Versus Me (VSME) Grappling is a Toronto-based combat sports league.
They organize Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments at local academies in Ontario and Quebec, using unique real-time scorekeeping technology.
In January 2019, they approached Tabula seeking help in scaling their business using paid ads and social media.
Combat Sports League
Jan 2019 to
June 2021
Paid Ads,
Social Media
Canada
Combat Sports League
January 2019 to June 2021
Paid Ads, Social Media
Unites States
Combat
Sports League
Paid Ads,
Social Media
January 2019 to
June 2021
Canada
VSME Grappling had real-time scorekeeping tech no other league had. What they did not have was an audience to see it.
Four things stood in the way:
An original format and real scorekeeping tech, but almost no reach beyond a handful of local academies.
Grappling is thrilling to watch, but VSME had little footage and no consistent brand presence.
Events leaned on the same small circle of competitors and fans.
We mapped how VSME’s customers make decisions, activated every touchpoint that mattered, and sharpened each one with data over time.
We set up full analytics and tracking with a performance scorecard, so every dollar and order is tracked and owned from day one.
We started by learning about their D2C audience, their buyers, and their competitors.
Strategized, directed, and produced multiple season trailers every 6 months.
Produced ten 15-sec clips around VSME’s unique selling points and ran them on Meta and Google ads to sell tickets and grow the audience efficiently.
Measured from January 2019. Data from SEMrush, Google Search Console, GA4, and ad platforms.
400 → 1.6M
Org. YouTube views
2.5k → 2.3M
340 → 500k
Org. engagements
49 → 3.8k
Org. traffic/mo
20+
Video assets made
500+
3.5%
Avg engagement rate
6
Seasons promoted
286%
Sales growth
4.9x
Avg Blended ROAS
38%
Decrease in CAC
12%
Conversion increase
80+
Events promoted
29
Sponsorships secured
$50k+
Sponsorship value
Millions
Reached organically
Hover or tap your screen to see the progress made.
We understood that the best way to reach more people organically is to create content that is out of the ordinary. For VSME, that was women vs men.
Hover or tap your screen to see examples.
We use traditional platforms like Figma to collaborate on everything.
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