📦 - Start Now, Not Later

DTC 549 - Chamberlain Coffee and 818 Collab, Cinco de Mayo Ad Tips, and Rest Mode Thursday, May 2, 2024 Good morning, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has created a federal AI safety panel with CEOs from the world’s largest companies, which includes Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. This could lead to new regulations or guidelines for using AI across different industries. For marketers who use AI campaigns, this is something to watch. Check out our News section for the full piece. 👇 Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - Why the Chamberlain Coffee and 818 Tequila collab is a recipe for success. 🍸 - Tips for creating your Cinco de Mayo Meta Ads campaign. 🎉 - And…a reminder that rest is part of the process of working, not a reward. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Red Mountain Weight Loss, Bathroom Werx, and Finastra. 👋 GROWTH LEVERS 🥕 HelloFresh Leveraged Customer Feedback to Increase Their Average Order Value by 30% Your customers are talking, are you listening? 👂 Are you hearing their concerns, leveraging the data, and pivoting to maximize results? HelloFresh got a handle on feedback analysis with [Chattermill — the AI-powered customer feedback analysis platform built for DTC brands](. With Chattermill, [surface precise, accurate insights from your customer feedback data](, so you can: - Analyze NPS, CSAT, and customer surveys to quickly discover what drives negative and positive sentiment. - Compare feedback from first-time and loyal customers to understand the real drivers of loyalty. - Identify patterns in cancellation surveys and customer support tickets to establish the real reasons behind cancellations. HelloFresh increased their AOV, increased average number of orders per customer, and drastically reduced packaging related cancellations. What insights will you uncover? 🕵️📊 [See How Chattermill Works for DTC Brands]( *Sponsored BRAND COLLAB ☕ Chamberlain Coffee Partners With 818 on Espresso Martini Kit Recently, one of the buzziest collabs in the DTC space was this partnership between [Chamberlain Coffee]( and [818 Tequila](. Both brands are backed by well-known names: Emma Chamberlain (everyone’s favorite relatable YouTuber) and model Kendall Jenner. Here’s why this collab just makes sense: Both brands have huge followings, especially on social media, but collaborating on a kit together creates that extra buzz and makes the bundle feel more special. They also zeroed in on a product trending hard for the past couple of years and still gaining momentum—espresso martinis. 🍸 Searches for the popular drink are [up 26% YoY,]( and the combination of coffee, alcohol, and sugar is the perfect cocktail for those who like to work hard and play hard. [Chamberlain Coffee and 818 Tequila’s espresso martini kit] [The limited edition espresso martini kit]( includes: - Chamberlain Coffee’s new candied pecan cold brew - An aesthetic martini glass - A dark green shaker - A sticker sheet featuring both brands Why this is a recipe for success: - Audience reach: Chamberlain Coffee gets access to a slightly older audience with more refined taste in cocktails. 818 gets exposure to Chamberlain’s younger following, who are on the cusp of being legal drinkers and are more willing to try a recipe recommended by one of their favorite YouTubers. - Accessible: The ‘Emma and Kendall espresso martini’ recipe is simple and only requires four ingredients, making the DIY recipe super easy to recreate for beginners. - UGC worthy: The unique and eye-catching squiggle stem martini glass makes it easier to cultivate user generated content of customers enjoying a taste of their espresso martini, which they can both later repost to promote the collaboration even further. ⭐ Both brands also promoted the collab heavily on social media and their respective websites, taking over the homepage banner with a picture of the famous pair and the limited edition kit. The response? The espresso martini bundle quickly sold out after launching on the Chamberlain Coffee website, but it looks like it will return due to popular demand. Fans can subscribe to notifications when the item is back in stock. META ADS 🎊 Cinco de Mayo Campaign Tips It’s important to refresh your paid Meta ads and combat creative fatigue. Cinco de Mayo can be a great time to run a promotion or refresh your evergreen content with more of a celebratory flair. If you want to try switching things up in May but find your product isn’t a good match for Mother’s Day creative, you can try leaning into Cinco de Mayo instead. Here’s some suggestions: - Add a splash of color: Iterate on top ad creatives and add colors like white, red, and green to go with the Cinco de Mayo theme. - Good timing: Get ads live a few days before the holiday to build some traction and scale. - Add emojis if applicable. Take your high-performing evergreen content and add some Cinco de Mayo related emojis for a festive touch! 🪅 - Simple scales are enough. Don’t overcomplicate the creative. Adding text that says Cinco de Mayo gets your message across well enough. - Seeing a rise in sales? If your creative boosts strong numbers, run it until the end of the month so people can celebrate long past the date. Consistently iterating and refreshing your Meta ads throughout the year can boost engagement and sales. Talk to the [Pilothouse team]( about how to bring your ad ideas to life. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Remember not to push too hard and burn out. Make rest part of your process so you can stay energized! Can't view the image? [Click here]( 📰 NEWS - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security [established an AI safety board made up of tech CEOs](. - Google Ads [will pause low-activity keywords with zero impressions in 13 months starting in June](. - Amazon’s Q1 ad revenue [has grown 24% and reached 11.8 billion thanks to AI tools and Prime Video ads](. - TikTok [reports more than 500,000 U.S. merchants were selling on TikTok Shops at the end of 2023](. 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? - 🛒 [AKNF 399:]( Mastering Meta Shops and Ad Instability - 🌎 Pela Case’s CEO Matt Bertulli [on Sustainable Consumer Goods]( - 🧑 [AKNF 397](: Using Data to Understand Your Authentic Audience - 👟 How Kizik [Revolutionized The Footwear Industry]( - 💸 [AKNF 395](: Navigating The New Amazon Fee-Scape - 🌱 Epic Gardening’s [Strategic Leap from Content to Commerce]( 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](. 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](