The brief
Lit is a fast-food chain that I’ve run Meta campaigns for since it had two branches (the Meta case study covers that year). In early 2025 we tested Google, with one question: would it send people to the branches, rather than just show the brand to them?
What I did
Smart campaigns built for footfall. Two Smart campaigns ran on Google Search and Maps, one for Lit generally and one for the newer i8 branch in Islamabad. Both counted the actions that matter for a restaurant: requests for directions and calls from the ad.
A small YouTube test alongside. An efficient-reach video campaign ran next to the Smart campaigns as a first test of YouTube for the brand.
Results
The two Smart campaigns produced 656 actions: 585 direction requests, 70 calls and one form submission through the Business Profile. The main campaign came in at Rs33.15 per action with a 19.15% conversion rate. The i8 branch campaign was the standout at Rs15.99 per action, with almost half of all clicks (48.6%) turning into a call or a direction request.
The YouTube campaign delivered 29,239 views at Rs0.64 and 218,407 impressions. It was bought for reach and judged on views; the calls and direction requests came from search and Maps, which is where people decide where to eat.
In short
For a restaurant, a direction request is about as close to a visit as an ad platform can see. Google produced 585 of them, and a branch-level campaign did it for Rs16 each.