Case study: Selling Nicoban for nicotine addiction through Google Ads

This case study was created to show how traffic arbitrage with Google works in the addiction niche and what results can be obtained with the right campaign setup. We will also analyse the peculiarities of launching products to combat nicotine addiction and give practical advice for those planning to enter this market. 

The addiction niche has its own peculiarities: it is important to catch the user's motivation in time and work with emotional triggers correctly. Products in this category are often bought on impulse, so success depends on the quality of the landing page, the speed of decision-making, and a clear offer structure. That is why launching advertising campaigns requires careful preparation and constant testing.

In this article, we will take a closer look at which approaches have yielded the best results in promoting nicotine addiction products, what mistakes were made, and how to avoid them in future launches.

Campaign launch: what was tested and why Google

Choosing Google Ads as the main source of traffic was a strategic decision. In the "remedies for nicotine addiction" category, it is search advertising that allows us to find the hottest users who have already realised the problem and are looking for a solution. Google allows us to work with clear demand and control the lead generation stage with maximum accuracy.

To make the campaign effective, we immediately laid down several basic principles:

• Identified the most promising hypotheses regarding the USP and the way the product is presented;

• prepared several variants of landing pages with different emphasis: on security, speed of results, and real stories;

• took into account the fact that remedies for nicotine addiction are an impulse purchase, so we focused on emotional motivation and immediate benefits for the user.

The hypothesis-driven approach and proper adaptation of landing pages allowed us to immediately identify the most effective connections and reduce the cost of lead acquisition at the start of the campaign.

Testing approaches: which creatives work best?

During the testing phase, we actively experimented with creatives: we launched variants with the involvement of doctors and experts, using the authority of medical professionals to build trust. At the same time, we focused on real customer reviews, where we showed the stories of those who had already quit smoking using remedies for nicotine addiction. In both cases, the emotional presentation worked better than the dry facts: fear for health, inspiration by someone else's example, and hope for a quick result effectively encouraged action.

When creating the final offer, we focused on the client's main need – quick and safe recovery from addiction. The offer focused on a guarantee of results, promotional conditions for new customers, and ease of use of the product. Correctly configured arbitrage links allowed us to quickly find working creatives and increase conversion on landing pages.

Audience and targeting: how we caught the motivation to quit smoking

To effectively sell remedies for nicotine addiction through Google Ads, we worked out a detailed portrait of the target audience and tailored campaigns to their real needs. The main focus was on those who had already shown an active interest in quitting smoking, so we set up campaigns based on clear demographic and behavioural characteristics. Timing also played an important role: the audience showed the greatest interest at the beginning of the year and after the holidays, when motivation to change their lifestyle increases.

Key points of the campaign setup:

1. Demographics. Age 25-45, both sexes, mostly urban residents.

2. behavioural characteristics. Active search for topics such as "how to quit smoking" and "effective smoking cessation products".

3. Targeting strategy. Focus on hot requests and exclusion of general information requests.

4. Timing. Launch of the main waves of advertising in early January, August and after the holidays.

This approach allowed us to hit a motivated audience as accurately as possible and significantly increase conversion from the first stage of the campaign.

Financial results: ROI, costs, revenue

The financial results confirmed that the right strategy and precise work with the audience can generate stable profits even in complex topics. The launch of traffic arbitrage with Google for a product in the addiction category proved to be an effective and relatively predictable tool for monetising demand.

Thanks to careful campaign setup, we managed to maintain high quality traffic at reasonable costs. Key campaign metrics:

• GEO – Ukraine;

• the period of filling – 01.03.24 – to the present day;

•  total leads – 1697;

•  confirmed leads – 371;

•  the rate – $21;

•  The percentage of uprights – 21.9%;

•  expenses – $4380;

•  income – $7791;

•  The profit was $4344;

•  ROI – 77.9%.

This result proves once again that cases in the addiction niche  can be profitable even without large investments in the initial phase. With the right link building and ad optimisation, arbitrageurs can consistently earn money from an audience that is looking for immediate solutions to their problems.

What arbitrators should consider in the dependency niche

Working in the addiction niche has its own specifics, the main one being the impulsiveness of the audience. Users often make decisions emotionally, but they can change their minds just as quickly. That is why it is important to simplify the path to purchase as much as possible: minimise the number of steps on the landing page, give clear answers to possible doubts, and focus on immediate benefits. Otherwise, traffic arbitrage with Google may lose its effectiveness even for very warm queries.

To retain interest and increase conversion, you need to constantly refine approaches and test new landing page variants. Effective arbitrage links are built on adaptation: updating cases, adding relevant reviews, changing the order of blocks on the landing page depending on the audience's feedback. Only through regular tests and analysis of user behaviour can you stay competitive in this dynamic category.

In terms of scaling, it is important not only to increase budgets but also to expand working models. For example, a multi-format works well in similar offers: separate landing pages for different audience segments, several variants of offers depending on triggers (health, savings, family support). Successful traffic arbitrage with Google involves scaling up by expanding search queries and attracting related categories where users have similar motivations for action.

Mistakes and growth areas

Even in successful campaigns, there is always room for improvement. In our case, we could have worked out a better approach to retargeting – testing of repeat impressions could bring back some of the users who left a request but did not complete the purchase. It was also worth expanding the testing of creative formats: launching short videos and adapting ads to mobile traffic could have had a significant impact on engagement. When optimising the campaign, we made sure that choosing the right affiliate offers on Google Ads directly affects the effectiveness of arbitrage.

In future tests, you should pay more attention to variations in the structure of landing pages: test the location of buttons, reformat offers, and add additional triggers such as "discount only today" or "limited stock". To increase the upside, you should segment traffic more clearly at the query level and work with more relevant audiences. This is especially important in complex niches where conversion depends on the correct presentation of information and emotional engagement, as other successful cases in the addiction niche show.