Prepare to have your perspective shifted.

🎧 UPDATE: Revel Bikes’ Founder Buys Back Brand After Sudden Private Equity Shutdown

After a private equity sale led to Revel Bikes’ shutdown, founder Adam Miller bought the brand back in a 10-day auction and is relaunching it lean and founder-led. In this DTC podcast episode, he shares lessons on regaining control, rebuilding with purpose, and why founder-led DTC brands often outperform PE-backed exits.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Trump has announced 25% tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea starting August 1, 2025, warning of further hikes if they retaliate. Similar tariff letters were sent to 14 countries, with some facing rates up to 40%.

🌎 Why the Next DTC Brand Won’t Look Anything Like Old Fortune 500 Companies 

Modern DTC brands are winning by prioritizing authenticity, creator partnerships, and community-driven growth—leaving behind the outdated Fortune 500 playbook of polished ads and celebrity endorsements. To succeed, brands must shift from product-first to people-first, focusing on trust, distribution through creators, and co-creation with their audiences.

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Clinique partners with Wicked star Cynthia Erivo to launch its new Nude Honey lip tint. The campaign builds on the viral success of Black Honey on TikTok, aiming to engage younger audiences with an expanded product line.

🎧 Amazon Prime Day 2025: How Brands Should Budget, Pivot & Scale Over 4 Days

Amazon Prime Day 2025 runs for four days, giving brands more time to course-correct and scale mid-event. To win, brands should pace budgets, optimize SEO with Amazon’s new title format, and tap influencer content to drive discovery and ranking.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Trump has threatened a 10% tariff on countries supporting BRICS, citing the group as anti-American. Nations must agree to trade terms by July 9 or face the new tariffs starting August 1.

🤖 How Hands-Off Amazon Ad Automation Leaves Money on the Table

Many brands using Amazon's automated ad platforms miss out on sales and growth due to over-spending on branded keywords, slow bid reactions, and failure to adopt new ad features. A hybrid strategy—automation for routine tasks and human oversight for optimization—is key to maximizing performance and market share.

🧃 One Product, Many Use Cases? Reflect That in Your Creative

If your product fits multiple use cases or lifestyles, tailor your creative to reflect that. Liquid I.V. nails this with a four-ad set using the same product and headline structure—[Verb] More—but speaks to different audiences like travelers, athletes, and party-goers. This approach boosts relevance, engagement, and performance insights across personas.

🎧 Unlock the Strategy Behind Apple’s Most Iconic Campaign—And How to Use It in Your DTC Brand

Learn how Apple’s iconic “Get a Mac” campaign used the Message Box framework—and how you can apply it to your DTC brand. In this episode of Ad-venturous, Aves breaks down how to clarify your positioning, define your competition, and create emotionally-driven messaging that converts.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Trump’s tariff pause ends July 9, and countries are rushing to strike deals before facing steep new U.S. tariffs ranging from 10% to 70%. Last Friday, Trump began sending warning letters to nations without agreements, though he hasn’t revealed which ones are affected.

🌎 Meta Unleashes New WhatsApp Updates 

Meta now allows advertisers to run campaigns on WhatsApp, including new placements like WhatsApp Status and upcoming AI-powered chat support for product recommendations and sales. These updates aim to expand reach, reduce support workloads, and offer more personalized customer interactions—especially in regions where WhatsApp is widely used.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

The U.S. has reached a tariff agreement with Vietnam, imposing a 20% tax on imports and a 40% tariff on goods involving transshipping. Experts warn this move could spark retaliation from China, while fireworks prices are expected to rise by 2026 due to ongoing tariffs on Chinese imports.

😴 Let’s Go On A Hush Ads Deep Dive

Hush's DTC growth is powered by smart ad strategies across static and video formats, focusing on urgency, bundling clarity, and audience-specific messaging. Pilothouse’s analysis shows that enhancing visuals, refining copy, and targeting segmented personas can significantly boost ad performance and conversion rates.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Tariff tensions are escalating as the EU scrambles to meet Trump’s July 9 deadline, proposing sector-specific exemptions to avoid a 50% hike. Meanwhile, Japan faces potential 35% tariffs, and Canada reenters trade talks after dropping its Digital Services Tax, aiming for a deal by July 21.

🌎 How Lomi Educates First-Time Customers

Lomi drives $1M/month in DTC revenue by combining omnichannel sales with smart tools that educate and retain first-time customers. From in-store discovery with Closeby to shipping transparency via Order Deadline and AI-powered subscriptions through Stay AI, Lomi’s tech stack powers growth and long-term loyalty.

🎧 How to Build a Persistent Revenue Ecosystem with Email & Retention

Learn how top DTC brands use email automation, CRO, and retention strategies to build a low-cost, high-ROI revenue ecosystem that scales. In this episode of TWBERP, Pilothouse’s Jordan Gordon breaks down how to convert more customers, reduce CAC, and boost LTV through a well-designed digital marketing funnel.