How Another Community more than doubled Donde Esteban's media investment and nearly tripled online revenue - proving scale and efficiency aren't a trade-off.
*Jan-Aug 2026 YTD vs same period 2025
Another Community Digital paid media management had a straightforward brief - grow the business without letting cost of sale (COS) skyrocket. As a new brand on the market, the starting point was to ensure we cover the fundamentals while reaching for that compounding effect.
AUDIENCE OWNERSHIP
What we often see on brands with leaner starting budgets are that audiences fragmented, targeting spread thin across markets, and demand capture running ahead of demand creation. The first move for us was building an audience the brand actually owned. Lead generation ran hardest through the quieter trading months, growing the CRM list 35% - an asset that pays back every time it's retargeted, and one that gets cheaper to reach the larger it becomes.
CONSIDERED TARGETING
Targeting was then consolidated rather than expanded. Leaning into automation and broad audience refinement removed the overlap that often quietly inflates the costs, whilst international activity was realigned so ad investment matched where the brand was genuinely selling, adjusted for seasonality rather than run flat across the year.
| Ad platform spend | Ad platform revenue | Ad platform ROAS | Shopify net revenue | Cost of sale | New customers | CAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD vs YoY |
+123%growth | +175%growth | +23%growth | +182%growth | 21%improvement | +151%growth | 11%improvement |
| 2025 vs 2024 |
+4%growth | +49%growth | +43%growth | +49%growth | 30%improvement | −1%change | +5%increase |
CREATIVE TESTING
Creative testing ran continuously alongside it, structured specifically around periods of lower creative turnaround so new customer audiences kept being tested even when new assets were thin. For younger brands it sometimes can be harder to generate creative output and test efficiently against the actual allocated budgets. When done correctly, the creative team is left with better clarity and takeaways of what assets work for and where the resources should be allocated.
As the strategy is always geared toward long-term building, the results are being reaped YOY with consecutive record-breaking DTC revenue months, as the brand scaled its organic activity, PR and distribution - paid marketing efficiently amplified it alongside. The results moved together - media investment grew 123% and online revenue 182% - revenue running ahead of spend rather than chasing it. Ad platform revenue rose 175% and return on ad spend improved from 2.8:1 to 3.5:1 - due to improved structural set up and creative feedback. New customer acquisition grew 151% whilst cost of acquisition came down 11%, and cost of sale improved by 21%. Set against 2024, the picture is the same story from further back: a 49% lift in online revenue on a 4% increase in spend, with cost of sale improving 30%.
Meet Esteban Cortazar
Esteban Cortazar established his eponymous fashion house Esteban Cortazar in the early 2000’s.
His vivid designs, infused with a mix of Latin American flavor and French savoir-faire, quickly attracted attention, enabling the house to show its first collection during the 2002 New York Fashion Week. Following the success of his first collections, he became a member of the CFDA in 2006. Cortazar then moved to Paris, to helm the House of Emanuel Ungaro in 2007, cementing his standing in the fashion world.
His talent caught the attention of Natalie Massanet ushering a series of capsule collections for Net-A-Porter, and later the relaunch of his Paris-based fashion house Esteban Cortazar.
Concurrently, he did several successful collaborations with celebrated names in the industry such as French concept store Colette, Latin American mega-store chain Exito, the New York City Ballet, the Miami City Ballet, Farfetch, and French soccer team Paris Saint-Germain among others. Today, Cortazar spends his time between Paris, Cartagena, Miami, and Ibiza, and is focused on his latest project and brand Donde Esteban, a personal approach to resortwear that takes cues from his roots and his most personal cosmos.
ABout donde esteban
Donde Esteban is more than resortwear — it is a narrative of roots, rhythm, and lived experience.
Founded by Esteban Cortázar, the brand reflects a life shaped by movement between Cartagena, Miami, Ibiza, New York, and Paris. These coastal worlds inform Donde Esteban’s language: sun-washed, sensual, relaxed, and expressive. At its core lies Esteban’s deep connection to his family, particularly his father, Colombian artist Valentino Cortázar, whose paintings and visual universe have become a recurring foundation for the brand’s prints.
The family home — filled with color, music, art, and memory — remains a constant source of inspiration, grounding each collection in authenticity and emotion. Donde Esteban collaborates closely with artists from Esteban’s community, merging vivid prints with laid-back, unisex silhouettes infused with a Caribbean-meets-Mediterranean sensibility.
Each piece is designed to feel effortless yet intentional — celebrating joy, movement, heritage, and the freedom of endless summer.
Summary:
Smart paid media fundamentals: The CRM list grew 35% to build an owned audience, targeting was consolidated, international spend was matched to real sales markets, and creative testing ran continuously.
Strong technical foundations: The web team built a minimal, mobile-first Shopify store with signature “Shop by Print” collections. It’s backed by integrated CRM, ERP, international shipping, payments and returns setups.
UX improvements lifted conversion: Better product discovery, social proof and a cleaner homepage raised the browse-to-checkout rate from 0.75% to 1.3%, and returns declined.
Revenue outpaced spend: Online revenue grew 182% YoY (Jan–Aug 2026) on a 123% increase in media investment, with ROAS improving from 2.8:1 to 3.5:1.
Growth got more efficient: New customers grew 151% while CAC fell 11% and cost of sale improved 21%.
