Clearly a win: America’s Best sharpens its focus with Microsoft ads

Known for its accessible pricing and scroll-stopping promotions, America’s Best is a flagship brand of National Vision, Inc. (NVI). Since its inception in 1978, America’s Best has incrementally expanded across 31 U.S. states, opening its 1,000th store in Philadelphia in 2024.

Paired with a brand overhaul in summer 2025, the name of the marketing game for America’s Best is converting web users into eye exam signups.

In a dilemma that marketers everywhere can relate to, America’s Best needed to grow its audience while maneuvering in an increasingly complex digital environment.

The key objective for this campaign was to create awareness of America’s Best at the top of the funnel for consumers who may not know the brand.

America’s Best turned to Rise, a Quad agency, once again to test AI-automated solutions on Microsoft properties. In its previous 2023-’24 campaign, Rise used Microsoft’s Performance Max (PMax) for lower-funnel tactics to increase eye exam signups and reduce CPA. Thanks to the success of that campaign, Rise recommended exploring higher-funnel search and static image native ad placements with Audience ads in 2025.

The ecosystem of Microsoft’s properties and partner sites (such as Bing, MSN, Outlook and Yahoo) provides an attractive canvas to experiment with while reaching more niche audiences. Since the Microsoft properties had already shown promise with the conversion-focused PMax campaign, the team was ready to build out the rest of the funnel with Audience ads.

As a solid evergreen tactic, PMax now represents 25% of the 2025 budget, delivering nearly a third of overall conversions. The confidence in that campaign, paired with Rise’s extensive partnership with Microsoft, allowed America’s Best to reach a wider audience by experimenting with Audience ads, utilizing America’s Best new “Every Eye Deserves Better” brand creative, with its high-energy red, white and blue graphics and fresh-faced imagery.

The strategic pairing of these new ads along with tailored personalization using PMax to maximize conversions and Audience ads to target audiences proved a powerful mix that customized engagements, drove 40% of total site traffic, nearly doubled impressions and significantly increased click-through.