Case study of a Ukrainian tea brand

About the Project

Lovare – a Ukrainian tea brand that has won the hearts of thousands of Ukrainians – is preparing to enter the U.S. market.

We were approached with a request to conduct market testing in the U.S., initially focusing on Google Ads. However, after evaluating the project, our specialists determined that this advertising channel would not be sufficiently effective in this case. As a result, we opted to launch Meta Ads to assess demand, analyze the reaction of the American audience, and identify key insights for effective further promotion.

Promotion Strategy and Market Specifics

The main goal of the promotion was to increase brand awareness while maintaining the advertising channel’s self-sufficiency. To achieve this, our specialists structured the campaigns around two key directions: brand awareness and sales stimulation.

Initially, the primary audience was Ukrainians living in the U.S., but the strategic goal was also to reach American consumers. The majority of the advertising budget was allocated to driving sales, allowing for an efficient distribution of resources and a gradual expansion of reach among the international audience.

To ensure an effective launch, a dedicated Shopify website was developed, adapted to meet the expectations of Western consumers. During the testing phase, we deliberately decided not to apply strict audience segmentation, which allowed us to collect a broader range of analytical data. We tested various targeting approaches – from narrow, interest-based audiences to broad reach campaigns.

The beverage consumption culture in the U.S. differs significantly from that in Ukraine, which became an important factor in developing the Lovare promotion strategy.

The main competitor to tea in the U.S. is coffee, which is deeply embedded in Americans’ daily lives.

One of Lovare’s key advantages is its wide variety of flavors, enabling consumers to experiment, discover new combinations, and diversify their habits. Additionally, this allows the brand to position itself in the gift box and premium set market.

Lovare Shopify Website

Advertising Campaign Setup

At the initial stage, our specialists focused on testing various advertising formats to determine which creatives and approaches were most effective in capturing the attention of the U.S. audience. We launched:

• Banners featuring specific products
• Ads showcasing the full product range
• Video creatives
• Catalog-based ads

Video Creatives Examples

The advertising strategy was built around hypothesis testing and detailed performance tracking. We identified key audience segments and systematically analyzed their responses to different ad formats.

Active promotion required regular updates to advertising materials, as audiences quickly became accustomed to creatives, reducing their effectiveness. Through continuous testing and content rotation, we managed to maintain high user engagement and ensure stable conversion rates.

One unexpected but crucial insight was that banner creatives outperformed video formats, which contrasts with trends in the Ukrainian market.

In Ukraine, video content typically has higher engagement, whereas in the U.S., the audience preferred static images in this nishe.

This led us to revise our approach to creative production, shifting the focus to banner formats. Another valuable insight was the comparison of light vs. dark color schemes in creatives. The majority of the U.S. audience responded better to warm, dark tones, which evoked stronger emotional reactions and encouraged interaction.

This directly influenced future advertising campaigns: creative designs were adapted to align with audience preferences, which increased CTR and overall ad effectiveness.

First Month

From the moment all details were finalized, some time was needed for campaign setup. During the first month, the focus was on testing two catalog-based ad formats and analyzing the effectiveness of targeting Ukrainian audiences in the U.S.

Despite the initial interest from Ukrainians abroad, we found no need to separate campaigns by language versions – the audience responded equally well regardless of content language.

From the very first month, we achieved a high ROAS of 314%. The strong engagement and positive audience feedback prompted a significant increase in the advertising budget in the following months.

Second Month

Following a successful start, we substantially increased the advertising budget and launched brand awareness campaigns in addition to sales-focused ads.

Even with the increased ad spend, ROAS remained at 131%, indicating consistent campaign efficiency. Awareness campaigns also yielded significant results, generating over one million impressions.

Third Month

This period coincided with Black Friday and holiday discounts, so all advertising efforts focused on sales stimulation, promotions, and gift sets.

This strategy helped maintain positive performance, with ROAS reaching 138% for the month.

Fourth Month & Ongoing Promotion

By the fourth month, we continued to focus on sales, though seasonal demand shifts became noticeable. ROAS stabilized at 115%, which was an expected outcome given the nature of the product category.

Currently, we are gradually reducing budgets and summarizing the results of product testing in the U.S. market.

Results

The main goal of this project was to test online sales of Lovare products to the American market and evaluate the effectiveness of advertising in this segment. We sought to find out whether there is a demand for the brand’s products among American consumers, how they react to advertising creatives, and what strategies can ensure the best conversion.

For four months, advertising remained profitable, which is an important indicator of the effectiveness of test promotion. From the first month, ROAS reached 314%, which confirmed interest in the product. Even after a multiple increase in the budget, we were able to maintain a stable level of return on investment – in the third month it was 138%, and in the fourth – 115%, which indicates the potential for further development.

Lovare review

Conclusion

In general, the test run of advertising has proven that Lovare’s entry into the American market has prospects. Based on the results obtained, we can adapt the strategy and scale the campaigns, gradually increasing the brand’s presence in the USA.

If you are a Ukrainian manufacturer who plans to expand beyond the Ukrainian market and you need to test the market opportunities of other countries. Take the opportunity to consult with specialists from the marketing agency “Target”. You can leave a comment by clicking the “Discuss the project” button.