📦 - It’s Giving...Feet?

DTC 516 - Pros And Cons Advantage+, Kahlúa’s St. Patrick’s Day Campaign, Paula’s Choice Customer Review, and Burnout Monday, March 18, 2024 Happy Monday, we’ll take 2 tickets to the snoozefest please. 🤣 Good morning, The House is serious about banning TikTok from the U.S. after the majority voted 352 - 65 last week. President Biden is already on board with the idea but the bill will need Senate's approval first. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer says they will review the legislation but did not give a definitive date. If the TikTok ban does happen it will affect over 7M small businesses and 170 million Americans who use the app. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - Why you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one Advantage+ shopping campaign basket. - How Paula’s Choice leveraged this very honest review to generate customer engagement. - Kahlúa’s hilarious St. Patrick’s Day campaign strives to make the espresso martini the new drink of choice. 🍸 - And… how to be successful without burning out. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Kudos, Stinger Solutions, and StockX. 👋 META ADS 🐇 Why You Shouldn’t Rely Only On Advantage+ Advantage+ shopping campaigns are an integral part of Meta's product suite. However, the [Pilothouse team]( recommends that SMBs do not rely solely on Advantage+ shopping campaigns when trying to scale profitability on Meta. While Advantage+ uses advanced machine learning algorithms to connect advertisers with valuable audiences and is easy to set up (compared to traditional manual campaigns), there are a few drawbacks as well. Here are 3 reasons why Advantage+ shopping campaigns might not work for your business: - Implementing Advantage+ requires a history of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data on creatives and targeting. Therefore, it's not suitable for brand-new ad accounts. Pre-deployment testing is essential to ensure optimal performance. - One limitation of Advantage+ is the inability to specify targeting criteria. For instance, if your products cater primarily to women, the platform may still display ads to men, potentially resulting in inefficient ad spend and diminished return on investment (ROI). - Another consideration is the relinquishing of control to the platform with Advantage+. While AI and machine learning offer significant advancements in advertising, a cautious approach is necessary. Unlike humans who operate based on extensive past experiences and limited knowledge, AI possesses broader insights into targeting and customer modeling. However, it can’t comprehend your unique marketing objectives or emotional discernment in decision-making. So while Advantage+ shopping campaigns have powerful capabilities and simplest the set up process, businesses still need to oversee and provide strategic direction for campaigns. The solution? We suggest running Advantage+ campaigns alongside traditional testing and scaling campaigns to help with the overall health and efficiency of your ad account. CREATIVES 🙃 So Many Ads To Create… SO Little Time… There's Facebook ads to make, iterations on winners, landing pages to build, and that creative task that’s been on the to-do list for MONTHS. It’s almost like you’d need to go[Sleepless]( to get it all done… 😅 But WAIT! You don’t have to BE sleepless, you just need to [meet Sleepless](. ⛔😴 Sleepless is a turnkey, full-time, 24/7 team of video editors, animators, and designers trained in making ads that work. You'll get unlimited creative tasks and iterations fueled by new, fresh ad content. Need something done? Send a quick message on the platform of your choice and it will be. While you rest, let [Sleepless take care of the rest](. [Dramatically Increase Your Creative Output]( *Sponsored CUSTOMER FEEDBACK 😆 Paula’s Choice Drives Engagement With A Very Honest Review Who doesn’t love an honest review? 😂 Skincare brand [Paula’s Choice]( highlighted a hilarious five-star review in a recent Instagram post which generated major discussion and laughs in their comment section. [Paula’s Choice Instagram Reel] The review about their new exfoliant reads: Smells like feet but works like magic. 🦶 The smell is bad, like vinegar salad dressing and feet. But my skin has never looked better. The brand used this as an opportunity to connect with their audience but also reaffirm their beliefs in the importance of going fragrance-free. In the caption, the brand explained that they chose not to mask the smell with artificial fragrances and how it’s “a trade-off for getting the benefits of an effective and expertly formulated skincare product.” The response? The post drove lots of social engagement and customers quickly echoed similar opinions in the comment section. While the new exfoliant doesn’t smell the greatest, it does deliver on results! 💯 The takeaway? We love Paula’s Choice’s lighthearted response to customer feedback. The brand does a great job of being transparent with customers and setting expectations. 💡 Have a look at your review section and see if there are any honest gems you can see for your next social post! It’s bound to drive engagement and catch people’s attention. ST. PADDY’S DAY CAMPAIGN 🍸 Kahlúa Wants You To Drink An Espresso Martini Coffee liquor brand [Kahlúa]( takes a cheeky shot at Guinness in their hilarious St. Patrick’s Day ad campaign. Guinness has long been the drink of choice on St. Paddy’s Day but Kahlúa wants consumers to change their consumption habits and opt for something different. Kahlúa’s UK survey claimed some interesting stats: - 30% of people feel obligated to drink beer on St Patrick’s Day (even when they don't want to). - And 60% of Brits would prefer drinking a smooth and creamy espresso martini over a stout. [Kahlúa’s using VOOH marketing to get their cheeky point across] Kahlúa’s campaign popped up around pubs in the U.K. and Ireland with the message ‘St. Patrick’s Day Called, It’s Bored of Stout’ and also created [this funny commercial]( to make a strong push for the new favored drink, an Irish espresso martini. Fans who want to taste the drink can [enter here](. Kahlúa will cover the tab for the winners by Venmoing them afterwards. Why this campaign works: Instead of making this holiday centered around drinking Guinness, the ad’s message emphasizes enjoying your drink of choice. It’s a risky move to go up against a huge brand like Guinness but Kahlúa's push against the conventional norm made it easy to fall in love with their campaign. ⚡ QUICK HITS 🤳 Get quality content at scale without lifting your phone. Immi, Blueland, and Wild One already use this tool to create quality compelling content at scale. [Get your content game up](. * 🧾 Are your accounting tools struggling to catch up with your growth? Ecommerce brands need a fast and simple accounting system that can keep up with your pace. [Get a 30-day free trial here](. * 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Making time for breaks is crucial if you want to be a high performer and bring your A game. Here are some valuable tips to avoid burnout if you’re feeling the pressure. 👇 Can't view the image? [Click here]( 📰 NEWS - [Under Armour shares dropped 12%]( after founder Kevin Plank replaced Stephanie Linnartz as CEO. - Reddit [launches a new ad format called free-form ads]( designed to look like organic posts. - OpenAI [signs a deal with European publishers to highlight the coverage of their current events in ChatGPT](. - Skincare brand Beekman 1820 [uses Shopify’s Market Pro feature to scale into 150+ countries.]( - Garnier [taps TikTok star Charlie D’Amelio to be the face of their new Hair Filler campaign](. SPONSOR DTC 📥 Got a B2B Biz? Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. [Talk to our team to learn more](. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🪑 Dayne Rusch on [Vyper Industrial’s Eight Figure Shop Chair Journey]( - 📹 [AKNF 385:]( Why 3-5 second ads are crushing it on Meta - 💪 Dan Crosby on [BioSteel and Revitalizing a Hydration Empire]( - ✍️ [AKNF 383:]( Meta State of The Union 2024 - 👚 Oren John on [Launching a Premium Niche Fashion Brand]( - 💰 [AKNF 381:]( The Ultimate CRO Framework for Media Buyers Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Frances Du](. Edited by [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Unsubscribe](