When Sales Need a Spark
As we all know, retail in New Zealand this year has been about as smooth as a candle in a gale – both bricks-and-mortar stores and ecommerce platforms have felt the pinch. And with the end of the year rushing towards us faster than a courier in December, the pressure is on.
That’s why Living Light decided August was the perfect time to light the wick and build momentum heading into the busiest shopping season. The mission? Spark brand awareness, drive traffic to the website, and (subtly but firmly) plant the idea that candles – especially Living Light candles – are not just lovely luxuries, but the ultimate gift. For yourself, for friends, and yes, for that Christmas list you’ll totally start any day now.
Something clearly needed to change – and not just a new fragrance. Living Light’s socials had built a loyal following, but growth had plateaued and website traffic was reflecting this.
A New Strategy with HiHo
Enter Hi Ho, stage left. Tasked with giving the brand’s Meta advertising a complete glow-up, by creating fresh creative, smarter targeting, and a strategy designed to turn heads (and clicks).
The new approach wasn’t just about keeping the Living Light loyal fans bucket topped up with new candle inspiration targeted at them – it was about lighting a spark with a younger crowd too. Because if your customer base is getting older, you don’t just sit back and let the flame fizzle out… you hand over the matches and invite the next generation to join the romance of candle burning.
For the creative, Hi Ho cooked up imagery designed to stand out in a digital world that’s already jam-packed with pretty pictures. Think of it as the scratch-and-sniff version of online advertising – except without the awkward nose-to-screen moment. By pairing Living Light’s candle scents with mouth-watering visuals like decadent desserts and exotic spices, the campaigns tapped into something deeper than sight alone.
The result? People weren’t just seeing candles – they were imagining the smell, the taste, the mood. The kind of imagery that makes you pause mid-scroll and think, “Ooh… I need that in my lounge.” It wasn’t just advertising; it was a sensory invitation to discover the scent for yourself.
The Result
Armed with four fresh creative executions and a tidy $500 spend on Meta ads for the New Zealand market, Hi Ho set the campaign live. The outcome? A reach of 70,655 people, 119,055 impressions, and 1,276 landing page views – all at a cost-per-click of just $0.39.
When it came to creative performance, the clear frontrunner was the aptly named “New Scent” ad, pulling in a huge 64,671 impressions. Hot on its heels was the “Picnic” animation with 33,515 impressions – proving that even virtual snacks can grab attention.
As expected, the bulk of engagement still came from the loyal 65+ female audience. But here’s the exciting bit: the “New Scent” creative broke through with younger audiences too, topping out among both men and women in the 18–24 and 25–34 age brackets. Proof that when you match the right scent with the right creative, you don’t just light candles – you light up new demographics.
Now, let’s put those results in perspective. Compare this campaign to the previous Meta effort by Living Light: a very similar budget of $518.25 managed to scrape together a reach of just 7,280 and 34,400 impressions.
Fast forward to Hi Ho’s overhaul, and the difference is night and day (or perhaps dim candlelight versus a full-blown bonfire). Reach jumped from 7,280 to 70,655 – that’s an 870% increase. Impressions leapt from 34,400 to 119,055 – a 246% increase. And all with essentially the same spend.
In short: the new creative didn’t just perform better, it absolutely blew the wax off the old results.
In the end, the numbers speak louder than any tagline. With fresh creative, sharper targeting, and a willingness to rethink the brand’s digital presence, Hi Ho helped Living Light turn a struggling channel into a serious growth driver. The campaign didn’t just reignite sales – it proved that candles can cut through a crowded feed, capture new audiences, and breathe life back into an aging customer base. Or to put it simply: when you strike the right match, the results can be nothing short of illuminating.