David Herrmann’s Post

We found 8 Shopify brands that are absolutely crushing it with UGC 💪 and wrote up what you can learn about them. These brands effectively leverage UGC to showcase authentic customer experiences, boosting engagement and credibility. The article packed with actionable insights for DTC brands looking to level up their UGC strategies and connect with their audience. #ugc #ecommerce #customercontent

Have you considered the impact of beauty brands like Maybelline venturing into TikTok Shop? Their move to connect with customers through daily live shopping on TikTok shows a strategic alignment with Gen Z's search trends and content preferences. - TikTok's rise as a primary search engine for Gen Z raises questions about the future of brand engagement and customer loyalty. - Collaborations with eCommerce enablers like Momentum Commerce and technology tools like Kaibo and Sellercraft point to a deeper integration of AI and analytics in live commerce strategies. - The shift towards video content engagement on TikTok, as highlighted by Emplifi, challenges traditional marketing platforms like Instagram. How do you feel about this evolving landscape of online shopping and brand interaction? Share your thoughts on this blend of beauty, technology, and social commerce. https://lnkd.in/gn2dVkGf

Interesting article covering topics of Retail Media, closed loop attribution, brand investment impact, avoiding cheap reach, brand-formance, and possibly another new term to add to our lingo talk stack with "Mobility Media" Article Highlights:  Uber Ads’ New York-based boss Michael Akkerman says Australia – one of the fastest growing markets outside of North America – will be the test bed for its latest moves. Put a performance element on a brand ad – and a percentage of people will immediately go and buy, says Akkerman, blurring the line between brand and demand that he suggests is a false marketing construct anyway. “As a consumer … I don't just specifically think, ‘Oh, I'm engaging with this brand just to understand their brand colours and that they exist and I'm aware of it’,” but then consciously move to specific performance channels when they want to buy, he says. “So while as marketers we have segmented [brand and demand] because we see them as very different skill sets, we're talking to the same consumer, and we're trying to drive the same action. The whole point of brand advertising is to create brand awareness and intent to buy; performance is the execution on that intent. So in theory, those two should be much closer together,” says Akkerman. He’s touting retail media meets “mobility media” and a collapsed funnel “brand-formance” model – brand and performance marketing in a single execution. A younger, richer set exposed to an Uber Ride brand ad is driving hard sales via Uber Eats with delivery and verified "closed loop” attribution. Akkerman was in Sydney last week wooing “hundreds” of agency execs and rattling off big numbers. Coke’s gamified ads in the ride business got a tonne of new customers and orders via Eats. Absolut Vodka got a 28 per cent sales increase, HSBC likewise a major uplift – and they are coming back for more.
 We are a logged-in, authenticated user that has put their credit card on this system … so when somebody gets in the back of that Uber, we know who they are, not just a digital representation [of them] but who they are – and we can personalise an experience for them and what they want to see in the real world ... [and we are] fraud free – bots don’t hail cars. Interesting stat: Per Akkerman, teenagers in the US are no longer in a rush to get driver's licences. "The rate of 16 year olds going for their license has dropped by half and the rate of 17 year olds going for their license specifically in the US has dropped by a third ... I think this is a trend you are seeing globally," he says. #retailmedia #marketing #uber

Brands spend 2X in PMAX what they do in ASC. The data shows this is a bad decision. Here's why 👇 Of the ad platforms’ automated campaigns, Performance Max is by far the most popular. On average, brands spend 21% in PMAX, while ASC/Advantage+ is just 10% of budget.    Our latest report data revealed an interesting trend – brands with large annual revenues ($60m-1bn+) who generate the majority of sales through physical stores, have 46% share of wallet in PMAX on average.    Why? Is PMAX good? Short answer is not compared to ASC - you can see data in the chart below showing the relative performance of both types.    This is clear evidence of the HUGE opportunity Meta holds for generating superior returns. So why is PMAX still a top choice for these brands?   There’s no clear-cut answer, but a likely combination of factors:    👉 Brands with huge revenues already have strong brand awareness – the logic is to capture this demand through click-based channels (whether or not this is supported by data)   👉 Last Click is better at capturing the impact of click-based channels ( which PMAX largely is) than impressions-led channels (which Meta largely is). We’ve found that GA is roughly accurate for PMAX measurement, while Meta is undervalued by 5.8X. When looking at GA, naturally brands will spend where they see impact.    👉 Ad platform attribution can seriously vary across the funnel. Meta over-values Conversion activity by 14% on average, while Awareness activity is under-valued by 687%. Inconsistency makes it hard to justify scaling up.    With proper measurement, brands can understand where the growth opportunities actually lie.    For more of these insights, download our report here: https://lnkd.in/ePdBsXTm 

Brands spend 2X in PMAX what they do in ASC. 😳 The data shows this is a bad decision. Here's why 👇 Of the ad platforms’ automated campaigns, Performance Max is by far the most popular. On average, brands spend 21% in PMAX, while ASC/Advantage+ is just 10% of budget. Our latest report data revealed an interesting trend – brands with large annual revenues ($60m-1bn+) who generate the majority of sales through physical stores, have 46% share of wallet in PMAX on average. Why? Is PMAX good? Short answer is not compared to ASC - you can see data in the chart below showing the relative performance of both types. This is clear evidence of the HUGE opportunity Meta holds for generating superior returns. So why is PMAX still a top choice for these brands? There’s no clear-cut answer, but a likely combination of factors: 👉 Brands with huge revenues already have strong brand awareness – the logic is to capture this demand through click-based channels (whether or not this is supported by data) 👉 Last Click is better at capturing the impact of click-based channels ( which PMAX largely is) than impressions-led channels (which Meta largely is). We’ve found that GA is roughly accurate for PMAX measurement, while Meta is undervalued by 5.8X. When looking at GA, naturally brands will spend where they see impact. 👉 Ad platform attribution can seriously vary across the funnel. Meta over-values Conversion activity by 14% on average, while Awareness activity is under-valued by 687%. Inconsistency makes it hard to justify scaling up. With proper measurement, brands can understand where the growth opportunities actually lie. For more of these insights, download our report here: https://lnkd.in/ePdBsXTm

Timex is going to sell 50% fewer of these watches with an ad strategy like this. Here's what I'd do instead. "Precision timekeeping to a͟n͟y͟ ͟j͟o͟u͟r͟n͟e͟y͟." Ads that aren't speaking to somebody are singing into the wind. So in this case, any journey is really no journey at all. The problem is magnified when you consider this is likely the case across all of their ads. :( Brands that rely on the eye candy of their product alone are missing an opportunity to dial up ad performance. It's hard to blame them though. With all of the ad volume DTC brands face, they are lucky just to get the right photo and video assets in place. But the bar today is just higher than that. When you don't know top customer segments per product, you don't know who you should speak to. When leaning into a product-only focus for your ads, do not forget: • Write for a specific audience • Add audience-specific visual context • Prioritize product features per audience • Avoid being average clever for the sake of it ie "timekeeping takes flight" And these types of tweaks will not break the bank. On the contrary, they bring the cheddar! Follow me Yates Jarvis for more insights on DTC ecommerce.

“Crafting Engaging Consumer Promotions that Click with Gen Z“ In this Retail TouchPoints article, our President and GM, Josh Ginsberg, dives deep into the strategies behind capturing Gen Z’s attention and building genuine engagement through interactive and meaningful promotions. He explores what makes this generation unique, how they connect with brands, and the importance of authentic, value-driven experiences that go beyond traditional advertising. Read the article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gjduJnfM #RetailTouchPoints #genz #consumerpromotions #marketing #shoppermarketing #retailmarketing #retail #shoppers #consumers #brands #brandmarketing

NEW: TikTok has turned many DTC brands into household names—and, in a twist, helped some, like August, expand into major retailers like Target. -August scaled into a multimillion-dollar period care brand through organic TikTok content. Even B2b company ClickUp tapped into unexpected audiences. Both relied on TikTok’s discovery engine and TikTok Shop to fuel sales and awareness. -Organic social content and TikTok Shop have been a major revenue driver, with 155,990 brands launching storefronts in 2024 and generating $7.32 billion in GMV. With that gone, DTC brands are staring down a precarious near future. For ADWEEK

✨Running A DTC Brand ? ✨Paying For Ads? 🧠 5 Ad Metrics Every Business Should Track (If You Want to Win Big in 2025) 📚1. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): -Why It's Crucial: Profitability is the foundation of any successful campaign. ROAS directly measures if your ads generate more revenue than they cost. -How to Use It: If your ROAS is too low, break down performance by campaign type (prospecting vs. retargeting) to identify inefficiencies and optimize. 📚2. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) -Why It's Crucial: CAC tells you how much it costs to turn a prospect into a paying customer. If CAC gets too high relative to your LTV, your margins and scaling potential shrink. -How to Use It: Track CAC by campaign and compare it to your LTV to ensure you're acquiring customers profitably and sustainably. 📚3. CTR (Click-Through Rate) -Why It's Crucial: CTR is a measure of how compelling your ad creative and message are. A low CTR = poor engagement, and you’re paying for impressions without action. -How to Use It: Test new hooks, visuals, and offers. A slight CTR improvement can drastically lower your costs across the board. 📚4. LTV (Lifetime Value) -Why It's Crucial: LTV predicts the total revenue a customer will bring to your business over their lifecycle. It’s the key to understanding how much you can afford to spend on CAC while remaining profitable. -How to Use It: Increase LTV by implementing loyalty programs, subscription models, or regular retargeting campaigns to drive repeat purchases. 📚5. CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) -Why It's Crucial: CPM measures how much you're paying just to get eyeballs on your ad. High CPMs can erode profitability, especially in competitive niches. -How to Use It: Adjust targeting, improve your ad’s relevance score, or test less competitive channels like TikTok or Pinterest to lower CPM.

How to get ahead of 99% Ecom brands (in 2024) 1/ Don't make ads, make TikToks... Attention spans are shorter than ever. Find viral angles/hooks from TikTok & recreate them as video ads. Quick cuts where each scene "sells" the next one. Expand winning angles with new hooks. "Stress test" winners if they are truly scalable. Systemize the whole process, iterate & improve. 2/ Your LTV is your moat... a) The quicker people come back & buy... b) The more often people come back & buy... c) The more people spend when they come back & buy... The deeper & broader your moat will become. That's why you need to identify these 3 paths & optimize for peak efficiency. 3/ Profitability at acquisition, and at scale... Often easier said than done but this is the promised land. Play with these levers to increase your chances of hitting that NC CAC: 1) Test advertorials/Quizes/VSLs 2) Test pricing, special bundles & offer structures 3) Testing new ad platforms & objectives 4/ You must look reputable & competitive everywhere... Don't expect your customers to be stupid... Cause they aren't. They see your IG ad? -> They check your socials Rarely posting, low engagement? -> Red flag, poof you just lost a customer They see your Search/Shopping ad? -> They search on Amazon Better pricing than DTC? -> They buy on Amazon, best case scenario from you (you still don't get their data). Worst case, from your closest competitor. 5/ The thiccer the AOV, the smoother the sailing... Add Rebuy's Free Shipping threshold feature to incentivize more revenue per visit. Add post-purchase upsells with special offers. Add digital downloads, these are Free money. On one hand, it increases AOV... on the other hand, it further increases trust since it's another touchpoint with your brand & its USPs. 6/ Know thy numbers... A broken record at this point, but you need a North Star (especially when running ads from more than 1 platform). Nobody cares about ad account ROAS anymore. Calculate SKU-specific LTVs & NC CACs. Scale SKUs with their own KPIs. That's how you unlock actual profitability. 7/ Know thy customer journey... Again, use Third-party tracking to understand first-click attribution & which platform deserves the sale. Small mistakes accumulate & become HUGE mistakes over time. So get a tracker even if it costs a bit... You will lose waaay less in the long run. I've used them all but Triple Whale is still the best option for this Currently using Wicked Reports for a client, and the 24-hour delay is brutal. That's all folks! Looking to make life-changing money in Q4 2024? Let's dial in your paid efforts together, shoot me a DM