apparel. But we spotted something interesting in their customer data - many purchases showed billing addresses suggesting women were buying Built Different products as gifts for men in their lives.
Female gift buyers represented an entirely untapped segment with different motivations, shopping behaviors, and decision-making processes. Research supports this insight - women handle gift purchasing in 86.5% of UK households.
Campaign Setup for New Demographics
Creating campaigns for female gift buyers required complete strategic shift:
Campaign Structure Changes:
- Separate campaign groups for female audiences
- Different bidding strategies for longer consideration periods
- Distinct budget allocation for independent testing
- Custom conversion tracking for gift purchase patterns
Messaging and Creative Overhaul:
Instead of showcasing product features or male lifestyle imagery, we focused on gift-giving scenarios. Visual assets showed gift packaging, product flat lays, and lifestyle scenes.
The results exceeded expectations.
This year we spent £25,000 targeting female audiences and generated £77,993.13 in attributed revenue - a 3.2 ROAS from a previously untargeted segment.
3. Scaling Top-of-Funnel with Demand Gen and YouTube Campaigns
Investment Strategy for Upper Funnel Discovery
We allocated £102,000 to Demand Gen campaigns over 12 months - nearly 15% of the total account budget. This investment was strategic for:
- New customer acquisition - Bottom-funnel campaigns can eventually hit saturation
- Remarketing fuel - Upper funnel campaigns create audiences for later conversion
- Brand awareness - Cold audiences need multiple touchpoints before purchasing
- Market expansion support - New international markets required awareness building
Creative and Audience Optimization
Our creative strategy focused on hook-led video content. Mainly lifestyle assets showcasing Built Different's products in a few authentic contexts.
This is what we call Audience layering. It goes like this:
Results: Measurable Growth Across All Markets
International Market Performance
USA Market Transformation The American market delivered dramatic growth. We increased spend by 4,654.01% while generating 2,725% more revenue, maintaining target ROAS thresholds.
Germany's Steady Growth Germany showed conservative but consistent expansion. Spend increased 185.03% with revenue growing 180%.
EU and Ireland Surge The broader European markets delivered exceptional performance. We increased spend by 215% and saw revenue jump 370%.
International expansion didn't cannibalize UK performance. The UK market grew 43.51% in spend year-over-year with revenue increasing 81.49%.
Key Takeaways: Replicating This Google Ads Market Expansion Strategy
Built Different didn’t scale by spending more.
They scaled by thinking differently.
Here’s what mattered most:
- Structure markets like business units - localized feeds, creatives, and campaign logic.
- Find hidden audiences - like women buying gifts for men.
- Invest in discovery - 15% of the budget went to top-of-funnel, fueling growth across the funnel.
This strategy worked because it was tailored.
Not every brand can copy-paste it.
Google Ads doesn’t scale on autopilot . You need custom strategies for every product and market.