How Business Communication Platforms Allocated $26M in Digital Ads in 1 Year

Key Takeaways

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Advertising Channel Scan™ 

Advertising Trends

• Brands in the competitive set spent the most on Paid Search ($14.2M), followed by OTT ($2.5M) and Display ($2.4M). Snapchat ($37K) saw the lowest ad spend allocations.
• All brands in the competitive set saw decreases in ad spend from the first half to the second half of the time period except for Meta Workplace (+50%). 
• All channels saw decreases in ad spend from the first half to the second half of the period except for Display (+22%) and Twitter (+27%). TikTok was experimented with for the first time in the second half of the period.
• 62% of brands saw Paid Search advertising on their top 2 rosters for the highest spends.
• Zoom had the highest budget amongst the competitive set, with an ad spend of $13.9M from Nov. ‘21 - Oct. ‘22.

Content Trends

• Zoom had ads that focused on incentivizing the viewer to click by providing a free sign-up or a 50% discount on its sign-up.
• Microsoft Teams ran an Instagram ad advertising that they’re now on YouTube. The copy states this YouTube channel shares tips and how-to guides for Microsoft Teams.
• Microsoft Teams partnered with Starbucks during the holiday season to help their users easily give a gift to their coworkers using their platform. 
• Cisco Webex utilizes their client, Formula 1 McLaren team, in their ads to convey to viewers the reliability of their platform and capitalize on the popularity of Formula 1.

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The following companies were included in the competitive set for this analysis:

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From November 2021 to October 2022, the competitive set spent $19.3M on digital advertising. Zooms’ Paid Search and Display spend led to the spike in investment. 

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All brands in the competitive set saw decreases in ad spend from the first half to the second half of the time period except for Meta Workplace (+50%). 

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All channels saw decreases in ad spend from the first half to the second half of the period except for Display (+22%) and Twitter (+27%). TikTok was experimented with for the first time in the second half of the period.

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Paid Search ($14.2M) saw the highest budget allocation across the competitive set, followed by OTT ($2.5M) and Display ($2.4M). 

TikTok ($226K) and Snapchat ($37K) saw the lowest ad spend allocations from November 2021 to October 2022.

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From November 2021 to October 2022, the United States saw the highest budget allocation across the competitive set at $17.2M. 

Ad spend in Canada represented 13% of the budget at $2.6M. All brands in the competitive set had a budget allocation of less than 15% toward Canada.

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From November 2021 to October 2022, Zoom spent $13.9M on digital advertising. 83% of their budget went towards Paid Search ($11.5M), followed by Display at $1.3M.

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Zoom budgeted $9.8M toward Desktop Paid Search (85%) compared to $1.7M on Mobile Paid Search (15%).

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Paid Search Tactics

Zoom spent $11.5M on Paid Search from November 2021 to October 2022. January 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $2.2M*. 

Catchy Tagline:

• Both ads from Zoom featured the memorable tagline “start zooming today”. 

Free Sign Ups:

• Zoom’s ads both feature call-to-actions like “request a demo” and “sign up free today” to incentivize customers to click on their ad. 

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Zoom budgeted $964K toward Desktop Display ads (72%) compared to $376K on Mobile Paid Search (28%).

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Display Tactics

Zoom spent $1.3M on Display ads from November 2021 to October 2022.

Utilizing Buttons:

• Both top display ads from Zoom utilized an eye-catching bright orange button against a white background to incentivize people to click on the ad. 

Keeping It Minimal:

• Both display ads are minimal in design and contain a limited amount of text. Maintaining a simple design can allow for quicker comprehension.

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From November 2021 to October 2022, Cisco Webex spent $3.9M on digital advertising. 50% of their budget went towards Paid Search ($2M), followed by OTT at $985K (25%).

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Cisco Webex budgeted $1.5M toward Desktop Paid Search (77%) compared to $455K on Mobile Paid Search (23%).

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Paid Search Tactics

Cisco Webex spent $1.97M on Paid Search from November 2021 to October 2022. May 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $413K*. 

Answering Concerns:

• Both ads from Cisco Webex answer the concerns of company executives looking for a new platform with phrases like “seamless integration”, “security & privacy”, and “more effectively”.

One Size Fits All:

• Cisco Webex ensures that the viewer knows that their platform can support companies of any size through phrases like “scalable for large teams” and “teams of any size”.

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Cisco Webex budgeted $839K toward Other* OTT (85%) compared to $112K on Hulu OTT (11%).

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OTT Tactics

Cisco Webex spent $985K on OTT from November 2021 to October 2022. January 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $231K. 

Sports Team Partnerships:

• In this ad, Cisco Webex features their partnership with Formula 1 team, McLaren, to leverage Formula 1’s popularity and showcase how McLaren trusts and relies on Cisco Webex.

Work from Anywhere:

• In this ad, Cisco Webex uses multiple working scenarios to showcase the variety of places one can use it’s platform.

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From November 2021 to October 2022, Meta Workplace spent $1.2M on digital advertising. 55% of their budget went towards Paid Search ($665K), followed by Twitter at $308K (26%).

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Meta Workplace budgeted $552K toward Desktop Paid Search (84%) compared to $104K on Mobile Paid Search (16%).

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Paid Search Tactics

Meta Workplace spent $665K* on Paid Search from November 2021 to October 2022. September 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $350K*. 

Focus on Community:

• Both ads focus on community connection messaging with phrases like “give…workers a voice to be part of the company conversation”.

Create Urgency:

• Meta Workplaces creates a sense of urgency in their paid search ads by using the words “today” or “now” in their call-to-actions.

Mobile First:

• Meta Workplace highlights their focus on being “mobile first” in their ads.

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On Twitter, Meta Workplace budgeted $305K toward Photo ads (99%).

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Twitter Tactics

Meta Workplace spent $308K on Facebook from November 2021 to October 2022. November 2021 saw the highest ad spend of $239K*. 

Signature Colors:

• Meta Workplace utilizes it’s signature brand colours of purple and gray in every single one of their photos.

Carousel Photos:

• Both ads contain a carousel of photos that match the same theme.

Animated Objects:

• Meta Workplace brings an element of fun into their ad by using animated objects such as a plant or slippers with eyes.

Spend: $105K | Imp.: 14.5M | CPM: $7.2 

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Spend: $85K | Imp.: 11.7M | CPM: $7.2

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From November 2021 to October 2022, Microsoft Teams spent $301K in digital advertising. 63% of their budget went towards Instagram ($189K), followed by Display ads at $75K (25%).

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On Instagram, Microsoft Teams budgeted $103K toward Video Post ads (54%) followed by Story Post ads at $86K (46%).

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Instagram Tactics

Microsoft Teams spent $189K on Instagram from November 2021 to October 2022.

Festive Partnerships:

• Microsoft Teams partnered with Starbucks to help employees easily give a gift to their coworkers during the holiday season.

From Instagram to YouTube:

• Microsoft Teams ran an Instagram ad advertising that they’re now on YouTube. The copy states this YouTube channel shares tips and how-to guides for Microsoft Teams.

Spend: $27K | Imp.: 2.8M | CPM: $9.64 

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Spend: $14K | Imp.: 1.9M | CPM: $7.37 

*Ads shown from November 2021.

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Microsoft Teams allocated the majority of their Display ad budget towards Desktop (99%).

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Display Tactics

Microsoft Teams spent $75K on Display ads from November 2021 to October 2022. May 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $9.1K. 

Case Study Backed:

• Microsoft Teams utilizes business case studies to back up their claims on how their platform can help a company save time and money. 

Optimized Landing Page:

• Both ads lead to a landing page that is broken down into 3 parts:

• 1.) Case studies of small businesses using Teams.
• 2.) Benefits of using Teams.
• 3.) Plan cost breakdown.

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*Ad spend includes Paid Search, OTT, Facebook, Display, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat. Data not available for OTT, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter in Canada.

*Spend is a directional approximation and does not include retargeting, or behavioural targeting.

*Digital Ad Spend in US & Canada (USD).

*Data not available for Instagram and Snapchat in Canada. 

*Paid Search not available for Microsoft Team because they do not have a standalone website.