THDR Case Study

Search Data Shaped DIY Content 

Reading homeowner search behavior as one system turned timing into a content strategy. 

  • 35

    Product priorities identified from search behavior

At a Glance

Client
The Home Depot Rental
Engagement
Content Strategy, SEO, SEM
Focus
Align content timing and priorities with DIY homeowner search behavior

Overview

Knowing what homeowners wanted wasn’t enough — we needed to know when they wanted it.  

The Home Depot Rental needed a sharper read on DIY homeowner behavior so its content could meet people at the right moment, with the right message.  

Knowing what homeowners wanted wasn’t enough — we needed to know when they wanted it.  

We connected content marketing, SEO, and SEM to read search behavior as one system instead of three disconnected data sets. 

The Proof

We identified 35 product priorities based on search behavior and opportunity, and 24 DIY projects based on trends and homeowner search behavior, then turned those into content that could support the brand throughout the year.

  • 24

    DIY projects identified

  • 1

    User-centric content strategy

The Goal

The Home Depot Rental wanted a content strategy grounded in real homeowner search behavior rather than assumptions. 

  • Timing

    Understand when DIY homeowners plan vs. when they start projects

  • Trends

    Spot trending DIY projects and the moments search interest peaks

A person looking on a mobile phone

The Challenge

The challenge was timing. The Home Depot Rental needed to know not just what DIY audiences cared about, but when they cared about it. Without that, content could miss the planning window, the project window, or both. The team also needed a way to turn search trends into something usable across content, PR, influencer, and web efforts. 

The Solution

Our content marketing, SEO, and SEM teams worked together to read homeowner search behavior from the same system. We reviewed impression volume for the brand’s tools and equipment using SEM data to define product priorities.

A person typing on a laptop

Then we layered in Pinterest Trends, Google Trends, and SEO keywords to identify trending DIY projects, spot search spikes, and find the right moments for campaign flighting. That connected view gave The Home Depot Rental a content strategy grounded in proof, not guesswork. 

A person looking on a mobile phone

We created one content strategy that fed integrated marketing efforts across PR, influencer, and website work, plus one annual content production calendar to map cross-channel topics and efforts across the year.

METUS SEM Case Study

Machine Learning Scaled HVAC Leads 

Broad match had to earn its place in the media plan before it earned a national rollout. 

  • 2x

    Increase in click-to-lead conversion rate

At a Glance

Client
Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS)
Engagement
Paid Search (SEM)
Focus
Improve non-brand lead generation efficiency

Overview

We treated it like a question worth proving, not a claim worth believing. 

Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US needed a smarter way to grow residential lead generation without wasting spend.  

Google had just updated broad match, but a promise of more reach wasn’t reason enough to trust it.  

We treated it like a question worth proving, not a claim worth believing. 

The Proof

We validated the approach across four regions before national rollout, making the result explainable and repeatable rather than accidental. The tests also clarified channel behavior: broad match scaled for non-brand search, while exact and phrase match stayed more efficient for brand search. 

  • 29%

    More efficient lead generation

  • 4

    Regions tested before national rollout

The Goal

Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US wanted a more efficient path to lead generation that could support sales goals and its contractor network. 

  • Discovery

    Find new customers earlier in their research stage

  • Efficiency

    Make non-brand lead generation more efficient

The Challenge

The team needed to support sales goals and contractor demand with better lead efficiency. Google’s broad match promised more reach and relevance, but it had to prove it could outperform legacy campaigns in the real world, not just in theory. 

The Solution

We built a regional testing plan for non-brand search keywords using Google’s improved broad match. After strong results in two regions, we ran a second test in two more regions to confirm the pattern and test scalability.

A person typing on a laptop

Once the tests reached statistical significance, broad match rolled out nationally across non-brand campaigns. We also separated the brand search finding clearly: exact and phrase match remained the more efficient choices there. 

Cookies Aren’t Going Anywhere—But Cookieless Strategies Still Matter

Cookies Aren’t Going Anywhere—But Cookieless Strategies Still Matter

For years, marketers prepared for a world without third-party cookies.

Google’s 2020 announcement that Chrome would entirely phase out cookies sparked a wave of wondering what cookieless targeting and measurement would look like. 

By Brunner Marketing Team

5 Min Read

Finger choosing between Manage Cookies and Accept Cookies
More opportunities to opt out can mean less data for marketers, so how do we adapt?

Fast-forward to 2025: While Apple’s Safari browser continues to implement stricter tracking policies, Google confirmed it would not be deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome after all. Months later, Google also announced it was retiring most of the Privacy Sandbox APIs (application programming interfaces) due to low adoption. The cookieless replacement promised for years was suddenly off the table.

Since 2025, Safari has taken a tougher stance on cross-site tracking, fully blocking third-party cookies by default across devices, autodeleting stored data after periods of inactivity, and leveraging on-device machine learning to detect cross-site trackers. With the release of Safari 26, Apple strengthened these protections with enhanced anti-fingerprinting measures and removed tracking parameters from URLs, making it much harder for advertisers and data partners to follow users across the web.

These decisions change the conversation but do not erase the need for privacy-first strategies. Here’s what’s happening and how marketers can move forward with confidence.

What the privacy landscape is like now

  1. Third party cookies are still supported in Chrome
    • Google has walked back its deprecation plan. Cookies work today just as they did before, unless a user or browser blocks them.
  2. Privacy Sandbox is effectively dead
    • Most of the high-profile Sandbox APIs—including Topics, Protected Audience, Attribution Reporting, and Shared Storage—are retired or in wind-down. The ecosystem did not adopt them at the scale Google expected.
  3. Cookieless innovation hasn’t disappeared, but it’s fragmented
    • Browsers like Safari and Firefox still block third-party cookies and continue to get stricter. Walled gardens such as Meta and Amazon continue building their own ID, measurement, and attribution systems. The landscape is still cookieless in many pockets.
  4. Privacy expectations and regulations continue tightening
    • Even without Sandbox, consumer privacy expectations and regulations (General Data Protection Regulation, state privacy laws, and global data rules) continue to shape how data is collected and used.
Glowing Keyhole Portal With Blue Steps Graphic
Make it easy for users to understand how their data is used and why it benefits them to unlock it.
Abstract Colorful Wavy Data Waves Graphic
Your data landscape is going to change as users have more control over privacy choices. We help you understand the new normal.

A privacy-first approach for marketers

Adopting a privacy-first mindset isn’t about abandoning measurement or giving up on personalization; it’s about being intentional with every piece of data you collect and use.

By focusing on transparency, consent, and ethical practices, marketers can still achieve meaningful insights and campaign performance while building trust with their audiences. The strategies below highlight practical ways to make privacy a core part of your marketing approach, without compromising effectiveness.

  1. Prioritize transparency
    • Make your privacy policy clear and easy to understand.
    • Explain why you collect data, how you use it, and what control users have.
    • Show people that giving data is a choice, not a trap.
  2. Build on first-party data
    • Encourage login-based relationships, CRM systems, and direct subscriptions.
    • First-party data isn’t just more accurate—it’s owned by you and ethically collected with consent.
  3. Minimize unnecessary tracking
    • Audit your website and campaigns. Remove any tracking that doesn’t directly contribute to a user benefit or marketing goal.
    • Ensure cookies and other tools are set only with clear consent.
  4. Rethink measurement and attribution
    • Move toward privacy-friendly analytics, like server-side tracking, aggregated reporting, media mix modeling, and brand lift studies.
    • Focus on insights, not identifiers. Measure campaign impact without over-collecting personal data.
  5. Embrace ethical innovation
    • Use cookieless alternatives only where they respect user consent and data rights.
    • Contextual advertising, first-party insights, and audience modeling are effective without invading privacy.

 

Looking ahead

The industry spent years preparing for a future that didn’t arrive, but that preparation wasn’t wasted. It strengthened the capabilities marketers need now: flexibility, data safety, and diversified marketing.

Flexibility, data safety, & diversified marketing.

Cookies may be here for the foreseeable future, but privacy-first practices are already essential. The brands that succeed will be those that balance both.

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Brunner Marketing Team

Brunner team members from across the agency contribute to blog content through their storytelling expertise, from writing and editing to visual design, illustration, and video.

 Visit Brunner Marketing Team on LinkedIn 

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From Media Testing to Thought Leadership

From Media Testing to Thought Leadership

How Vespyr and Brunner Are Shaping OTC Marketing

See how Brunner helped Vespyr connect with consumers and retail partners through smart media, creative testing, and PR.

By Jordan Mitrik

5 Min Read

A person holding up a box of Defend-eeze
The Mother Nature campaign emphasized the natural ingredients in Cold-EEZE proven to help shorten colds.

Over-the-counter (OTC) and consumer health products play unique roles in people’s lives, offering everyday solutions for both short-term ailments like seasonal sniffles and long-term wellness. But in a crowded market, standing out takes more than just a good product. It takes smart strategy, bold creative, and a deep understanding of how consumers think, shop, and engage.

We’ve spent years helping brands in the OTC and consumer products space do just that. One such brand is Vespyr, a portfolio of trusted names like Cold-EEZE, Contac, Feosol, and Geritol. Vespyr came to us with clear goals: drive awareness, improve performance, and build credibility across both consumers and retail partners.

What followed was a series of integrated campaigns that spanned paid media, creative testing, and public relations. Each one tackled a different challenge, but together, they tell a story of how bold ideas and smart execution can move the needle in a competitive category.

Targeting smarter with cold + flu trends.

When flu season hits, timing and location are everything. For Vespyr’s Cold-EEZE and Contac brands, we tapped into IQVIA’s FAN Flu/Cold/Respiratory Activity Notification Program dashboard to track cold and flu outbreaks in real time. By overlaying this data with retailer locations, we zeroed in on high-need DMAs and adjusted our paid search and social targeting weekly.

The result? Efficient media spend that reached the right people at the right time, when they needed relief most. We monitor this on a weekly basis for any changes needed in targeting to avoid sacrificing impact.

Box of Cold-eeze
Media spend goes farther when it’s targeted to areas with the highest need. We made sure to put Cold-EEZE in the right markets.
Box of Defend-eeze
Recognizable packaging helps consumers build connect between preferred products and new launches.

Using a brand lift study to prove effectiveness

When Feosol, an iron supplement also within Vespyr’s brands, developed new creative assets, we saw an opportunity to test how this new look resonated with audiences using Google’s free Demand Gen Brand Lift study tool. 

The results showed a 1.06% lift in ad recall, translating to nearly 50,000 individuals more likely to remember Feosol over top competitors. When possible, we always take advantage of these tests with our clients to provide additional insight into campaign success.

1.06%
lift in ad recall, translating to nearly 50,000 individuals more likely to remember Feosol over top competitors.

Applying testing methods to drive lower-funnel results

For Vespyr’s Geritol paid social campaigns, we wanted to conduct a Meta beta test featuring a new optimization event—landing page views (LPV)—and compare the results to a traditional click-based campaign. The purpose of this test was to confirm whether LPV campaigns can increase the number of verified audience members getting to a retailer page and improve the campaign’s overall cost-effectiveness.  

Over a monthlong test, LPV-focused ads delivered a 200% more efficient cost-per-view and a 10% lower CPM compared to traditional click-based campaigns. Even with fewer clicks, we confirmed that more qualified users were landing on the Geritol pages.  

200%
more efficient cost-per-view
10%
lower CPM

Building thought leadership where it counts

Vespyr wanted to boost visibility with retail partners, and LinkedIn was the perfect platform. As part of the brand’s PR efforts, we helped two Vespyr executives step into thought leadership roles, sharing educational content about product benefits, marketing strategies, and industry trends. 

In just eight months, we helped drive measurable growth, including 52,000 impressions, a 4% engagement rate, and 240 new followers across Vespyr’s LinkedIn presence. 

52,000
Impressions
4%
Engagement rate
240
New followers

From geo-targeted media buys to platform-specific optimization and executive thought leadership, these campaigns didn’t just meet KPIs—they helped Vespyr strengthen its presence in a competitive OTC and consumer health products landscape and connect more meaningfully with both consumers and retail partners. 

Ready to drive growth in the OTC products market?

At Brunner, we believe bold ideas backed by smart execution are what drive real results. Whether you’re looking to elevate your brand, optimize your media, or build industry credibility, we’re here to help you make it happen. 

Contact Us
Headshot - Jordan Mitrik

Jordan Mitrik

Manager, Content Marketing

Jordan Mitrik is manager, content marketing at Brunner, where he leads the strategy and execution of integrated content programs across digital and traditional platforms. With nearly a decade of experience, he’s helped Fortune 500 B2C and B2B brands build awareness and tell compelling stories through engaging content. His work spans content strategy, audience research, influencer marketing, media relations, social media, and large-scale content production. Jordan was named one of Pittsburgh’s 30 Under 30 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. He holds a B.A. in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from Waynesburg University.

 Visit Jordan Mitrik on LinkedIn 

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Brunner’s SEM Team Maintains Google Premier Partner Status for 2025, Continues Delivering Big for Clients

Brunner’s SEM Team Maintains Google Premier Partner Status for 2025, Continues Delivering Big for Clients

Only the top 3% of Google partners make the Premier Partners list, the most rigorous status to earn.

By Brunner Marketing Team

5 Min Read

Group Photo Of Brunner Employees

When Brunner welcomes you as a new client for search engine marketing, our first step is analyzing what you already have under the SEM hood.

That means our SEM team members use their expertise to evaluate how your accounts are set up — and most importantly — how they are performing.

The goal is ensuring every client gets the best possible return on their paid search spend.
“As Michael Jordan — one of the greatest basketball players of all time — is quoted as saying, ‘Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.’ That is how Brunner approaches all search campaigns: You’re either first or you’re last,” says Brunner Partner Kevin Amos, who oversees the agency’s digital marketing team.

For Brunner, being at the top in SEM is built on years of experience and a continuous commitment to rigorous training, strategic processes, and key partnerships. That approach led to Brunner earning Google Premier Partner status for 2025, the fourth year in a row.

Delivering Big Results for Clients

“The Google Premier Partner badge is considered a big deal and we love the status,” Amos says. “But the most important thing is moving the needle for our clients and helping them achieve their goals.”

For new SEM clients, the Brunner team’s work often delivers dramatic results. After an account is restructured, clients usually see drastic performance improvements for key metrics including cost per click, cost per conversion, and click-through rate.

“We’ve always been cutting edge,” says Amos, citing the team’s long-time partnerships with Google, Bing, and other leading SEM platforms. Those relationships have allowed Brunner to provide input on innovations and get early access to new features and functions under development.

Through these partnerships, we can bring an extra level of sophistication and benefits that other agencies can’t bring to the table. We get first notice of new things our partners are doing, and we can take that to our clients as an exclusive.

Kevin Amos Partner, Digital Media, Brunner

Top 3% of Google Partners

Brunner’s SEM team has been working with Google for years and has been a Google Partner since 2016. In 2022, Google launched the Premier Partners program to recognize and reward top performers. Earning Google Premier Partner status is based on three factors:

  • Performance — Premier Partners must have an optimization score equal to or greater than 70% on their Google Partners manager account.
  • Spend — Premier Partners must maintain a specified spend level through 90-day spend across their managed accounts. This level reflects their role in helping clients consistently identify new growth opportunities and sustain their success using Google Ads.
  • Certifications — At least 50% of account strategists must be certified in Google’s platforms and tools. At Brunner, that number is 100%.

The Google Premier Partner badge recognizes the Brunner team’s commitment to elite performance and impact, says Luke Navickas, Brunner’s associate director of paid search.

We can put our expertise up against anyone. We have a ‘test, learn, optimize’ mentality.’ We train our teammates to understand what’s happening down to the granular level. We want to be the best.

Luke Navickas Associate Director, SEM, Brunner

Proven SEM Team Expertise and Certifications

All members of Brunner’s SEM team earn Google Ads Search Certification each year. In addition, most team members have Google certifications in specialties including:

  • Google Ads App
  • Google Ads Creative Certification
  • Google Ads Display
  • Google Ads Measurement
  • Google Ads Shopping
  • Google Ads Video

In addition to Google certifications, SEM team members earn Bing Ads Accredited Professional Certification for search advertising, native and display advertising, and shopping advertising.

Taken together, these credentials demonstrate the Brunner team’s expertise in running paid search campaigns that reach each client’s target audiences, on the top search platforms those audiences are using.

Google Premier Partner Benefits for Brunner Clients

As a Google Premier Partner, Brunner gets exclusive Google benefits to extend to clients. Those benefits include:

  • Ongoing access to Google’s current product betas
  • Monthly Google insight reports on changing consumer behaviors and industry trends
  • Promotional offers that give Google Ads credits to client advertising budgets
  • Access to 24-hour advanced ads support to resolve any client account issues quickly and efficiently
  • Strategic and sales support from dedicated Google representatives for assistance with Brunner client accounts

Brunner’s World-class NPS Scores from Clients

Clients have taken notice of outstanding SEM results, and they value the close working relationship with the SEM team. Brunner’s most recent overall net promoter score, which measures customer loyalty and satisfaction, is 75+. NPS scores can range from –100 to 100+. Anything above 50 is considered excellent — and anything above 70is considered world-class.

“Our clients know we are fully engaged in their accounts,” says Navickas. “When a client asks, ‘why does this happen?’ we have the answer. Their goals are our goals.”

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Brunner Marketing Team

Brunner team members from across the agency contribute to blog content through their storytelling expertise, from writing and editing to visual design, illustration, and video.

 Visit Brunner Marketing Team on LinkedIn 

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