Driving Global Event Participation With Google DV360

Client Overview

SAS is a global leader in analytics and artificial intelligence solutions, serving enterprises and governments worldwide. Each year the company hosts SAS Global Forum, one of the largest analytics and AI conferences, drawing thousands of professionals, executives, and decision-makers. For the 2025 edition, SAS needed a campaign that would grow registrations across three continents while expanding the attendee profile beyond its traditional Data Scientist and IT Leader base to include C-level executives exploring analytics adoption.

Campaign Objective

The campaign aimed to increase registrations for SAS Global Forum across North America, Europe, and Asia. A year-over-year growth target of 20% set a clear volume benchmark, requiring the campaign to deliver 18,000 or more sign-ups worldwide. Both in-person and virtual registration paths needed to perform, reflecting the event's hybrid format.

Expanding the audience mix beyond technical roles was equally important. Previous forums had attracted a heavily Data Scientist and IT-weighted attendee base. SAS wanted to bring C-level executives, Innovation Managers, and business-side Analytics Leaders into the registration funnel, broadening the event's influence across the enterprise decision-making layer.

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Audience & Targeting

Custom audiences were built around Data Science Professionals, IT Leaders, and Innovation Managers using interest and behavioral signals. Lookalike models extended reach by identifying new prospects who shared behavioral patterns with previous SAS Global Forum attendees. This combination of known profiles and modeled expansion allowed the campaign to grow the registration pool without diluting audience quality.

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Platform & Channels

Premium publisher inventory anchored the media plan. Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, and TechCrunch provided the editorial environments where analytics leaders and C-level executives spend their professional reading time. OTT placements in business and technology streaming environments extended reach into evening content consumption sessions, catching prospects outside traditional work-hours browsing.

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Creative and Formats

Display creatives used community-led messaging, positioning SAS Global Forum as a gathering of top analytics professionals. YouTube bumpers leveraged past event footage to build urgency and social proof. Geo-specific variants added location-based prompts like “Join us in Frankfurt” or “Join us in Singapore,” doubling CTR versus generic versions. The hybrid format was promoted in parallel, positioning virtual attendance as an equal-value option for those unable to travel.

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Geo-Focus

Delivery concentrated on cities with the highest density of target professionals. In the US, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago received priority allocation. London anchored the UK campaign, Frankfurt covered Germany, and Singapore and India represented the APAC expansion targets. Each city received geo-specific creative and landing page experiences tied to the nearest event location or virtual access point.