Marathon Watch: Scaling to $814K/Month in 90 Days With Growth Shop’s Signature Engine
Marathon Watch: Scaling to $814K/Month in 90 Days With Growth Shop’s Signature Engine
Marathon Watch: Scaling to $814K/Month in 90 Days With Growth Shop’s Signature Engine
Marathon Watch: Scaling to $814K/Month in 90 Days With Growth Shop’s Signature Engine
Marathon Watch: Scaling to $814K/Month in 90 Days With Growth Shop’s Signature Engine
When 80-year-old military watchmaker Marathon needed to modernize its growth engine, Growth Shop delivered a 119% revenue increase in just 90 days. By rebuilding paid media, CRM, and tracking from the ground up, we turned broken systems into a profit-first machine—scaling spend 20x while improving ROAS and doubling contribution margin.
When 80-year-old military watchmaker Marathon needed to modernize its growth engine, Growth Shop delivered a 119% revenue increase in just 90 days. By rebuilding paid media, CRM, and tracking from the ground up, we turned broken systems into a profit-first machine—scaling spend 20x while improving ROAS and doubling contribution margin.
When 80-year-old military watchmaker Marathon needed to modernize its growth engine, Growth Shop delivered a 119% revenue increase in just 90 days. By rebuilding paid media, CRM, and tracking from the ground up, we turned broken systems into a profit-first machine—scaling spend 20x while improving ROAS and doubling contribution margin.
When 80-year-old military watchmaker Marathon needed to modernize its growth engine, Growth Shop delivered a 119% revenue increase in just 90 days. By rebuilding paid media, CRM, and tracking from the ground up, we turned broken systems into a profit-first machine—scaling spend 20x while improving ROAS and doubling contribution margin.
Marathon Watch
Marathon Watch
Marathon Watch
is a Canadian, family-owned manufacturer of precision timepieces, supplying military-grade watches to the U.S. and Canadian armed forces since 1939. Built to exacting Swiss standards, Marathon’s products combine durability, functionality, and heritage—serving both elite military personnel and civilian collectors worldwide.
is a Canadian, family-owned manufacturer of precision timepieces, supplying military-grade watches to the U.S. and Canadian armed forces since 1939. Built to exacting Swiss standards, Marathon’s products combine durability, functionality, and heritage—serving both elite military personnel and civilian collectors worldwide.
119%
119%
Revenue
Revenue
103%
103%
Contribution Margin
Contribution Margin
41%
41%
AOV
AOV
Key Stakeholder
Martin Cohen
Vice President
Industry
Beauty & Fashion
Services Provided
SEO
CRM
CRO
Paid search
Paid social
Mission Ready: Scaling a Heritage Brand With Precision
When the official timepiece supplier to U.S. and Canadian militaries needed to rebuild trust in digital marketing, Growth Shop’s innovative approach delivered 119% revenue growth and transformed skepticism into partnership.
“Growth Shop didn’t just optimize our accounts. They transformed our entire approach to digital marketing. The level of transparency and the results speak for themselves.”
Martin Cohen
Vice President at Marathon Watch
With the Root Cause Uncovered, We Rebuilt for Growth
We rebuilt Marathon’s growth engine using Growth Shop’s three-layer operating model:
GS IQ Diagnostic → Contribution Margin Model → Multi-Channel Revenue Activation.
We began by wiping Google and Meta clean—replacing outdated, cluttered ad structures with a contribution-margin-aligned campaign architecture built for scale. Beneath the surface, key systems weren’t working: Google tracking was broken, Shopify signals weren’t syncing, and reporting lacked clarity. We rebuilt the full data pipeline and launched Pulse dashboards to surface real-time unit economics.
Meta campaigns were also burning out high-frequency audiences. We introduced suppression rules and rebuilt segmentation to restore efficiency. We launched retention-specific offers and rebuilt nurture flows based on price sensitivity and purchase behavior.
“We weren’t trying to grow Meta. We were trying to grow Marathon’s business—profitably, across every channel.”
—Logan Elliott, Account Lead, Growth Shop
We deployed our proprietary tech, GS IQ to map Marathon’s full customer and revenue engine. The analysis surfaced four key growth barriers:
GS IQ Root Cause Analysis:
Structural Weakness, Not Just Channel Gaps
Margin Misallocation
Paid media was overweighted toward SKUs with low repurchase rates and weaker contribution margins—suppressing total profit and scale.
Signal Loss
Google conversion tracking was broken. Shopify signals were not routed correctly. Decision-making was based on inaccurate data.
Minimal Retention Engine
CRM infrastructure lacked segmentation. No automated revenue.
Audience Fatigue
Meta targeting recycled high-frequency audiences with no suppression logic, burning through top-funnel efficiency.
The issue was a systemic inefficiency across the entire growth stack.
Precision Scaling Through Multi-Channel Profit Alignment
With the right foundation and strategy in place, we turned our focus to scale—without sacrificing efficiency.
Meta performance scaled dramatically, with spend increasing 20x while ROAS held steady at ~1.0—proving scalable efficiency. Despite the surge in spend, CPA remained flat, driven by tighter SKU targeting and creative mapped directly to margin insights via GS IQ.
CRM became a structured revenue engine through sequenced flows and reactivation offers tied to purchase behavior. This retention layer gave Marathon consistent, incremental growth beyond paid and utilised the CRM channel when launching a Marathon x Jeep partnership!
With this clarity, the path to scale was clear.
This wasn’t media arbitrage. It was system design. GS IQ revealed where spend was misaligned with margin and long-term value, and we reallocated every dollar toward scalable, profitable segments
How successful DTC Brands Actually Want to Work
Marathon needed more than tactical execution—they needed senior-level partnership. Growth Shop structured the engagement accordingly.
“We made sure Marty and the Marathon team had direct access to GS leadership. Rob, our COO, would take calls at 9PM on Fridays—whatever they needed,” explains Logan Elliot, Senior Account Manager. “That availability built the foundation that now allows us to focus on growth initiatives.”
Growth Shop’s model gives Marathon access to elite operators who, beyond executing, drive measurable business outcomes with complete accountability to profit and growth.
While Net Sales grew by 119%, Growth Contribution Margin also grew by 103%, which means Marathon wasn’t just spending more—it was keeping significantly more after costs like media, shipping, and discounts.
119%
Revenue
103%
Contribution Margin
41%
AOV
+56%
Monthly units
Eight Decades of Military Precision
Marathon Watch Company has crafted military-grade Swiss timepieces for over 80 years serving elite forces and watch enthusiasts worldwide.
Despite premium positioning, revenue fluctuated without explanation. Marathon was built for precision but its marketing architecture had no such rigor.
There was no system driving growth and a heritage, luxury brand like that deserved a high-end growth system.
Mission Ready: Scaling a Heritage Brand With Precision
When the official timepiece supplier to U.S. and Canadian militaries needed to rebuild trust in digital marketing, Growth Shop’s innovative approach delivered 119% revenue growth and transformed skepticism into partnership.
“Growth Shop didn’t just optimize our accounts. They transformed our entire approach to digital marketing. The level of transparency and the results speak for themselves.”
Martin Cohen
Vice President at Marathon Watch
With the Root Cause Uncovered, We Rebuilt for Growth
We rebuilt Marathon’s growth engine using Growth Shop’s three-layer operating model:
GS IQ Diagnostic → Contribution Margin Model → Multi-Channel Revenue Activation.
We began by wiping Google and Meta clean—replacing outdated, cluttered ad structures with a contribution-margin-aligned campaign architecture built for scale. Beneath the surface, key systems weren’t working: Google tracking was broken, Shopify signals weren’t syncing, and reporting lacked clarity. We rebuilt the full data pipeline and launched Pulse dashboards to surface real-time unit economics.
Meta campaigns were also burning out high-frequency audiences. We introduced suppression rules and rebuilt segmentation to restore efficiency. We launched retention-specific offers and rebuilt nurture flows based on price sensitivity and purchase behavior.
“We weren’t trying to grow Meta. We were trying to grow Marathon’s business—profitably, across every channel.”
—Logan Elliott, Account Lead, Growth Shop
We deployed our proprietary tech, GS IQ to map Marathon’s full customer and revenue engine. The analysis surfaced four key growth barriers:
GS IQ Root Cause Analysis:
Structural Weakness, Not Just Channel Gaps
Margin Misallocation
Paid media was overweighted toward SKUs with low repurchase rates and weaker contribution margins—suppressing total profit and scale.
Signal Loss
Google conversion tracking was broken. Shopify signals were not routed correctly. Decision-making was based on inaccurate data.
Minimal Retention Engine
CRM infrastructure lacked segmentation. No automated revenue.
Audience Fatigue
Meta targeting recycled high-frequency audiences with no suppression logic, burning through top-funnel efficiency.
The issue was a systemic inefficiency across the entire growth stack.
Precision Scaling Through Multi-Channel Profit Alignment
With the right foundation and strategy in place, we turned our focus to scale—without sacrificing efficiency.
Meta performance scaled dramatically, with spend increasing 20x while ROAS held steady at ~1.0—proving scalable efficiency. Despite the surge in spend, CPA remained flat, driven by tighter SKU targeting and creative mapped directly to margin insights via GS IQ.
CRM became a structured revenue engine through sequenced flows and reactivation offers tied to purchase behavior. This retention layer gave Marathon consistent, incremental growth beyond paid and utilised the CRM channel when launching a Marathon x Jeep partnership!
With this clarity, the path to scale was clear.
This wasn’t media arbitrage. It was system design. GS IQ revealed where spend was misaligned with margin and long-term value, and we reallocated every dollar toward scalable, profitable segments
How successful DTC Brands Actually Want to Work
Marathon needed more than tactical execution—they needed senior-level partnership. Growth Shop structured the engagement accordingly.
“We made sure Marty and the Marathon team had direct access to GS leadership. Rob, our COO, would take calls at 9PM on Fridays—whatever they needed,” explains Logan Elliot, Senior Account Manager. “That availability built the foundation that now allows us to focus on growth initiatives.”
Growth Shop’s model gives Marathon access to elite operators who, beyond executing, drive measurable business outcomes with complete accountability to profit and growth.
While Net Sales grew by 119%, Growth Contribution Margin also grew by 103%, which means Marathon wasn’t just spending more—it was keeping significantly more after costs like media, shipping, and discounts.
119%
Revenue
103%
Contribution Margin
41%
AOV
+56%
Monthly units
Eight Decades of Military Precision
Marathon Watch Company has crafted military-grade Swiss timepieces for over 80 years serving elite forces and watch enthusiasts worldwide.
Despite premium positioning, revenue fluctuated without explanation. Marathon was built for precision but its marketing architecture had no such rigor.
There was no system driving growth and a heritage, luxury brand like that deserved a high-end growth system.
Mission Ready: Scaling a Heritage Brand With Precision
When the official timepiece supplier to U.S. and Canadian militaries needed to rebuild trust in digital marketing, Growth Shop’s innovative approach delivered 119% revenue growth and transformed skepticism into partnership.
“Growth Shop didn’t just optimize our accounts. They transformed our entire approach to digital marketing. The level of transparency and the results speak for themselves.”
Martin Cohen
Vice President at Marathon Watch
With the Root Cause Uncovered, We Rebuilt for Growth
We rebuilt Marathon’s growth engine using Growth Shop’s three-layer operating model:
GS IQ Diagnostic → Contribution Margin Model → Multi-Channel Revenue Activation.
We began by wiping Google and Meta clean—replacing outdated, cluttered ad structures with a contribution-margin-aligned campaign architecture built for scale. Beneath the surface, key systems weren’t working: Google tracking was broken, Shopify signals weren’t syncing, and reporting lacked clarity. We rebuilt the full data pipeline and launched Pulse dashboards to surface real-time unit economics.
Meta campaigns were also burning out high-frequency audiences. We introduced suppression rules and rebuilt segmentation to restore efficiency. We launched retention-specific offers and rebuilt nurture flows based on price sensitivity and purchase behavior.
“We weren’t trying to grow Meta. We were trying to grow Marathon’s business—profitably, across every channel.”
—Logan Elliott, Account Lead, Growth Shop
We deployed our proprietary tech, GS IQ to map Marathon’s full customer and revenue engine. The analysis surfaced four key growth barriers:
GS IQ Root Cause Analysis:
Structural Weakness, Not Just Channel Gaps
Margin Misallocation
Paid media was overweighted toward SKUs with low repurchase rates and weaker contribution margins—suppressing total profit and scale.
Signal Loss
Google conversion tracking was broken. Shopify signals were not routed correctly. Decision-making was based on inaccurate data.
Minimal Retention Engine
CRM infrastructure lacked segmentation. No automated revenue.
Audience Fatigue
Meta targeting recycled high-frequency audiences with no suppression logic, burning through top-funnel efficiency.
The issue was a systemic inefficiency across the entire growth stack.
Precision Scaling Through Multi-Channel Profit Alignment
With the right foundation and strategy in place, we turned our focus to scale—without sacrificing efficiency.
Meta performance scaled dramatically, with spend increasing 20x while ROAS held steady at ~1.0—proving scalable efficiency. Despite the surge in spend, CPA remained flat, driven by tighter SKU targeting and creative mapped directly to margin insights via GS IQ.
CRM became a structured revenue engine through sequenced flows and reactivation offers tied to purchase behavior. This retention layer gave Marathon consistent, incremental growth beyond paid and utilised the CRM channel when launching a Marathon x Jeep partnership!
With this clarity, the path to scale was clear.
This wasn’t media arbitrage. It was system design. GS IQ revealed where spend was misaligned with margin and long-term value, and we reallocated every dollar toward scalable, profitable segments
How successful DTC Brands Actually Want to Work
Marathon needed more than tactical execution—they needed senior-level partnership. Growth Shop structured the engagement accordingly.
“We made sure Marty and the Marathon team had direct access to GS leadership. Rob, our COO, would take calls at 9PM on Fridays—whatever they needed,” explains Logan Elliot, Senior Account Manager. “That availability built the foundation that now allows us to focus on growth initiatives.”
Growth Shop’s model gives Marathon access to elite operators who, beyond executing, drive measurable business outcomes with complete accountability to profit and growth.
While Net Sales grew by 119%, Growth Contribution Margin also grew by 103%, which means Marathon wasn’t just spending more—it was keeping significantly more after costs like media, shipping, and discounts.
119%
Revenue
103%
Contribution Margin
41%
AOV
+56%
Monthly units
Eight Decades of Military Precision
Marathon Watch Company has crafted military-grade Swiss timepieces for over 80 years serving elite forces and watch enthusiasts worldwide.
Despite premium positioning, revenue fluctuated without explanation. Marathon was built for precision but its marketing architecture had no such rigor.
There was no system driving growth and a heritage, luxury brand like that deserved a high-end growth system.
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With the right strategy and execution, VBB proved that sustainable growth is never out of reach.
With the right strategy and execution, VBB proved that sustainable growth is never out of reach.
With the right strategy and execution, VBB proved that sustainable growth is never out of reach.
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