📦 - Unbox Summer Sales

DTC 585 - YouTube Ad Trends, Meta Breakdowns, and Out Of The Bag Ad Friday, June 21, 2024 Good morning, Google is asking high-growth advertisers to switch from card payments to automatic payments by July 31st or face account suspension. 😬 The tech giant says switching to automated payments will help brands scale ads more efficiently, but some brands are already expressing concern that this could lead to cash flow issues. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: 🏆 YouTube used AI to analyze 8,000 top performing ads. Here are four winning ad trends for 2024. 💰 How you can use Meta Breakdowns to find low hanging fruit in your ad account. 💡 And…a creative and scrappy ad idea to promote your summer sale. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Harbor Sweets, Fruuurskin, and Stash Rewards. 👋 GROWTH 🚀 This Brand Doubled Their Sales… And Your Brand Can Join Them A service-based brand joined Pilothouse’s brand accelerator, Pilot Program, with one goal in mind: [scale](. 🚀 The team took over their campaigns, revamped their creative approach, and saw results better than anyone could have expected… 💥 Their sales doubled and their AOV increased by over $30! This isn’t a one-off success story. The team has [opened up limited spaces for Pilot Program]( to help your brand achieve results like these. If you want to scale to new heights, get in touch with the partnerships team today. 🚨 [Kickstart your growth and unlock your brand’s full potential](. AD INSIGHTS 🏆 Winning YouTube Ad Trends Identified By AI Google recently tasked its AI model Gemini with a project: Analyze over 8,000 YouTube ads to identify common trends that make up successful campaigns. 🚀 Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, VP of YouTube Ads Marketing explained successful ads “open with a strong hook, use catchy music tracks and engage audiences with humor,” but they also found some unexpected findings after performing their comprehensive AI analysis. Here are some top insights advertisers should know: 💗 Trend #1: Highlighting diverse representation Ads that shine a light on unrepresented groups or communities really resonated with audiences this year. For example, [Apple’s Personal Voice on iPhone ad]( (18M views) shows a father in a wheelchair who has lost his voice but uses his smartphone to read his daughter bedtime stories. The ad drew online praise for depicting people with disabilities positively while telling a universally heartfelt story. 👁️ Trend #2: Embracing Self-Expression Rather than conforming to one look or trend, ads targeting younger audiences focus more on freedom of self-expression. Swiss watch brand [Tissot’s Off the Cuff campaign]( (42M views) features a group of Gen Z friends who each style their makeup and outfits differently. The campaign shows how their product can suit people with different style preferences and is a versatile accessory. 💑 Trend #3: Foster Community Building Brands emphasize how their products can bring people together as individuals still deal with the isolating and lingering effects of the pandemic. [Nintendo Switch’s Sister’s ad]( (247K views) shows how their gaming system can bring families closer together and create moments of joy. The ad shows how two sisters bond over their love of playing Super Mario, and the time they spend together also improves their relationship. 🪄 Trend #4: Tapping Into Magic and Fantasy Ads are embracing fantastical elements when it comes to creative storytelling. [PEDIGREE’s pet adoption ad]( (11M views) shows how a young boy imagines aliens must have abducted his rescue dog’s first owner as the explanation as to why he abandoned his pet. This wholesome ad leans on fantasy to show a child's POV as a way to engage with the audience until the very last frame. The takeaway? This AI analysis of successful YouTube ads shows how brands can stand out and create video campaigns that resonate with a broad audience. Promoting inclusivity, spotlighting underrepresented communities, and celebrating individuality are all great ways to create an impactful and memorable ad. Advertisers and marketers will want to take advantage of these insights and trends when crafting their next campaign. STORYTELLING 🥱 Your Customers’ Eyes Are Glazing Over When They Read Your Product Descriptions Most product descriptions are… boring. Do they get the point across? Sure. Are they inspiring? Probably not. 😕 [It’s time to ditch the boring product descriptions](. Because they’re just that. Boring. Craft stories. Tap into emotions. Illustrate your products real-life value. Show your customers why they should be clicking buy now on your product. ✅ Use [eko’s FREE guide]( to learn how to: - Use engaging visuals to bring your product's story to life - Showcase how your product solves everyday problems and enhances routines - Create narratives that connect emotionally with your customers and build loyalty [Claim Your FREE Copy Here]( *Sponsored META ADS 🔧 How To Use Meta Breakdowns If you manage a Meta ad account, Ads Reporting should be one of your best friends for reviewing performance, and finding opportunities for improvement. And using breakdowns can help make your job easier by looking at different audience attributes and delivery patterns. Here are a few examples of different breakdowns [the Pilothouse Meta team]( reviews regularly to find areas to scale ad accounts: 1️⃣ Age breakdown Applying the age breakdown can give you insights into where Meta is allocating spend and if there’s room to spend more in a specific age range. In this case, it might be worth setting up an ad set targeting 25-34-year-olds to see if there’s room to scale into the ages generating a higher ROAS. 2️⃣ Gender breakdown Digging into the gender breakdown will give you more insights into which genders are getting most spend and generating stronger results. In this case, the spend split is relative to ROAS, so we’d recommend continuing as-is with gender targeting. It would be a good idea to continue reviewing this regularly for any major changes. 3️⃣ Platform & Placement breakdowns Diving into the platform and placement breakdowns can give you greater insights into which platform is performing stronger and if there are placements that you can scale into further. In this example, the bulk of spend goes to Facebook feed placements. In this case, it’s worth testing an Instagram-only ad set and testing an ad set targeting other Facebook placements to see if these pockets are scalable. If you’re interested in getting more granular with breakdowns, you can try making custom breakdowns. [More info on that here](. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Apparel brand LSKD created this out of the box (or out of the bag) ad to promote their mid year sale. By pairing a trending audio with a unique POV, it’s bound to get users to stop scrolling and watch until the end to see what they are unboxing. Click on the link below to watch! Can't view the image? [Click here]( ⚡ QUICK HITS 🗑️ Ditch complex repurchase flows for something better. Simplify and personalize your email and SMS repurchase flows with pre-built automations powered by AI. [Get a free $100 Amazon gift card when you book a demo to see how it works](. * 💰 Affiliates fraud in the US surpassed $2B in 2023. Don't become the next target. Protect yourself with Social Snowball’s Safelinks. [DTC Readers get 30 days free](.[Schedule a demo here](. * 📰 NEWS - Google Ads [is phasing out card payments for some advertisers before July 31st](. - Sales during China’s mid-year blowout ecommerce sale [618 dropped YoY for the first time ever](. - Nvidia [becomes the most valuable company in the world, surpassing Google and Microsoft](. 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? - 🎤 Ex-Googler Ben Kruger on [New Side Hustle Selling Microphones]( - ⚡ [AKNF 413:]( How Over-Automation Limits Your Scale on Amazon - 🍬 Michael Fisher on [Rotten’s Go To Market Strategy]( - 🚀 [AKNF 411:]( Crushing the Drop Model on Meta Ads + Q4 Planning - 🍳 Cam Bush on [Hexclad’s Omnichannel Strategy For 9 Figure Scale]( - 🛒 [AKNF 409:]( Master Pre-Purchase Upsells with Aves - 🏆 Van Oakes on [How To Boost Your Sales with Strategic Giveaways]( 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](