Shortlisted for Google Partner Awards For El Jannah’s App Growth Campaign

We love what we do with the brands we work with. When this gets recognised, it’s worth celebrating and unpacking.

We’re proud to share that Online Marketing Gurus has been shortlisted in the 2025 Google Partner Awards (Apps Category) for our work with El Jannah, one of Australia’s most beloved quick-service restaurant brands.

But this story isn’t just about an award. It’s about how the right blend of AI, first-party data and full-funnel strategy can turn a mobile app into a growth engine and deliver tangible business outcomes for brands competing in crowded markets.

The Challenge: Standing Out in a Saturated App Market

The QSR category has become one of the most competitive spaces for app-based engagement. With delivery giants like Uber Eats and DoorDash dominating digital orders, El Jannah faced a dual challenge:

• Scale app installs efficiently and profitably
• Turn app users into repeat, high-value customers

At the same time, they were looking to grow awareness beyond its Sydney heartland and turn its mobile experience into a direct loyalty driver.

To achieve this, we had to go beyond acquisition and build a digital ecosystem that rewarded retention.

Our Approach: Building a Scalable Growth Engine

We partnered with El Jannah to design a hybrid strategy that blended brand storytelling with precision performance. The mission: make the app the heart of customer engagement, not just a convenience tool.

Our framework centred on four strategic pillars:

1. Always-On App Campaigns

We launched dedicated Google App Campaigns focused initially on Android, leveraging AI-powered creative rotation and CPA bidding. By training Google’s machine learning with multiple creative variations and preliminary App Lifetime Value (ALV) targets, we drove cost-efficient installs that scaled sustainably month over month.

2. App Download Extensions

To capture incremental installs, we integrated app download extensions across Search and Performance Max campaigns. This allowed us to harness existing demand from brand and promotional queries turning every search impression into a potential install.

3. App Promotions for P-Max

We introduced exclusive app deals for first-time and repeat users, incentivising downloads and deepening engagement. The approach wasn’t just about getting users in, it was about keeping them active.

4. First-Party Audience Targeting

Using El Jannah’s existing customer lists and behavioural data, we built remarketing segments that re-engaged loyal users while establishing credibility with new ones. This first-party foundation meant performance gains weren’t just efficient, they were sustainable.

The Power of AI & Automation

At the core of this campaign was Google’s AI-driven optimisation with matching the right creative to the right audience at the right moment. Dynamic asset testing identified the combinations that generated the highest install-to-purchase intent, while automated bidding continuously refined CPA targets.

The result:

• Faster learning cycles
• Lower cost per install
• Higher quality users

Within five months, the campaign evolved from a pilot into a scalable, machine-learning-driven performance engine.

Measurement: Efficiency Meets Impact

To quantify value beyond downloads, we developed a performance model tied to App Lifetime Value. Each install was tracked against the likely return from repeat orders, helping us optimise bidding strategies toward true ROI.

Even without direct in-app analytics, this approach connected ad efficiency with tangible business outcomes, proving that when measurement aligns with strategy, impact follows.

Key outcomes:

• 2,700+ installs in five months
• 71% reduction in CPI (from $10.53 → $3.06)
• Consistent month-on-month growth in both volume & efficiency

This performance not only hit every efficiency target — it transformed how El Jannah measures digital success.

Why This Campaign Stood Out

The Google Partner Awards celebrate agencies that push the boundaries of what’s possible with Google Ads and AI. El Jannah’s campaign stood out for three reasons:

1. Innovation in hybrid strategy: blending app, search, and P-Max into one unified funnel.
2. AI + first-party data synergy: using automation to enhance human insight.
3. Proven scalability: delivering sustainable, repeatable growth within months.

This wasn’t just an app campaign — it was a model for how QSR brands can use technology to deepen loyalty and drive revenue.

What This Means for QSR Brands

Apps are no longer a side channel; they’re a powerful tool for building long-term customer relationships.

Three principles to take from El Jannah’s success:

• Optimise for value, not volume. CPI means little without retention.
• Use first-party data to fuel every channel. It compounds ROI.
• Let AI handle the heavy lifting. Your job is to feed it strategy & creative clarity.

About the author

Andrew Raso

Andrew Raso is the Founder & Global CEO of Online Marketing Gurus (OMG), one of Australia’s most successful independent digital agencies & a recognised leader in data-driven growth marketing. Featured by Commonwealth Bank for insights on AI in digital marketing. Since founding OMG in 2012 with just $500 & a vision to make world-class digital strategy accessible to every business, Andrew has scaled the company to a global team of more than 200 specialists operating across Australia, the U.S., Singapore and the UAE. Under his leadership, OMG has partnered with over 1,000 brands, including Vodafone, LG, Calvin Klein and Fujitsu, & earned 40+ industry awards for innovation & performance. A respected voice in digital transformation & modern entrepreneurship, Andrew is known for his straight-talking approach on Never Not Building podcast, about leadership, work ethic, a commitment to continuous learning, & an ability to turn insight into sustained commercial growth.