Protecting a Venue’s Brand Through Strategic Paid Search
Client Overview
A regional entertainment venue attracting audiences for concerts, family shows, and renditions of classic Broadway shows.
Challenge
Despite strong demand for their events, the venue was losing control of its online presence. Third-party ticket resellers began aggressively bidding on the venue’s branded terms and specific show titles in Google Ads. As a result, unofficial reseller sites appeared above the venue’s own listings, creating confusion for customers who believed they were buying directly from the venue.
This led to significant problems:
Inflated ticket prices caused by reseller markups
No customer support for canceled or rescheduled shows
Frustrated patrons contacting the venue for issues the venue did not cause
Negative reviews and brand damage from transactions made through unauthorized sellers
The venue’s customer service team was overwhelmed, and the brand’s reputation was at risk—despite the venue having no connection to these sales.
The venue turned to PGH Digital to regain control.
Objectives
PGH Digital partnered with the venue with one clear mission:
Reclaim the venue’s digital presence and ensure customers purchased tickets through the official box office.
Key goals included:
Outranking third-party ticket sites
Reducing customer confusion
Reinforcing trust in the official ticketing source
Protecting the venue’s reputation online
PGH Digital’s Strategy
1. Brand Protection Campaigns
To counter reseller bidding, PGH Digital launched campaigns targeting branded keywords such as:
“[Venue Name] tickets”
“[Venue Name] events”
Ad copy was intentionally direct, emphasizing official ticket source language to assure searchers they were purchasing from the legitimate venue website.
2. Marquee Show Campaigns
High-demand shows were the biggest targets for resellers. PGH Digital created custom campaigns for major acts, pairing relevant ad copy with optimized landing pages to outbid and outperform third-party listings.
Together, these campaigns created a clear and trustworthy search-to-purchase journey for customers.
Results
Within the month of April alone, the campaigns delivered:
16,000+ impressions
3,500+ clicks21.83% click-through rate (CTR)
Industry benchmark: Average Google Search CTR is 6–7%, meaning PGH Digital’s campaigns achieved more than 3× the typical performance.
More importantly, thousands of customers were guided to the venue’s official ticketing platform—reducing confusion, preventing reseller-driven price inflation, and restoring confidence in the venue’s brand.
Impact
This engagement demonstrated that paid search isn’t just a revenue driver—it’s a brand protection tool. When used strategically, Google Ads can:
Suppress misleading or harmful third-party ads
Protect customers from overpriced or unauthenticated sellers
Shield a brand’s reputation
Ensure customers reach the right destination
Conclusion
Every organization faces unique challenges, and third-party interference requires a tailored solution. For this venue, PGH Digital delivered a custom mix of brand protection and show-specific campaigns that restored clarity, improved customer experience, and safeguarded the brand’s reputation.
At PGH Digital, we don’t rely on cookie-cutter strategies. Whether you’re combating resellers, launching a new service, or navigating a competitive market, we build solutions around your goals—because protecting your brand starts with a partner who understands what makes it unique.