SCOPE
PAID MEDIA, DESIGN, SEO
INDUSTRY
APPAREL & MERCHANDISE, D2C, ECOMMERECE
YEAR
2022 – PRESENT
Combining Strategic SEO and Paid Media to Take a Luxury Accessory Brand to New Heights
MACHETE is an Atlanta-based company that creates heirloom-quality, handcrafted accessories designed to “make you feel good every time you pick them up.” As Machete’s marketing partner for SEO and paid media, Marketwake executes thoughtful strategies that align with Machete’s unique place in the competitive D2C market.
In 2024, Machete’s new website launch was the perfect opportunity to lay a fresh foundation for successful SEO and continue building on multiple years of BFCM campaign success to drive traffic and serve every customer who chooses to shop Machete.
That foundation has since evolved into one of Machete’s strongest performance years yet, culminating in its most successful BFCM to date in 2025.
In 2024, Machete’s new website launch was the perfect opportunity to lay a fresh foundation for successful SEO and continue building on multiple years of BFCM campaign success to drive traffic and serve every customer who chooses to shop Machete.
That foundation has since evolved into one of Machete’s strongest performance years yet, culminating in its most successful BFCM to date in 2025.
black friday & cyber monday sale
Seasonal Media Strategy
Q4 is a crucial time of the year for digital eCommerce brands. The stakes for paid media are high, but for a company like Machete, the opportunity for success is even higher.
2025’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday success was the result of sustained, year-long account health and efficiency. Performance across channels was stronger than ever, positioning Machete for an even more profitable BFCM.
We focused our attention on already excelling campaigns and fed them with excellent creative that was worth scrolling through. As a result, Machete entered Q4 with stronger efficiency, lower CPAs, and consistently improving YoY performance across channels.
2025’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday success was the result of sustained, year-long account health and efficiency. Performance across channels was stronger than ever, positioning Machete for an even more profitable BFCM.
We focused our attention on already excelling campaigns and fed them with excellent creative that was worth scrolling through. As a result, Machete entered Q4 with stronger efficiency, lower CPAs, and consistently improving YoY performance across channels.
increase in revenue attributed to BFCM
in revenue attributed to paid media in 16 days
ROAS YoY
Perfromance Marketing
Agile Paid Media
Machete’s unique brand is strongest when represented through stunning product and editorial imagery paired with an innovative media strategy that allows us to stay ahead of the competition. Our partnership delicately balances building brand awareness and driving bottom-line revenue.
While the juggling act can sometimes prove challenging, our investment in the brand continues to pay off. Outside of seasonal peaks like BFCM, Machete maintained disciplined spend levels throughout the year, directly tying our broad-reaching media mix to conversion over time.
While the juggling act can sometimes prove challenging, our investment in the brand continues to pay off. Outside of seasonal peaks like BFCM, Machete maintained disciplined spend levels throughout the year, directly tying our broad-reaching media mix to conversion over time.
increase in purchase volume YoY
increase in revenue attributed to paid media YoY
increase in ROAS YoY
Technical Seo
Proactive SEO Launch
Machete’s new site launch in 2024 provided an opportunity for us to lay a robust SEO foundation. We implemented a unique approach that expanded our focus far beyond keyword selections to things like addressing back-end metadata, image optimization, refining H1s and H2s, and strategically preserving and enhancing current SEO performance.
A new navigation framework dramatically improved searchability through increased filtering capabilities, and strategic SEO and copy decisions helped maintain optimization without sacrificing the refined voice integral to Machete’s brand.
A new navigation framework dramatically improved searchability through increased filtering capabilities, and strategic SEO and copy decisions helped maintain optimization without sacrificing the refined voice integral to Machete’s brand.
increase in Keyword positions 1-3 six months after launch
increase in total keywords in the six months after launch
increase in website user engagement YoY
Ongoing optimization
A Unified Strategy for MACHETE Success
While our larger focus is on organic search and paid media, the hallmark of our partnership is based on our ability to look beyond these two areas at the overall Machete marketing mix.
Our twofold strategy creates a cycle of continuous improvement through understanding that while Machete’s website is the true engine for success, optimizing media is essential to driving website traffic that converts. Whether tracking website audiences for hyper-targeted paid media or using organic performance trends to influence search optimization decisions, our strategy has created holistic success at every customer touchpoint.
Our twofold strategy creates a cycle of continuous improvement through understanding that while Machete’s website is the true engine for success, optimizing media is essential to driving website traffic that converts. Whether tracking website audiences for hyper-targeted paid media or using organic performance trends to influence search optimization decisions, our strategy has created holistic success at every customer touchpoint.
“We really value our partnership with Marketwake. Their support across SEO, ad creative, and paid media over the last 4 years has helped us land the right channel mix, and our performance is stronger than ever.”
Sasha Dobson
Marketing Manager
Our Role
Creating work that converts.
STRATEGY
Ad Placement
Paid Media
SEO
Technical SEO
Audience Segmentation
Alpha/beta Testing
CREATIVE
Copywriting
Design
Content Strategy
Creative Strategy
Art Direction