Re-design Google adsfor SMBs
Designing a self-service platform to help small to medium businesses reach Fairfax readers.
CraigWalker was enlisted by Fairfax and Google to research the appetite of small to medium business owners to advertise through Fairfax publications and to prototype the minimum viable self-service platform required to meet that need.
Fairfax, one of Australia’s largest and most trusted media publishers, had long been a destination for premium advertising. However few small to medium businesses (SMBs), which make up two-thirds of the economy, were choosing to advertise through the digital channels of traditional publishers like Fairfax.
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The project in numbers
66Percentage of Australian businesses are SMBs
6Weeks
2New growth opportunities
From research to prototype in six weeks
Over six weeks, CraigWalker worked with Fairfax, Google Ads and SMBs to design a way forward. The team ran in-context interviews to understand SMB needs, scanned competitors to see what worked globally, and rapidly prototyped concepts that could be tested with businesses ranging from sole traders to 100+ employee firms. This design-led process allowed us to strip away assumptions and focus on the minimum viable service required to give SMBs simple, scalable access to Fairfax audiences.
Designing the next chapter of Fairfax’s digital advertising
CraigWalker developed a concept for Fairfax's first self-service advertising platform, combining Google's AdWords API with Fairfax-specific targeting. Designed for small and medium business owners, the platform made it easy to set budgets, choose audiences and launch campaigns with confidence. The working prototype opened Fairfax's digital inventory to a new market of advertisers, identified two new growth opportunities, and provided a clear direction for the future of Fairfax's digital advertising offer.
