MetaPerformance Spotlight: How Ridge Scaled Into New Categories By Diversifying Creative
Ridge, originally a wallet company, now generates less than half its revenue from wallets, expanding into luggage and tech accessories. Its marketing spend has surged—$7 million on ads in a single month, triple its workforce costs. CEO Sean Frank discusses Meta's platform improvements: GEM, Lattice, and Andromeda reduced CPMs and improved click-through rates, enabling effective upper-funnel campaigns.
A lift study showed 1 in 8 viewers became newly aware of the brand. Ridge optimized for non-purchase events like add-to-cart, then scaled, achieving faster growth. Creative strategy shifted: volume alone is insufficient; every ad must be conceptually unique—different hooks and angles—with dozens of distinct concepts weekly.
Ridge's marketing-first culture involves all employees, including the CEO and CMO, shooting ads. This feedback loop keeps strategy grounded. Frank challenges skeptics of AI in ads to actively engage with their ad libraries.
Media buyers now must integrate creative, product, and commerce knowledge, not just manage bids. Looking to 2026, Ridge plans to scale its creator program and invest in high-impact creative. Frank concludes that Meta remains essential for customer acquisition.
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