📦 - Are You Anti-Valentine’s Day?

Want Better Conversions?, Sol de Janeiro Wolf Spiders, Anti-Valentines Day Hooks Thursday, January 11, 2024 Good morning. If you are seeing an uptick in celebrity endorsement ads, it turns out they might not be…real? An account pretending to be cookware brand Le Creuset recently used a deepfake of Taylor Swift to run an online giveaway. ❗A reminder that you can’t use a celebrity’s likeness in an ad without their consent. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - How a viral review about Sol de Janeiro’s body butter attracting wolf spiders impacted SERPs - Anti-Valentine’s Day content ideas to steal for your next campaign. - And…why you should focus less on copying your competitors and focus more on what makes you stand out. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Bobi Health, Rosa Brothers, and Slick Inbox 👋 This newsletter is brought to you… IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WARPDRIVE X PILOTHOUSE 🤫 Want (On Average) 35% Better On Page Conversions? We thought so. 🤝 But first, you should know: CRO is an art and a science. If you: (1) don’t have time to be both an artist and a scientist, and (2) have slow load speeds, are frustrated by theme restrictions, or don't know what to test, meet [Warpdrive — Pilothouse’s hands-off, easy to test Shopify CRO tech](. Warpdrive turns conversion testing mystery into magic. 🪄 👀 You can expect: - Faster page speeds to increase conversions - Done-for-you pre-optimized pages for optimal performance - Real split test results against your current (and unaffected) Shopify store - To be able to test a better converting and better optimized version of your PDP, collections, or entire store in as little as 48 hours - Battle tested bundles, cart sliders, and conversion hacks that send brands soaring If you’ve got lofty goals this year, do yourself a favor and get started on the right foot. 📈 [Connect With The Team Today]( 📰 NEWS - Google is [delaying third-party cookie phase-out]( for some companies until December. - TikTok partners with [Cross Channel and Lift measurement experts]( to improve ad performance tracking. - Tropicana’s marketing campaign promotes its artificial ingredient-free product with ['Tropcn' limited edition bottles](. - A growing number of online ads are [using AI to create fake celebrity endorsements](. - Getty Images and Nvidia partner up to [create generative AI stock photos](. WHAT’S TRENDING 🕷️ Sol De Janeiro’s Wolf Spider Controversy Explained Last month one eye-brow raising Sephora review about [Sol de Janeiro’s]( Delicia Drench Body Butter perpetuated a myth that quickly went viral. 📈 The backstory A Sephora reviewer claimed that the body product attracted wolf spiders which was later reposted on Reddit. 🕷️ [The Sephora review about Sol De Janeiro’s body butter] This led everyone on the internet to Google ‘wolf spiders’ (don’t by the way, they are TERRIFYING), conduct [their own spider experiments]( on TikTok, and even some chemists to weigh in on these bizarre claims for news write ups. The result? Searches for the brand spiked in the past few weeks and spider queries took over SERPs. The question ‘Does Sol De Janeiro attract spiders?’ even wound up in Google’s People Also Ask section demonstrating how widespread this theory had become online. A few days later Sol de Janeiro posted this humorous response on their Instagram Stories: "We didn't think we would wrap 2023 becoming an urban legend but all of our products, including our new Delícia Drench Body Butter and Cheirosa 59 Perfume Mist are free from farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate. So while they may attract a lot of attention from people they won't from arachnids." The takeaway? Reviews can go viral in an instant and shows how quickly a customer perception about a brand can change. For brands, keeping a close eye on your online reviews is a must especially when someone makes a false claim that can negatively impact your bottom line. Sol de Janeiro’s swift response shows how social media is a great tool to debunk wild theories quickly so it doesn’t damage your brand reputation. The brand also capitalized on this attention by emphasizing that their product only attracts people, not spiders. Well-played. V DAY TIPS Anti-Valentine’s Day Content Ideas While brands are putting together their Valentine’s Day creatives, don’t forget to think about all the single people who might not want to see V day content. The [Pilothouse]( content team suggests if Valentine’s Day doesn’t work well for your brand or niche, consider what other angles you can leverage during this high-intent purchasing period. Can you spin your campaign into a ‘treat yourself’ moment or anti V Day angle instead? Here are some anti-Valentine’s Day content ideas you can use for your next email campaign: - For those who don’t have a Valentine… 💅 - “Who needs a Valentine? Treat yourself instead! Skip awkward dates and pamper yourself with our goodies!” - For those who want to break up with traditional Valentine’s day gifts 🌹 - “Ditch the roses and chocolates! Get unique gifts you will actually love.” - For those who are anti-love but pro-savings 💰 - “Love in the air? So are our incredible discounts! Skip the date and save big this Valentine’s!” - For those going through a tough break up 💔 - “Valentine’s Day got you feeling blue? Our deals are here to turn that frown upside down! Who needs heart-shaped chocolates when discounts are smiles in disguise?” - For those celebrating Galentine’s Day (Feb 13th) 👯 - “Friends are the real MVP! Treat your squad to gifts they’ll adore on Galentine’s Day!” - For those participating in Singles Awareness Day (Feb 15th) 🥇 - “Join the Singles Awareness Day celebration! We got amazing deals just for you.” Not only do these messages make you stand out from the traditional Valentine’s Day messaging but it’s also relatable content for those who find the holiday overrated or want to celebrate being single instead. 🍾 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Rather than trying to replicate what others are doing, think about how to position your brand so it stands out. Can't view the image? [Click here]( 👀 BANTER Or when you try to turn it into a PDF. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 😎 Nick Shackelford’s CBD brand [BREZes Hits $1 Million in 8 Months]( - 📝 [AKNF 367:]( Steal our Google Ads Promo Bible! - 📦 [Unboxing the Supply Chain]( with Ingredient Brothers’ Eran Mizrahi - 📧 [AKNF 365:]( Jogo Talks About Critical Gmail Changes for 2024 - 💵 Tiny Founder Andrew Wilkinson [Hero’s Journey From Barista to Empire Builder]( 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]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](