How Burton Generated 775K Website Visitors for a Product Launch

Purpose of This Research

To identify the content and marketing strategy that contributed to the successful rollout of Burton’s “Step On” Seasonal Drop:

• ‍Assessing the launch timeline for the product
• Identifying key players in the distribution of content
• Highlighting factors that helped create a successful campaign

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Key Takeaways

Burton keeps core product lines targeted to seasonal periods. “Step On” content only runs from October to April with a break in content from May to September.

• Actionable Recommendation
  ‍Relieve the pressure of running snow product content year-round. Other than the traditional fall season release period, promote highly technical and season-specific products during winter, or soon-to-be winter months.

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Burton started promoting the new “Step On” product just over 2 weeks before launching. 81% of their total “Step On” budget went to the pre-launch period. 

• Actionable Recommendation
  ‍Keep pre-launch periods concentrated to a 1-2 week period. Focus on running a strong visual ad that runs throughout pre-launch with complementary organic content such as a short announcement email, and social media post.

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The collection launched on October 18, 2022. This was championed with a TikTok ad, an email, and a cross-posted asset across three channels. The ad and social posts demonstrate the versatility and performance of their product in different scenarios.

• Actionable Recommendation
  ‍Launch day is for eye-catching videos and proof of product performance. Prioritize assets that demonstrate your product in different landscapes. Keep product display content in email communication and update ad creative to maintain frequency on your top platform while reaching pre-launch ad viewers.

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Burton pushed the new line for two months until December. Burton switched from high funnel awareness social ads to lower funnel conversion search ads to capitalized on search demand after the launch. Product informational content and a contest were the focus of organic channels. 

• Actionable Recommendation
  ‍Keep a focus on new product for up to two months after release. Maintain a top banner on your homepage to drive visitors to the collection. Share videos that inform viewers about how your product can be used and consider running a contest to drive awareness. Run heavily branded paid search ads to generate clicks with a focus on product information in descriptions.

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January to April saw in-season content for the “Step On” line, focusing on efficiency and speed of the product’s technology. 

• Actionable Recommendation
  ‍Keep core product ‘evergreen content’ running into the snow season. Continue to communicate the efficiencies and benefits of the product as a way to encourage viewers to purchase before the end of the season or get them excited to invest in the product for the next season’s drop.

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On October 18^th, 2022, Burton released the latest “Step On” Binding Collection.

• ‍“Step On” is a snowboard binding and boot collection originally released in 2017 after 5 years of Research & Development. 
• The boots and binding are specifically designed to work together with Burton’s proprietary technology aimed at helping riders easily get on and off of their board.
• ‍“Step On” is a core product line for Burton, with a new collection of the same offerings released in 2017, 2020 and 2022. 
• New seasons consist of R&D updates featuring new and improved technology as well as season-specific colorways.

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From April 2021 to March 2023, Burton saw an average of 697K monthly site visitors in the United States.

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In October 2022, the website saw a +11% monthly increase in visitors...

The “Step On” Collection is Burton’s top 2022 product launch in pre-snow season period.

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…And +28% more daily visitors when the collection launched.

“Step On” information landing pages saw 17K visits, +124% more traffic than the weekly average in this period.

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“Step On” Collection Visibility At a Glance

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As a core product line, Burton’s strategy features “Step On” content throughout the year, with the 2023 seasonal drop seeing three months of release content from October to December 2022. 

“Step On” content was not posted or advertised from May to September 2022.

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The pre-launch and launch day all fall in the same month as Burton’s communication about the seasonal collection started only 2.5 weeks in advance.

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While not the focus of this release, note that early 2022 focused on the promotion of the 2022 season “Step On” product line.

In February, Burton released a small MINE77 colorway collaboration and in March a product restock was announced.  

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The 2023 “Step On” seasonal collection launched on October 18, 2022.

Burton used a two-week window to promote the upcoming collection, with the first announcement on October 4, 2022.

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The post-launch period for the 2023 product line was concentrated in November and December. 

November focused on educational product content while December engaged followers with a custom “Step On” contest.

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In an effort to keep eyes on the 2023 product line during the snow season, general content and ads were run from January to April 2023. 

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Burton spent $21K on “Step On” for the 2.5 week pre-launch.

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One week before launch, Burton released this $18K TikTok ad.

• The first five seconds of the ad focus on the clicking sound of the bindings locking into place with the “Step On” method. It also shows a series of different people clicking in.
• The ad highlights Burton’s custom technology. Showing close-ups of how the boots click into the bindings seamlessly. 
• The product line itself is branded with its own custom logo being flashed throughout the ad.

Spend:$18K | Imp.:1.7M | CPM:$10.2

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Only two organic posts were made in the pre-launch phase.

Burton made one Facebook post and sent one email to their subscribers. 

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An email was sent 2 weeks before launch along with a Facebook post 1 day before launch.

• ‍October 4, 2022. Two weeks before launch Burton sent an email to their subscribers with the subject line “Ready to Step On This Season?”. The short email features the “Step On” branding with “Coming Soon…” written underneath. 
• The email highlights the drop date, the benefit of the product (lose the straps), and where they can learn more. 
• ‍October 17, 2022. One day before the launch, Burton made a Facebook post sharing the launch date and time “10am ET tomorrow” with a focus on how the launch is related to R&D developments on the product. The post linked to a “Step On” product announcement and knowledge landing page. The page saw +50% more desktop visits compared to the previous day.

October 4, 2022

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October 17, 2022

Engagements: 236

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On Launch day, the hero banner was updated to reflect the new line.

CTAs were used to direct viewers to shop or learn about the “Step On” technology.

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On October 18, 2022, Burton started running an ad on TikTok at $1.5K to support the launch.

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The ad focuses on the success and ease of the “Step On” boots and binding being used in a snow park.

• 18 seconds in length, the ad barely focuses on how the rider clicks in and out of her bearings but instead on how well the boots stay on the board while she rides throughout the park.
• The ad uses no additional audio but instead focuses on the sound of the snow and the board hitting different pipes in the park. 
• For 4 seconds, about 22% of the ad, at the end we see the process of the rider unattaching herself from the board with “Burton Step On Now Available” overlaid. 

Spend: $1.5K | Impressions: 143K | CPM: $10.2

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On the same day, Burton sent out a newsletter and made 3 organic social posts.

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Launch Email Tactics

• ‍Subject Line New Step On Collection is Here
• ‍Custom Branding. The email creative immediately presents a repeating banner with “Step On” logos.
• ‍Now Available. Similar to the pre-launch email, instead of saying “Coming soon…” Burton used the same format to let readers know it’s available to purchase.
• ‍Examples. Under “The Newest Styles” headline, Burton included a few e-commerce flats of the latest colorways and designs for readers.

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The organic posts featured a cross-posted asset across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

• The 9-second video features the process of an athlete clipping in, completing a flip then easily unclipping from their board. 
• ‍Simple captions like “Step On boots & bindings just dropped 👀” or “Don’t flip out… Step On just dropped” were used to quickly communicate the launch while allowing viewers to focus on the video. 
• Here Burton is trying to communicate speed and ease. The “Step On” product was designed to remove the hassle of strapping in for riders. This content is aimed at riders who know the struggle of strapping in and out while also reaching prospects by showing an athlete performing a trick.  

Total Engagement:12K

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One week after launch on Oct. 25, 2022, the hero banner was changed.

Burton maintained a top banner promoting the “Step On” launch.

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Burton spent $85K on “Step On” ads in the post-launch period.

66% of the spend went to Paid Search, followed by Facebook at 27%. 

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

• ‍Descriptions. Burton prioritized sharing the “Step On” brand in the descriptions over the titles. All “Step On” Paid Search descriptions feature the mention of the product whereas only 8% of titles feature “Step On”.
• ‍Brand Name & Pull. By focusing on product information in descriptions, Burton leverages their own brand name as a way to catch attention before giving the reader more.
• ‍Focus on the New. Instead of focusing on technology in paid search ads, Burton’s top-spend content focuses on communicating the newness of the launch. It highlights updates and colorways while offering order tracking and help centers. 

Top Performing Examples

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From Oct. 19 to Dec. 31, 2022, Burton released 17 organic assets.

This included three emails and 15 organic posts on social media.

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2 weeks after launch Burton sent another email. A week later, they posted a viral TikTok.

• ‍November 4, 2022. Burton sent an email with the subject line “Step On and See the Difference” featuring the same format as previous newsletters. This email aims to keep it simple for the reader, only providing one editorial image while prioritizing readers to click through to “shop now”. 
• ‍November 11, 2022. One week later, Burton posted a TikTok that went viral, generating 3.2M views and 158K engagements.
• The caption “I dOn’T tRuST sTeP oN in tHe pArK 🙄” addresses how Burton is proving “Step On” haters wrong by having an athlete clip in and automatically perform with no problems in a park. This is a similar theme to the $1.5K TikTok ad that was run on launch, but filmed in a more organic medium.

November 4, 2022

November 11, 2022

Views: 3.2M

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On December 12, 2022, a contest was launched to win a custom-designed “Step On” set.

• ‍December 12, 2022. Just under a month after the product release, Burton launched a “Step On” contest via a cross-posted social media asset. 
• The contest ran from December 12, 2022 to February 12, 2023, giving viewers 2 months to submit. The contest incentivized followers to submit a clip of themselves getting creative as they step onto their boards.  
• ‍December 29, 2022.  Burton launched an email campaign to push the contest further. All contest-related calls to action directed viewers to the "Step On" information page. 

December 12, 2022

Engagement: 23K

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December 29, 2022

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Burton made 16 “Step On” posts from January to April 2023.

Organic TikTok videos generated 59% of the total engagements during this period.

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Throughout the snow season, Burton continued to share content to support the launch.

• ‍January 8, 2023. A video was posted on Instagram and Twitter sharing an “ASMR” video of the process of getting suited up to use the Burton “Step Ons”. Both posts continued to promote the contest to submit a “Step On” clip in order to win a custom design.
• ‍February 8, 2023. A month later, an email with a 17% read rate was sent to subscribers. The subject “Explore the Latest Boa® Step On Boots” suggests riders who are familiar with the BOA technology are receiving the email. Adding BOA (a coil that makes adjusting boots even easier) plus the “Step On” technology means that Burton is creating a seamless preparation period for riders.  

January 8, 2023

Engagement: 58K

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February 8, 2022

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Another viral TikTok was made on Feb. 15, 2023, comparing the “Step On” system to regular bindings.

• This 12-second video makes it hard to argue that it is an effective system. While one rider with a traditional strap-in system speeds to get set up, another person with the “Step On” system easily clips in and laughs as the other person struggles.
• The TikTok uses native features like the “text to audio” sound as well as text on screen to communicate the comparison to viewers since the video passes so quickly.  
• ‍Make content that speaks to the solutions you provide then use comments to build more content. For example, comments on this post talk about the price and durability of the “Step On” product. Use these to fuel further content proving its worth.  

Views: 2.1M | Engagements: 242K

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January 2023 MINE77 Collection Launch

Burton tends to keep pre-launch periods short, focusing on a 7-14 day notice before launch.

Pre-Launch

January 17-24, 2023

Views: 2K

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Launch Day

January 25, 2023

Engagements: 1.6K

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat

Timeline is a visual representation and is not to scale.