Case Study: Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI) achieves a +128% increase in memberships from digital advertising thanks to the implementation of GA4

The FAI - Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano is a non-profit foundation that since 1975 has been dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the national heritage of art, history, and nature. It has been operating for over 50 years in the field of environmental and cultural sustainability and has over 200,000 members.

The FAI sought assistance from Tag Manager Italia, one of the top partners of Stape, to enhance the performance of their advertising campaigns (particularly Google Ads and Meta) and optimize the tracking of online memberships. 

Specifically, the FAI wanted to improve the performance of its advertising ecosystem through migration to Google Analytics 4 and its correct configuration for tracking annual memberships. Additionally, there was a need to create a funnel system, an advanced tracking system that could capture all steps of the main purchase flows of the annual membership card.

The process

They used the structure of Ecommerce in Google Analytics 4 to manage the data collection related to FAI card purchases. Two purchase and renewal paths were detailed, and the following specific objectives were set:

• The FAI card purchase or renewal path analyzed to highlight friction points that obstructed the user's conversion journey.
• Personal registrations differentiated from gifts and renewals.
• Campaigns, especially Google and Meta Ads, optimized by managing micro-conversions, aiming to create audience segments increasingly prepared for the final conversion.

By creating a custom tracking event and the standard Ecommerce events in GA4, it was possible to funnel the user's navigation flow, collecting key data and information, including:

• Viewing the cost rates for each type of card. 
• Clicking on a rate to see the details of individual offers. 
• Adding a rate to the cart to proceed with the purchase. 
• Beginning the checkout. 
• Adding personal data. 
• Adding the payment method. 
• Purchase.

Bottlenecks that obstructed the user's path, from the commencement of the navigation and purchase process to its end, were accurately identified.

Finally, TagManagerItalia exploited and enhanced a native parameter of Ecommerce in GA4 (i.e., a specific value was attributed to it): this made it possible to further optimize the data flow to advertising campaigns by passing the necessary information to track conversions depending on the type of card.

To send additional data to Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns, they:

• Did the implementation of Server-Side Google Tag Manager.
• Sent GA4 data related to micro-conversions made along the customer journey.
• Installed the Google Ads Remarketing Tag.

With the switch and implementation of Ecommerce in GA4, they passed another important piece of data to optimize the advertising ecosystem: the value of the quota subscribed by the user. This allowed the algorithm to have not just the conversion but also a monetary value of the same.

The Results Achieved

Thanks to the intervention of TagManagerItalia, the FAI recorded a 128% increase in new memberships in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Furthermore, a specific Christmas campaign led to a 55% increase in new memberships compared to the previous year, of which 57% came from Google Ads.

Conclusion

With the capabilities of Google Analytics 4 combined with strategic optimization of Google and Facebook Ads proved to be a game-changer for Fondo Ambiente Italiano. By harnessing advanced tracking techniques and using the data to refine their advertising approach, FAI not only achieved a clearer understanding of their members' online journey but also witnessed a significant boost in their advertising ROI. 

This case study underscores the importance of implementing server-side tracking and using Stape as a hosting. We invite all organizations, whether in the cultural sector or beyond, to draw inspiration from FAI's successful integration of technology to meet and exceed the objectives.