ChessUp
Client
Chessup
Client
Chessup
Client
Chessup
Timeline
2023 - ONGOING
Timeline
2023 - ONGOING
Timeline
2023 - ONGOING
Background
ChessUp is a smart chessboard with a built-in instructor that lights up possible moves based on the player's skill level. Designed for everyone from complete beginners to seasoned competitors, it offers a tailored chess experience that makes learning feel intuitive rather than intimidating. ChessUp earned its place as Kickstarter's most-funded smart chessboard project, proof that the demand was there from day one.
Despite that momentum, paid advertising wasn't keeping up. Creative assets were failing to drive profitable sales, and the cost per acquisition was climbing without a clear path to scale.
Background
ChessUp is a smart chessboard with a built-in instructor that lights up possible moves based on the player's skill level. Designed for everyone from complete beginners to seasoned competitors, it offers a tailored chess experience that makes learning feel intuitive rather than intimidating. ChessUp earned its place as Kickstarter's most-funded smart chessboard project, proof that the demand was there from day one.
Despite that momentum, paid advertising wasn't keeping up. Creative assets were failing to drive profitable sales, and the cost per acquisition was climbing without a clear path to scale.
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Ad Spending
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Ad Spending
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YoY Revenue Growth
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YoY Revenue Growth
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decrease in NCPA
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decrease in NCPA
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decrease in NCPA
Challenges and Objectives
The core challenge wasn't the product, it was the story being told about it. After auditing the account, the gap became clear: ads were speaking almost exclusively to advanced chess players, leaning on technical features and competitive language. These ads generated decent engagement but consistently underperformed on conversions.
The objective was to identify who was actually buying, why they were buying, and build a creative system that could acquire new customers profitably at scale.
Strategy
The audit surfaced one signal that changed everything: the top-performing ad in the account featured a father and daughter discovering ChessUp together for the first time. It wasn't technical. It wasn't competitive. It was emotional and it converted.
That single insight reframed the entire strategy. ChessUp's real opportunity wasn't with experienced players looking for a training tool. It was with beginners, and more specifically, with parents looking for something that could make chess feel as engaging as a screen.
We built the creative strategy around two hypotheses: that beginners represented the highest-intent, most underserved audience, and that families ( particularly parents) were a largely untapped segment with strong purchase motivation. Every angle, format, and hook was rebuilt around those two audiences, shifting from feature-led messaging to experience-led storytelling that showed what ChessUp actually felt like to use for the first time.
To keep the system scalable, we treated creative as a structured testing program: each concept built with multiple hook variations and narrative paths so we could learn fast and compound on what worked.
The audit surfaced one signal that changed everything: the top-performing ad in the account featured a father and daughter discovering ChessUp together for the first time. It wasn't technical. It wasn't competitive. It was emotional and it converted.
That single insight reframed the entire strategy. ChessUp's real opportunity wasn't with experienced players looking for a training tool. It was with beginners, and more specifically, with parents looking for something that could make chess feel as engaging as a screen.
We built the creative strategy around two hypotheses: that beginners represented the highest-intent, most underserved audience, and that families ( particularly parents) were a largely untapped segment with strong purchase motivation. Every angle, format, and hook was rebuilt around those two audiences, shifting from feature-led messaging to experience-led storytelling that showed what ChessUp actually felt like to use for the first time.
To keep the system scalable, we treated creative as a structured testing program: each concept built with multiple hook variations and narrative paths so we could learn fast and compound on what worked.
Impact
The results validated the strategy at every level.
Revenue grew by over 80% year-over-year, while ad spend increased by nearly 59%, meaning the account became significantly more efficient as it scaled, not less. ROAS improved by over 48%, and the cost to acquire a new customer dropped by more than 51%.
The creative shift from advanced-player targeting to beginner and family-focused storytelling didn't just improve performance metrics – it opened up a much larger addressable audience, giving the account the creative diversity it needed to sustain growth over time.
ChessUp went from struggling to acquire customers profitably to building a scalable paid media engine – one that continues to grow.
The results validated the strategy at every level.
Revenue grew by over 80% year-over-year, while ad spend increased by nearly 59%, meaning the account became significantly more efficient as it scaled, not less. ROAS improved by over 48%, and the cost to acquire a new customer dropped by more than 51%.
The creative shift from advanced-player targeting to beginner and family-focused storytelling didn't just improve performance metrics – it opened up a much larger addressable audience, giving the account the creative diversity it needed to sustain growth over time.
ChessUp went from struggling to acquire customers profitably to building a scalable paid media engine – one that continues to grow.
ChessUp
Video Ad
/
2025
ChessUp
Video Ad
/
2025
ChessUp
Video Ad
/
2025
ChessUp
Video Ad
/
2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you different from the other agencies?
We’re not chasing infinite growth. We want to stay boutique and work with a small number of very ambitious brands. The number we’re most proud of is 27%. That’s our churn rate. Since 2023, we’ve kept working with nearly 3 out of 4 clients. If we click, odds are we’ll be on a Slack thread together for a while.
What does working together look like?
Do you work with all types of brands?
What platforms do you manage?
Do you have a minimum testing period?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you different from the other agencies?
We’re not chasing infinite growth. We want to stay boutique and work with a small number of very ambitious brands. The number we’re most proud of is 27%. That’s our churn rate. Since 2023, we’ve kept working with nearly 3 out of 4 clients. If we click, odds are we’ll be on a Slack thread together for a while.
What does working together look like?
Do you work with all types of brands?
What platforms do you manage?
Do you have a minimum testing period?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you different from the other agencies?
We’re not chasing infinite growth. We want to stay boutique and work with a small number of very ambitious brands. The number we’re most proud of is 27%. That’s our churn rate. Since 2023, we’ve kept working with nearly 3 out of 4 clients. If we click, odds are we’ll be on a Slack thread together for a while.
What does working together look like?
Do you work with all types of brands?
What platforms do you manage?
Do you have a minimum testing period?