Recruiting DCO practitioners for a B2B digital advertising study

CleverX partnered with the client to recruit professionals for a B2B study focused on digital advertising and personalization. The research required participants with direct, hands-on experience using dynamic creative optimization tools for video campaigns. The project moved quickly from commissioning to fieldwork and demanded rapid iteration on screening criteria, sustained outreach, and close coordination to adapt to evolving requirements.

The project involved several recruitment constraints:

• Highly niche expertise: Participants needed active, hands-on experience with DCO tools and video personalization, significantly narrowing the eligible pool.
• Accelerated timeline: Immediate kickoff and fast ramp-up were required, with frequent updates throughout fieldwork.
• Evolving screening criteria: Clarifications around tool usage and video-specific experience emerged mid-project, requiring screener refinements.
• Low incidence risk: Many respondents screened out due to strategic-only roles, limited tool exposure, or non-video experience, with occasional last-minute fallouts.

CleverX worked closely with the client to maintain quality and momentum throughout recruitment:

• Screener refinement: Updated screening questions and implemented phone validation to confirm genuine, hands-on DCO experience.
• Scaled outreach: Screened a high volume of candidates while maintaining strict quality thresholds under time pressure.
• Incentive optimization: Adjusted incentives to counter low incidence and improve engagement from qualified professionals.
• Rapid scheduling: Extended working hours, shared rolling profile updates, and scheduled sessions quickly after approvals.

The project delivered strong outcomes despite early complexity:

• 8 high-quality interviews completed with fully qualified participants.
• Improved recruitment momentum after mid-project refinements.
• Positive feedback on participant relevance and session quality.
• Efficient scheduling and coordination under tight timelines.

Several factors contributed to successful delivery:

• Continuous communication helped surface and address screening issues early.
• Iterative profile review improved participant quality over time.
• Flexibility in incentives and scheduling reduced low-incidence risk.
• End-to-end ownership ensured consistency across recruitment and coordination.