How one theatre turned Meta ads into a panto ticket-sales engine.
10x
more tickets sold
Meta ad conversions weren't being tracked properly, campaigns weren't cost-effective with a high cost per ticket, and there was no specialist running the ads.
Across four panto seasons: rebuilt tracking and campaign architecture, mapped the booker database into first-party segments, moved tracking server-side, then layered broader prospecting onto proven CRM audiences.
The Yvonne Arnaud is a landmark Guildford theatre, opened in 1965 and named after the celebrated French actress Yvonne Arnaud. Across two stages - the Main House and the Grade II-listed Mill Studio - they programme drama, music, comedy, dance, opera, family shows, and an annual in-house pantomime. Growthmode partner since 2022.
The challenge
Meta ads were running but conversions weren't being tracked properly, so reporting showed only a fraction of what was really happening. Budget was being spent but ticket sales didn't match the investment, cost per ticket was high, and the team needed a trusted specialist who could turn panto campaigns into a reliable ticket-sales engine, season after season.
What we built
Each panto season built on the last, with the same budget delivering more tickets and a lower cost per ticket every year.
Jack and the Beanstalk - Season 1, 2022/23
Came on board mid-season to take over the Jack panto. We restructured the ad accounts, set up proper tracking, and put the right campaign architecture in place - laying the foundations while the season was already in motion.
Cinderella - Season 2, 2023/24
The first full season under the new system. We rebuilt audiences from the ground up, mapped the booker database into first-party segments, and tested creative formats and messaging across each phase of the on-sale window - learning which audiences, formats and messages were doing the work.
Robin Hood - Season 3, 2024/25
Took everything we'd learned and pushed harder with new creative variants, sharper targeting and refined placements. In parallel, we rebuilt tracking server-side and integrated full consent management to meet Google's v2 requirements, so the data kept flowing reliably while the campaign iterated.
Beauty and the Beast - Season 4, 2025/26
Four years of audience data, creative learnings and reliable measurement working in our favour. We layered broader prospecting onto the proven CRM audiences and refined data collection once more. Ticket sales nearly quadrupled on the previous season, and cost per ticket fell another 70%.
The results
Four panto seasons of testing and iterating, with sales climbing and costs dropping every year: 10x more tickets sold and 90% lower cost per ticket.
“Our 2025/26 panto was our best ever in terms of cash sales, and our best ever in terms of ticket sales since pre-pandemic. Each year we've seen an increase in ROI with our META campaigns, and Roxy, Marc and the Growthmode team have fine-tuned our tracking, audiences and ad-placement to ensure we are making the most of our budgets and lowering our cost per ticket year-on-year.”
Ellie Harman
Marketing Manager, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
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