Case study: European Sleeper & Red Online Marketing

European Sleeper partnered with Red Online Marketing to accelerate advertising revenue across six European markets: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic and the UK. The ambition was clear: achieve an ambitious annual revenue target while maintaining profitable returns on both brand and non-brand campaigns.

The primary goals were:

• Generate ticket sales across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic and the UK, as well as through a “Worldwide” campaign targeting multiple nationalities simultaneously.
• Maintain a solid ROAS (return on ad spend) on branded search campaigns (target: 25).
• Expand non-brand reach to acquire new travellers (target ROAS: 5).

We built a comprehensive paid media architecture covering Google Ads, Microsoft/Bing Ads and Meta. Google Ads captured high-intent search traffic, Bing extended reach among a complementary and highly engaged audience, and Meta drove awareness through targeted creatives while converting returning visitors through retargeting.

Each market benefited from a dedicated bidding strategy and campaign architecture, tailored to specific country routes, local search behaviour and competitive dynamics. Results are monitored and analysed via a centralised dashboard, providing clear performance insights by market and channel.

Last year’s success relied heavily on a refined creative strategy, particularly on Meta, where our approach now covers the five stages of travel. Starting with the “dreaming” phase, we activate targeted awareness campaigns where aesthetics and messaging are carefully selected for each profile, whether solo travellers, couples or groups of friends. This visual personalisation maximises emotional resonance and travel intent, creating an immediate link between the destinations and the specific aspirations of each audience.

Key Meta performance (based on Meta reporting): lookalike audiences based on existing buyers generated clicks starting at €0.10, while retargeting visitors from the last 30 days converted at a CPA as low as €7.16, confirming the effectiveness of our Meta funnel approach.

Brand and non-brand campaigns were managed separately to protect ROAS on high-intent brand traffic while maximising new customer acquisition via non-brand search. This dual approach allowed for simultaneous growth in both loyalty and awareness.

The campaign exceeded expectations across all key performance indicators. The following results cover the full calendar year 2025. European Sleeper hit its annual performance revenue goal, representing a significant double-digit increase over the previous period.

• Global ROAS: 9.89 (target ROAS: 5)
• Brand campaigns: +19% above the ROAS target of 25
• Non-brand campaigns: +4% above the ROAS target of 5

Brand visibility reached a new scale in 2025. With over 1.3 million total visits from campaigns, the website recorded a massive 246% traffic growth compared to 2024, illustrating the success of the acquisition strategy and a now-essential digital presence within the sector.

When European Sleeper decided to triple its advertising budget, it was not a leap of faith but a strategic move built on a shared vision. We developed a phased scaling approach that kept ROAS consistently above a target of 5, even as spend grew. The result: more revenue than either party had initially projected.

As European Sleeper prepares to launch the Milan route in September 2026, we’re ready to scale alongside them. This expansion includes a diversification of our media mix. By combining a strong visual identity, active exploration of new acquisition channels such as Reddit, and top-tier advertising efficiency, European Sleeper reaffirms its position as an emerging leader in European night rail travel.

Red Online Marketing will continue to support European Sleeper’s expansion into new markets and channels, building on the strategies that delivered these results.