Blue entered one of the most competitive ride-hailing markets in Europe, where two established players controlled 95% of the market. The goal was to acquire users and build initial traction with a limited marketing budget, no historical data, and no internal growth systems.
But acquiring users wasn’t the only problem. A high percentage of installs were not converting into rides. Without a reliable activation strategy, even cheap installs wouldn’t translate into revenue. To win, Blue needed profitable user acquisition, frictionless onboarding, and repeatable systems that could scale to new cities.
A high-efficiency channel mix was established, combining Apple Search Ads, Meta, and Google. Budgets were allocated strictly based on performance data, and top creatives were promoted while poor performers were killed quickly.
To keep CPI low over 12 months, a content engine was developed to test new value props and scale winning USPs. This allowed Blue to refresh creative fatigue continuously and run high-performing ads even during retargeting.
A large share of users were downloading the app but not booking rides. To solve this, personalised retargeting and activation flows were launched with focused offers and incentives.
Aggressive performance marketing, ASO improvements, and retargeting efforts built a strong user base in record time.
Despite scaling efforts, cost per install remained stable by continuously testing and iterating on high-performing creative.
First-trip conversion rates rose through targeted offers and improved post-install journeys.
Testing and scaling USPs allowed Blue to keep CPIs flat for over a year.
Campaigns targeting first bookings delivered real value from install volume.
With the right systems, city-by-city scale is predictable and repeatable.
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