Building a UK performance engine from the ground up for Etihad Holidays

While Etihad’s airline brand is well established in the UK, the holidays proposition competes in a very different and highly competitive market. As Etihad Holidays became an increasing strategic priority, the focus turned to accelerating its performance and visibility as a standalone proposition, while continuing to benefit from the strength of the wider Etihad brand.

When Ben Keele joined as Head of Commercial B2C, the priority was to accelerate UK growth and sharpen the role performance marketing could play. As the business built momentum locally, there was a clear opportunity to evolve from tactical, campaign-led activity towards a more structured, always-on performance approach focused on efficiency and scale.

Performance activity had largely been tactical and campaign-led, creating an opportunity to introduce a more structured, always-on approach focused on efficiency, consistency and scale.

“Etihad Holidays was active in the UK, but there was a real opportunity to be more deliberate about how we invested and showed up in-market. That’s where performance marketing became a strategic priority for us,” explains Ben.

CHALLENGE

The challenge facing Ben was twofold: driving sales quickly to establish a steady revenue stream in a highly competitive market, while simultaneously building brand presence and demand for Etihad Holidays as its profile grew alongside a major airline — all without the luxury of long lead-in times.

Performance marketing emerged as the most accountable route to market, but required a partner able to take day-to-day ownership, evolve strategy in real time and operate as a true extension of the in-house team. With established relationships already in place and a proven track record supporting similar high-growth travel brands, Platform 195 was a natural fit.

SOLUTION

Platform 195 partnered with Etihad Holidays to build a performance-led acquisition strategy, anchored in paid search and paid social, with a strong focus on continuous optimisation rather than ‘set and forget’ execution.

From the outset, campaigns were heavily conversion-led, reflecting the commercial realities of launching and scaling in-market. PPC became the engine room of growth, supported by Meta and later expanded to include additional channels such as Bing.

“Almost immediately we saw a step change in performance, particularly through PPC. Conversions became consistent rather than sporadic, and that gave us confidence to keep pushing,” notes Ben.

Throughout 2025, Platform 195 refined the approach using detailed performance insight:

• Budget was shifted away from inefficient periods and reinvested in high-performing months
• Performance Max was used to drive awareness at scale, supporting both search and YouTube discovery
• Meta creative evolved rapidly, with destination reels emerging as the strongest driver of volume
• Bing was introduced as a complementary search channel, delivering incremental sales at a competitive CPA

“There’s no ‘set and forget’ mentality. The team are in the accounts daily, constantly testing, learning, and improving. That attention to detail makes a real difference,” explains Ben.

For Ben, the relationship itself has been as important as the results, with Platform 195 operating as a true extension of the in-house team.

“I work with a lot of suppliers, but you don’t get this level of service very often. Platform 195 feel like an extension of our team rather than an external agency,” says Ben.

OUTCOMES

The results of this approach have been clear and measurable. Across 2025, Etihad Holidays saw:

• Sales increase by 64.9% year on year, while costs rose by just 10.3%
• CPA reduce by 33.1%, alongside a 27.8% increase in conversion rate
• PPC delivering 62.7% more sales year on year, with CPA down 46.5%
• Meta sales growth outpacing budget growth, improving overall efficiency
• Searches for Etihad Holidays up 49% year on year, signalling growing brand demand

Destination-led video reels proved particularly effective, driving the highest sales volumes across paid social, while offer-led creative supported efficiency during key trading periods.

“For a brand still building momentum in the UK, these kinds of gains really matter. It’s not just about volume, it’s about doing it efficiently and sustainably,” says Ben.

“I can message the team and get answers straight away. They’re proactive, responsive and genuinely invested in making things work for us, not just delivering what’s on the plan,” adds Ben.

WHAT'S NEXT

With a strong performance foundation now in place, Etihad Holidays is focused on broadening its channel mix and building longer-term brand connection.

Exploration is already underway across additional channels and increasing inspirational content creation, alongside continued investment in performance channels that are proven to deliver.

“We’re constantly looking for new opportunities. The difference now is that we have a performance engine we trust, which gives us the confidence to test and scale,” notes Ben.

Reflecting on the journey so far, Ben is clear about what has made the difference.

“Don’t underestimate the value of close collaboration. You need partners who care about your business as much as you do. For us, Platform 195 haven’t just helped us grow performance, they’ve helped us build something that’s ready to scale,” Ben concludes.

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