Ethical Jewellery Startup Goes From Bootstrapped to Breakout Brand

Girl wearing ethical jewellery

Background

A Bangalore-based ethical jewellery brand using lab-grown diamonds wanted to scale beyond their niche audience. They were bootstrapped, with limited budgets and in-house marketing.

Challenge

1. Poor ROAS (~1.3x).

2. Limited awareness in Tier 1 cities.

3. Inability to test multiple ad creatives due to budget constraints.

Solution

They hired a fractional CMO and ad team skilled in AI automation tools:

• AI Copy + Visual Automation: Used Jasper and Canva AI to produce 50+ ad variants in 48 hours.

• Creative Testing Framework: Leveraged AI testing platforms to predict top-performers before launch.

• Geo-Targeting via AI: Identified micro-markets with highest propensity to buy using AI heatmaps and local search intent data.

• Budget Optimization AI: Automated budget allocation tools ensured funds flowed to high-performing ads only.

Results

• ROAS: Rose to 4.8x in 45 days.

• CAC: Slashed by 65%.

• Revenue: Doubled within one quarter.

• Brand Recall: Increased via earned media and viral content.

Takeaway

Startups can level the playing field by using AI tools to punch above their weight without bloated budgets.