How Google Performance Max for Grants Put The Rosenbach On the Map (Literally!)

Nestled in Philadelphia’s historic Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, The Rosenbach Museum & Library is home to nearly 400,000 rare books, manuscripts, and fine and decorative arts objects that inspire programs and exhibitions that engage audiences around the corner and across the globe. And yet, some still call it “the best-kept secret in Philadelphia.” 

The Rosenbach partnered with CI with a goal of changing that. We suggested a digital strategy designed to invite new audiences to explore its galleries and sign up for courses and programs. In addition to paid Meta advertising, we helped the Rosenbach apply for and receive a Google for Nonprofits Ad Grant. Despite a few rules and limitations, Grant accounts provide free (yes, free) advertising money from Google. Plus: they allow nonprofits to gain valuable insight on high-value search keywords and audiences’ search queries that can inform future strategy optimizations across platforms. 

In a major metro region like Philadelphia, filled with some of the best arts and culture institutions in the country, competition in the search landscape for arts-related keywords is tough, especially for smaller organizations.The Rosenbach’s new Google Grant achieved early wins by increasing traffic to the website and driving purchases, but we knew it could deliver more. 

Enter Google Performance Max for Grants. In January 2025, Google rolled out a limited version of its highly-touted, multi-channel, AI-driven campaign option known as PMax. Adding PMax to The Rosenbach’s Grant quickly helped the account spend even more of its free ad money, putting the museum at the top of local and regional Google search results, and literally putting them on the map as a featured location on Google Maps.

REROUTING WITH AUDIENCE SIGNALS

The Rosenbach offers fascinating, unique programs and the team knew there must be an untapped audience. This is where PMax campaigns’ unique, AI-driven approach created opportunity. Unlike search campaigns that reach audiences through bidding on keywords, PMax utilizes “audience signals,” or custom audience suggestions that guide machine learning models in optimizing your campaigns. After just a few weeks of PMax machine learning, more Philadelphians searching for book clubs, historic house tours, and authors like Jane Austen and James Joyce discovered the Rosenbach in their search results–and clicked to learn more. 

CHARTING A NEW COURSE FOR ENGAGEMENT 

While digital campaigns and audience targeting set the coordinates, they don’t get you to your destination on their own. As a best practice, ad campaigns should include compelling storytelling content designed to reach audiences at every stage of the marketing funnel. In other words, help your audiences find the best route by remembering that Creative is the New Targeting.   

This powerful combination of signals and storytelling drove transformative results in under a year. Courses began selling out in record time. The Rosenbach welcomed more new audiences to its exhibits and programs. Secret’s out: The Rosenbach is more than a hidden gem—it’s a landmark on Philadelphia’s cultural map.

READY TO GET ON THE MAP?

Let’s talk about how your digital strategy can be refreshed to improve campaign performance across the board!