Derin Oyekan

CPG marketers and founders dominate my feed Some post incredible tips and tricks about how to succeed in this space It’s awesome Two things are usually missing in their tips and tricks: -quality -compliance If you want to learn about LTV, CAC, AOV, other fun acronyms, there are plenty of fish in the sea here If you want to learn about what regulations apply to your business, how to stay compliant AND profitable, all while continuously improving your product or service through quality management… ⬆️ Hit that follow button ⬆️ Turn on notifications ⬆️ Join the revolution Qualitas Executive Group #quality #compliance #manufacturing #qualitymanagement #dietarysupplements #cosmetics #beautyindustry #foodandbeverage #consulting

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Last month, we interviewed ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY customers, and here's what we learned!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Gathering customer feedback is fundamental for CPG brands to find PMF. This is what we do: ONE: We send typeform surveys to our email list. As an incentive, we raffle off a few Amazon gift cards. TWO: Reading product reviews THREE: Reading the cancelation reasons on our subscription app FOUR: And my favorite is hopping on calls with customers. These are some of the questions we ask: - What made you try our brand? This will give you insights into their actual problem and how they think about it. - What's the most frustrating thing you've experienced with our products? Will tell you what to fix. - What do you want more of? Will tell you how to increase retention. - How would you describe our products to a friend? This tells you the language you should use in your ads. What other questions do you ask your customers?

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April numbers just dropped. Who's on fire with influencers in food and bev in 2024? Non-Alcoholic Beverages (US) 🥤 Alani Nu - EMV Up 70% YoY - #5 from #10 in Q4 🥤 Poppi - Up 83% - #6 from #14 🥤 Maryruth's - Up 324% - #13 from #22 Alcohol (US) 🍹 Luc Belaire - Up 198% YoY - #1 from #2 in Q4 🍹 Bumbu Rum - Up 81% - #4 from #14 🍹 Aperol - Up 48% - #7 from #13 🍹 Modelo - Up 50% - #14 from #27 Quick Service Restaurants (US) 🍔 Raising Cane's - Up 89% YoY - #6 from #9 in Q4 🍔 In-N-Out - Up 93% - #8 from #11 🍔 Wingstop - Up 115% - #10 from #14 🍔 Jersey Mikes - Up 156% - #24 from #34 Food (US) 🥗 Ryse - Up 226% YoY - $20M in EMV 🥗 Crumbl Cookies - Up 109% - $25M 🥗 MyProtein - Up 74% - $21M 🥗 Bob's Red Mill - Up 64% - $15M Greats start to the year everyone!

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Cotopaxi has so much potential but needs to evolve to be different from everyone else (Patagonia), and their stores need more experience. Companies get stuck with the "textbook mission" and must innovate but remain authentic. Their sale during BF told me there is something amiss. https://lnkd.in/gAdNX-_q

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ISO: CPG Marketing Advice Without Social Media and VC/Angel Backing Hey everyone! I’m seeing a major decline in engagement for both my personal IG (author life) and my drink’s IG (parentheses). Is anyone else seeing this engagement decline, too? I’m honestly just so burned out on “content creation,” so I’d love to learn more about non-social media marketing strategies that anyone’s using right now. I write a weekly Substack, which I love for my writing career, but I’d love any tips on promoting CPG without social media. Thanks so much! P.S. We’re a super scrappy startup with *no money* to hire PR or consultants. Just looking for peer support here.

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3 in-the-trenches lessons scaling a CPG drink brand 300% (so far). from $47k in June to $167k last 30 days (steal it or AMA) 1. Biz model or bust CPG is one of the hardest niches to scale IMO. We’ve done many over the years and it rides or dies by the biz model. This particular brand was selling a single pack + running ads. Their contribution profit per order was 2% No ad or strategy will fix a broken model No one can scale that profitably. Something has to change So naturally the only thing to do is either sell more per order raise prices bundle In this case we did price increase and then changed th default first order from a 1pack to 2pack. That increased contribution profit 10x to 22%. Now that we scaled. 2. Throw the brand book out the window for ads Having worked with 15 CPG brands I can confidently say in many cases branding guidelines gets in the way more than helps. I know. I know. Sue me. My team is hired to scale brands and make them money. THE MOMENT we were able to say “let’s ease up on the branding just for ads and see what happens” things starting working better + the increase in CM. It worked so well they were 100% cool with making any ad we wanted because they saw it working better. 9/10 when a founder sees it making more money they never go back. lol The less on brand the better. I think everyone should consider keeping branding loose for advertising. It usually works better in my experience. 3. Positioning In CPG land, this is so hard to land. Unless you have a truly uniqueness to the product you’re kinda just in a shouting match with the next CPG brand like yours. In this case, the thing that is working for them is Positioning less on what’s in it Positioning less on branding Positioning more on who it’s for Positioning more on ideal outcome desire i.e. drink with Dandelion root, ginger, chicory, etc vs i.e. This slimming drink took me (a plus size girl) from a 16 to 11. Feeling proud they are up 300% and it’s not ever Black Friday yet. Christmas is coming early!!!

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"one of his seed-round investors didn’t even want to meet before writing a check. ‘No need, I saw your deck. Send me the wiring info.’ And he wired $200,000.”... That was the glory era of hot new CPG brands. When interest rates were low and investors were looking everywhere, anywhere for yield. Today it is much harder. The reliable Facebook Ads + Shopify combo doesn't work nearly as well, the big cos are muscling their way in, and shelf space is harder than ever to get. "For years, the buzz around Me & the Bees lemonade just kept growing. The Austin-based company charmed its way into recent startup lore with the tale of its young founder, Mikaila Ulmer, getting stung by a bee at the tender age of 4 and then deciding to sell family-recipe lemonade with honey in it to bring attention to the issue of plunging honeybee populations. What started as a family project in 2009 made it from a few local youth-entrepreneurship fairs all the way to a deal with Daymond John on Shark Tank in 2015. It was a business fairy tale, with nationwide distribution in the largest grocery chains, international press attention for Ulmer, and a spot in the 2022 Inc. Regionals as the 36th-fastest-growing company in the Southwest. The H-E-B, the large grocery chain missed a purchase order. And another. Then another..." Interesting analysis of the space in an article by Tom Foster this month's Inc Magazine. Link below. P.S. Why didn't Mikaila turn into the superhero Bee-Woman? 😂 #cpg #shopify #brands #marketing #venturecapital #startups

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Food trends are going wild in 2025. And I'm shooting my shot. Whole Foods released a Hot Foods list for 2025. Kroger has a version, the Top Five Food Trends of 2025. Food & Wine, The Kitchn, and Food Navigator also got in on the action. In a digital marketing agency, what shoppers are typing into search is clutch. We live and die - optimize and advertize - according to digital search trends. From my armchair, here's what I see winning in 2025: 1. Protein in the damndest places. Look for protein candy, waters, juices, cupcakes and cakes. 2. Let's get Swicy. Sweet and Spicy is stealing the palate. Everthing from sriracha to spicy lemonades to Hot Swedish Fish. 3. Let's get 'Ready-to-Eat'. Heat and serve options of everything from noodle bowls to dumplings to one pot meals. 4. International's international fame. Meals, snacks, and bev from around the World are white hot, with Asian and Latin leading the way. 5. Microdose of your own medicine. Microdoses of THC, CBD, and mushrooms are showing up in food and bev. 6 Seafood and aquatics are making waves. Plant based superfoods are having their day, but also fresh takes on classics like BELA and Fishwife. 7. Fermentation is intoxicating. The promise of gut health has taken fermented products like kombucha mainstream, but look out for unique options like Gut Nuts by Philosopher Foods. Keep in mind that these trends don't require a massive pivot. Flavors, single SKU's and line extensions can pay the rent. What am I missing. What food & bev trends do you see stealing the show in 2025? ——— 🔹 We drive velocity in Sprouts, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam's, COSTCO, and lots of other retailers. 🔹 We grow brands on Amazon. #cpg #cpggrowth #retailgrowth #retailvelocity #omnichannel #retail #amazonagency #retailmedia #shoppermarketing #instacart #retailtech

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🌱 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 (𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 1 𝐨𝐟 2) 🌱 Since launching HC Brands, I’ve worked with founders in over 20+ categories (post on this at another time) and the category I can’t seem to keep away from is better-for-you beverages. The shift in consumer demand in global beverages (softs & non-alcohol) is undeniable, and the data doesn’t lie. The category has matured to such a degree that we now have benefit (outcome-led) subcategories that are emerging and thriving. Our portfolio strategy is designed to champion brands leading the way in their categories, and we’re incredibly proud to partner with some of the fastest-growing brands from the UK and abroad in the foodservice and out-of-home channels: Our current brand partners and categories include: 🥤 Gut Health: Nexba – 100% natural, sugar-free Kombucha and Kefir Water, No.1 fastest-growing Kombucha brand in UK Grocery. 🥤Ice Tea: BOS Tea – BOS is proudly South African and is disrupting the ice tea market globally with their bright, bold, and infectious brand of Rooibos Tea: an organic, caffeine-free superfood filled with antioxidants. 🥤Vitamin Water: Get More Vits – Your daily dose of Vitamin Drinks, No.1 Vitamin Brand in UK Grocery. Thanks to Petty Wood & Co. Ltd. and all our brand partner founders for the support! We're super excited to grow this portfolio 📈 #EmpoweringChallengerBrands #BetterForYouBeverage

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If you aren’t on this platform and you have a DTC business, I truly think you are missing out. That platform is Recharge. I have built this incredible community sharing my deeply personal journey building this cookie kingdom. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And now, we’ve finally reached a point where many of the things that inspired the painful posts I’ve written, have, one by one, been solved. I’ve always hoped my Linkedin could offer people a sense of hope, but I also hope it can be a source of answers to the very questions that plagued me for so long. So, this is why you, my friends, need Recharge: As with every platform I’ve recommended, what I’m really looking for is 3 things: 1) Value for the price point 2) Ability to be used with a small team 3) Ability to scale Recharge not only checks all of those boxes, but they exceed them at every turn. You probably know them to be the best and largest subscription company in the world, but they are so much more than that. When I was at their brand trip in August, Oisin spoke about the power of rituals, and how they think about ritualizing each and every product on their platform- how to become deeply ingrained to who people are and how they live. It was something that really stuck with me, and working with them has completely shifted the way we’re looking at our business moving forward. If you didn’t know, they also have: - The ability to create segmented, personalized journeys for your subscribers  - Completely customized customer portal  - Incredible post purchase cross sell tool  - Epic Rewards program  - Thoughtful Cancellation prevention (product swaps, free gift, & combined offers) - White glove experience working with their team to craft the most compelling program    This is a team and a company that truly wants their customers to win. If you have a subscription side to your business, or even if you don’t- this is the platform to be on. We are about to launch our program with them this winter, and we could not be more excited. This is going to be a game changer for Toto, and I want nothing more than for it to be a game changer for you too. If you’re thinking about launching a subscription, or are looking for a company that can truly do it all, drop me a comment or send me a message and I’m happy to connect you to their team. Time to crank in 2025! ✨ (P.S. Yes, these are fresh baked Toto cookies straight from our factory that I'm holding in my hand, and yes- they were insanely delicious)

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One great way to encourage people to buy an additional SKU of your product? Release a limited edition that’s too intriguing, on trend, impossible not to try - i.e. Oreo’s with Sour Patch Kids, and lemon chiffon Kit Kats. It’s something food companies have done in the past to either revive their brand, or gain new attention, but it’s incredibly popular right now, as retailers vie for TikTok placements, YouTube reviews and anything to get people talking. I remember launching a Pokemon cereal 20 years ago, when I was at Kellogg’s… thinking it was going to be an “in & out”, but it lasted for years due to popularity of the anime series. And it was a fun cereal. The coolest extensions I’ve seen are in mayonnaise: sriracha mayo, yes. Olive oil mayo, yes. Chipotle mayo, absolutely… Brands are also desperate for shrinking shelf space. NielsenIQ found that over the past 13 years, square footage in supercenters, supermarkets, dollar stores, and drug stores has decreased, creating less space for products and more competition to earn that real estate. Consumers have short attention spans, they want to get in and out, and they tend to use online search to figure out what and where they want to make their purchases. Ecommerce is booming, of course, but it’s harder for a brand to stand out. New flavors provide relevance/news on your products, as long as you have a way to prompt users to search for them. That’s the importance of having an omnnichannel strategy that includes special/in & out products.

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We just supported our 4th Sprouts Innovation Set. Here’s what we’ve learned so far: You can definitely game the game here. Retail media is a great way to earn a permanent spot on the Sprouts shelf. There are a couple of options that work nicely. (Both are through Instacart.) Here are the most important tips: 1. Don’t wait to see how it goes, go HAM from day 1. -> Some of the smaller stores will pull you after only 3 weeks. -> The clock is ticking faster than you think. 2. Set up products on IX-One ASAP. -> You won’t show up on Instacart or Sprouts.com without them. -> Whether using retail media or not, you will need these channels. 3. Press hard on competitor search terms. -> If you’re in the innovation set, you’re probably already outside of the box. -> Target brands with similar customer demographics. 4. Leverage electronic coupons and BOGO’s. -> Figure out how many units you need to drive first. -> Leverage coupons and BOGO’s if you need to hit your goals. 5. Make sure you ask Instacart for free spend early. -> You need all the extra horsepower you can muster. -> $300 is a gimme. Do t leave it in the table. Sprouts is a powerful channel. This system works to keep it. Just don’t half-step it. ——— 🔹 We increase velocity in Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam's, COSTCO, and lots of other cool retailers. 🔹 We grow brands on Amazon. #cpg #cpggrowth #retailgrowth #retailvelocity #omnichannel #retail #amazonagency #retailmedia #shoppermarketing #instacart

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🚨 HOT TAKE: consumer brands should skip every round between Angel and Growth Equity (~$20M+ checks) (Ideally) Brands should start with less than $1M, either founder-funded or a small angel round. The next round should be a growth equity round when the brand breaks the $15M-$20M run rate mark. Remember that VC money is rocket fuel, so you need the rocket first. It's in the brand's best interest to remain small-ish while looking for PMF. Faking growth with VC money is easy but leads to catastrophe. Another consideration is that the size of exits in consumer goods is usually under $1B, and the vast majority are very well under that, so the founders shouldn't dilute themselves that much, especially before they cross the $20M because by then it's highly likely they'll need cash to scale. So, if you have a co-founder and raise 3 rounds, each will end up with about 25% equity. And don't get me started with liquidation preferences on those rounds. Those could leave the founders with $0 after years of work. Also, remember that product iteration on atoms takes much longer than with bits. And lastly, creating a solid brand takes years, no matter how good your product is.

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PSA: To all of the 1800+ early stage founders on our platform: If you want the clearest, fastest, cheapest path to growing your brand, get into the stores and demo. I understand that you are super busy building and running a company, and I get it, that this isn’t scalable once you are big. But an actual founder demoing their OWN product in a store is 100x more powerful than a bib tag, a shelf talker, or retailer training. Shanyi’s Co-founder Elise Popped into Fresh Thyme yesterday and promptly sold the store out of every last unit on their innovation endcap. The store has already reordered and there are 8 more cases on the way. In 2002 I saw Vitamin Water demoed almost every single day at my store in WFM, and product flying off the shelves one store at a time. 5 years later, they sold to Coca Cola for $4.1BN. My recommendation to all of the emerging local coffee/cheese/beer/bakery vendors that I approved into my stores was to follow in those footsteps. The ones that took that advice were MUCH more successful. Remember: The #1 KPI a retail CM is being evaluated on is YoY comp sales. If their comp is below the company average, that is bad for them, and therefore bad for you. If your SKUs are selling 3-5 units per week, it means you are INCREASING their comp compared to some other replacement product on the shelf, and you will stick around. if you get into a few stores every month and blow them out of their inventory while connecting with a few hundred consumers, you will move the needle. Pod Foods #innovation #grassroots #nobadfood Fresh Thyme Market

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UPDATE: Scaling Fast in Stealth Mode The journey continues, and things are really heating up over here. Since my last post, we’ve tripled our paying customer base and officially rolled out our product to a select beta group. The feedback? Stellar. Not only are we saving them time, but we’re also making them look like absolute heroes to their teams. 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️ The word of mouth flywheel is already gaining momentum. Of course, it hasn’t been without its hiccups. We hit a minor fulfillment/launch snag (classic early-stage drama), but we resolved it quickly, and customers were incredibly understanding. Lesson learned, and the team rallied like pros. Speaking of the team, I’ve gotta say—this is the most junior team I’ve ever worked with, but their enthusiasm is off the charts. They’re hungry, eager to contribute, and stepping up in ways that keep surprising me. (Let’s just say, you won’t find this kind of energy on LinkedIn job boards.) 💸 By the numbers: - Funnel performance: 85% of cold outreach prospects have indicated interest, and 71% have converted to paying customers. I mean, are we even doing outbound if we’re not seeing those metrics? - Demand: We’re getting so much traction that we’re close to needing a waitlist for certain products so we don't grow too quickly. Scarcity = 🔑. - Deal size: Average deal size is 40% lower than expected, but with costs running well below projections, it’s not an issue for us. Before taking a cut for ourselves we're over 10x average profit margin across the industry. Efficiency FTW. Big things are happening, and we’re just getting started. This “scrappy little idea” is really shaping up and the team and I are learning a ton along the way. Oh, and if you were hoping for the big reveal—hang tight. For now, just know that it's gonna be suh-weet. #stealthmode #growthhacking #buildinginpublic #earlystage

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Hello, I'm Anthony and I'm looking for a A+ killer Head of Growth for Equip Foods! Here are some wild stats on Equip: 🚀 Mid 8-figures in revenue, bootstrapped, and highly profitable (no VC BS) ✌️Only 2 FTE at the moment (no micromanaging or endless meetings) ❗️Only currently focusing on one marketing channel (affiliate/influencer) 🛍️ Industry best CR, LTV, and subscription #s (clear product market fit) 🥤Real food supplement products that are clean, transparent, and of the highest-quality that people absolutely love (actually doing something important in CPG) Perfect role for anyone who gives a damn about health, wants to get their hands dirty and build out a growth process, have huge amounts of agency and autonomy, and keen to make a dent every day when they show up to work. Here's a link to why we exist: https://lnkd.in/gGb-qCA4 Here's a link to the job description and app: https://lnkd.in/gxwE7xk7 (TIP: DO NOT APPLY IF YOU ARE PLANT-BASED) Please tag anyone you think could be a good fit! (P.S. I've been a tad quiet here. Are you interested in anything else about this business? Should I share more on LinkedIn?)

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In-platform reporting is just a keyhole view of your business. It’s not the whole picture. I recently sat down with Justin Parker from ORIGIN® and Logan Brown from Triple Whale to discuss how DTC brands should be completely rethinking attribution moving into 2025. The key insight? Up to 40% of what shows as 'direct traffic' is actually coming from paid social. Here’s what happened when Origin tested this by pausing ads for 72 hours: - Direct traffic dropped 40% - Organic social fell 35% - Brand searches declined 50% This matters because most brands are killing winning campaigns based on incomplete data. A typical customer journey can look like this: - Sees ad on social - Opens Instagram to research - Checks reviews on Google - Types URL directly - Buys 3 days later Platform attribution: 0  Real impact: 100% The old way of tracking performance through platform-reported ROAS and last-click attribution is fading. Top brands are shifting to a new model focused on: - Total traffic impact - Cross-platform journey tracking - Brand search correlation Why? Well Origin was able to profitably DOUBLE their ad spend after seeing the real impact of their campaigns. They stopped killing winners based on bad attribution data. For DTC brands looking to scale, track these three metrics when scaling ads: - Direct traffic correlation - Brand search volume - Non-attributed sales If these rise with ad spend, your ads are probably working - regardless of what platform metrics show...

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Who is TVG? When I started this journey with Pat and Zach, our vision for TVG was clear: we didn’t just want to market brands—we wanted to scale them into industry leaders. We saw too many brands with incredible products getting stuck in the noise, missing their potential because they didn’t have the right team or strategy behind them. That’s where we knew we could make a difference. At TVG, we’ve found our sweet spot in the health and wellness space, partnering with some of the most exciting names in fitness. But what truly sets us apart is how we approach growth: 💡 Collaboration: We become an extension of your team, not just another agency. 🎨 Creativity: We’re relentless in crafting bold campaigns that capture attention. 📊 Strategy: Everything we do is data-driven, focused on measurable results. In the last year alone, we’ve seen over 300% growth, doubled down on our niche, and built a team that lives and breathes the industries we work with. Our mission: To help brands stand out, scale up, and dominate their space—whether that’s through disruptive campaigns, innovative creative strategies, or the grit to test, learn, and improve every day. If you’re ready to break through the noise and take your brand to the next level, let’s connect. Here’s to more growth, more wins, and redefining what’s possible in 2025. #TVG #HealthAndWellness #D2C #ScalingBrands #CreativeStrategy #MissionDrivenMarketing

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Heading into the 2024 BFCM season, I've talked to dozens of brands, and most are concerned about how the economy will impact sales. High interest rates and inflation are giving everyone pause, especially shoppers. But there is good news. 🛍️ 42% of shoppers plan to shop online during BFCM season.  🎃  48% plan to start by Halloween. Here's the break out on how brands are budgeting for this: 📊 33% plan to spend less 📊 43% plan to spend the same 📊 24% plan to spend more This data is good news. Many, myself included, thought it would be worse with less excitement from shoppers and less spending from brands. This positive consumer and brand outlook is a testament to brands' power to: 💪 Forge deep connections with customers,  💪 Move from discretionary goods to household staples.  💪 Become part of daily routines. Brands are also planning to start their BFCM campaigns early this year. Starting BFCM early has been a consistent trend over the last handful of years, diversifying away from the 4 days after Thanksgiving.   This way, you get sales in the door early and build momentum over weeks, and your campaigns are fully optimized 11/29 through 12/2. You don't have to start early, but you should expect and account for the competition starting early, i.e. traffic and conversion could drops. Here's how you should be approaching this BFCM cycle: 1️⃣ Now through October:  - Set campaign strategy, goals, and budgets. - Build up your email/SMS list and retargeting pools. - Aggressively test creative in preparation - Focus on being top of mind with your audience so when the time comes they say to themselves "I've been thinking about this brand for a while now, might as well take advantage of this sale" 2️⃣ November - Refresh and optimize creative tested in October.  - Ramp prospecting early in the month, then shift budget to more re-marketing/retention/win back audiences during peak craziness. - Don't be afraid to continue running with your high performing "evergreen" creative. (During a sale period, if you're able to successfully qualify someone upfront with evergreen content and get them to click to the site, then they can be surprised and delighted when they get over to the site and see that there's a sale going on) 3️⃣ December - Run last-minute gifting and shipping cut-off ads.  - Urgency and January focused messaging are key - Don't be afraid to ramp things back up from 12/26-12/31. CPMs are typically lower and consumers are surprisingly looking to spend during that time. (they aren't working as much, they didn't get everything they hoped for during the holidays, and they are looking to start the new year off with some new habits) — Make sure you are getting ready now because your competitors are. You want to avoid being caught flat-footed, sitting at full price, when they are running sales. P.S. I have a few more posts coming on this topic. Give me a follow to make sure you catch those in your feed. Happy Q4 everyone!

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