Case Study: Google Search Advertising - Top of Waikiki

Background: Top of Waikiki (TOW) was Hawai‘i’s only revolving restaurant, opened in 1965 and sadly forced to close in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This iconic restaurant served Hawai‘i Regional Steak & Seafood, along with creative craft cocktails, and boasted panoramic, ever-changing views of Waikīkī and the Honolulu city lights.

Vibe created and managed TOW’s Google Ads search campaigns from 2012, including seasonal and other various campaigns. 

Strategy: For Top of Waikiki’s general brand awareness search campaign, Team Vibe wanted to capture the essence of a customer’s experience dining at TOW clearly and concisely to encourage ad clicks to the TOW website. 

Duration: April 1, 2019 - March 30, 2020

Content: Clear, engaging text ads describing Top of Waikiki’s food, drink, and view, with a CTA to reserve a table for dinner. 

Target: English-speaking potential customers who searched keywords like “restaurants in Hawai‘i” or “happy hour in Hawai‘i”. 

Placement: Google Search

Budget: $20/day

Goal: Brand awareness, clicks to website. 

Results: Ads received an average click through rate (CTR) of 15.13% at a $0.32 cost per click (CPC). This is compared to an industry average CTR of 6.33% and CPC of $1.30 (using the Dining & Nightlife industry average in Wordstream’s 2019 Report).

Learn more about Vibe’s online advertising services