Challenge.
Branded search campaigns delivered results, but they also limited AZCCU’s ability to grow.
The credit union had long relied on branded Google Ads to maintain visibility and drive conversions. These campaigns captured existing members and lower-funnel prospects, but they also risked cannibalizing organic traffic and missing out on reaching new audiences. To achieve ambitious growth goals, AZCCU needed to test whether reallocating spend to non-branded search could drive incremental acquisition.
Approach.
IDX developed a strategy designed to expand reach and capture new audiences through non-branded campaigns.
In December 2024, AZCCU made a bold move by pausing branded search entirely. We reallocated the budget toward intent-rich keywords across key product lines such as Personal Loans and Credit Cards, pairing them with benefit-focused ad copy and creative that better aligned with user intent. Daily monitoring and regular refinement ensured that the campaigns remained efficient while driving results.
In the two months following the pause, organic brand clicks rose slightly, showing stability in brand-driven traffic. We saw a more significant breakthrough when we turned off Performance Max (PMax) campaigns in March 2025, as it was still capturing branded traffic through its thematic targeting. Once PMax was removed, organic brand performance surged, with clicks increasing by 35% and impressions by 28%.
This performance boost confirmed our hypothesis: AZCCU’s website could still dominate brand search position through organic content. This freed up paid search to focus on driving new member acquisition through non-branded terms.
Details.
The campaign strategy was designed to capture prospects earlier in their decision journey, with messaging and targeting tailored to user needs. Through precise keyword refinement and benefit-focused creative, we ensured every dollar worked harder.
- Rewrote ad copy to emphasize clarity, urgency, and product benefits
- Focused on non-branded, intent-driven keywords to reach new audience segments
- Monitored campaigns daily to minimize visibility loss and optimize performance
- Turned off PMax campaigns in March 2025, allowing organic search to reclaim brand traffic while paid efforts fueled incremental growth
Results.
The strategy paid off—delivering more conversions at a lower cost while maintaining spend efficiency.
1 %
Increase in total spend
30% %
increase in conversions
22 %
decrease in cost per acquisition