Restoring Control to a Core Growth Channel with 60%+ Efficiency Gains
industry
Critical infrastructure & environmental services
engagement focus
Paid growth audit, operating model rebuild, growth systems
client profile
PE-backed market leader backed by a top-tier global sponsor
At the start of 2025, a large, PE-backed services platform engaged Day One Growth to assess and stabilize a core growth channel that had become increasingly difficult to trust.
Paid media represented a meaningful share of growth investment, yet leadership lacked confidence in performance, predictability, and contribution. Budgets were volatile, decision-making was reactive, and the organization could not reliably underwrite growth assumptions tied to this channel.
Day One Growth was brought in to independently audit the system, challenge assumptions, and determine whether paid growth could be transformed into a disciplined, controllable lever that supported EBITDA objectives.
the challenge
Despite significant scale and strong market position, paid growth had become a black box.
Leadership faced three core issues:
- Inability to confidently assess incremental impact
- Spend decisions driven by historical patterns rather than marginal returns
- Reporting that emphasized activity, not decision-grade insight
Recent leadership turnover within the marketing organization further complicated execution, creating resistance to structural change and slowing progress.
As a result, paid media was no longer trusted as a lever that could be scaled intentionally without introducing margin risk.
the solution
Day One Growth approached the engagement as an operating problem, not a channel optimization exercise.
Phase 1: Independent Audit & Pressure Testing
- Comprehensive audit of paid search, paid social, and conversion measurement
- Full review of agency strategy, targeting assumptions, bid logic, and reporting
- Identification of structural inefficiencies and misaligned incentives
Rather than forcing a premature rebuild, Day One Growth focused on establishing credibility through evidence.
Phase 2: Controlled Intervention & Proof of Lift
Operating under constrained authority, Day One Growth implemented tightly controlled, incremental changes:
- Systematic reallocation away from low-efficiency segments
- Clearer intent alignment and conversion definitions
- Spend pacing, variance controls, and weekly operating reviews
- Measurement refocused on efficiency, contribution, and downside risk
Each change was isolated, measured, and validated before expansion.
Phase 3: Full System Rebuild
Once leadership alignment was restored, Day One Growth was given full authority to rebuild the paid growth system end-to-end:
- Account architecture aligned to business lines and economics
- Executive-grade reporting tied to growth efficiency and predictability
- Transition from vendor-managed execution to operator-controlled decisioning
the results
the impact of Day One Growth’s engagement was measurable across efficiency, control, and predictability within the first six months:
Improvement in paid media efficiency through disciplined spend reallocation and tighter intent alignment.
Annualized efficiency unlocked by eliminating waste and restoring budget predictability.
Executive-grade operating cadence and decision framework
installed across paid growth.