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Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
😍 We’re falling head over heels… for these eye-catching Valentine’s Day ad creatives.
🥪 Spotlighting Molly Baz’s new mayo brand Ayoh! We breakdown how the site’s copy and design choices appeal to Gen Z foodies.
❗ And… Concerns over this artificial ingredient led to a spike in searches this past week.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: OpenSolar, Humble Hub, and Bokka Botanika. 👋
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😍 Swoonworthy Creatives To Test for Your Valentine’s Day Campaign
Valentine's Day is only three weeks away!
Brands, take advantage of this high purchase intent period.
Even if an upcoming campaign is not inherently Valentine's Day-focused, you can still capitalize on this moment.
Pilothouse shares some top creatives and tips to keep in mind.
💗 Keep it simple: Use Valentine's Day messaging, simple offer callouts, and rose-colored creatives.
This Chamberlain Coffee creative is straight to the point with a bold heading that says 'Valentine's Day gifts' and calls out price points for budget-conscious shoppers.
💗 Use Themed Backgrounds: Add Valentine's Day emojis or decorations that fit the theme around the product. 🥰
This implies romance or treating yourself without using words.
This Kind of Wild Rosé ad uses graphics of watermelon, strawberries, and cherries to describe the flavor of the product without cluttering the image with too much text.
Aesthetically, it matches with both their branding and V-Day angle.
💗 Promote Urgency: There is time sensitivity to getting the gift on time or inventory. Now is the time to play into those angles!
Use callouts like "Selling Fast," "Ships Same Day," and "Get It Before V-Day!" to get those quick conversions going.
💗 Be Playful: Creatives that are playful and fit with the brand vibe and Valentine's Day theme are always great.
Doc’s Diesel's ad creative demonstrates how even the most unlikely brands can work that Valentine’s Day angle and generate social engagement using humor.
The creative looks just like a Valentine's Day card, but the copy is relevant to the business and is an unexpected treat for audiences.
💗 Work The Anti-Valentine's Angle
Hey, we don't mean to run negative ads about Valentine's Day!
However, use this creative and higher purchase intent period to collect data so you can optimize future sales.
Each holiday throughout the year is an opportunity to find learnings on how to create the best data-driven offer for peak offer season BFCM.
Take this time to narrow down the data points and split the test, even if it's not Valentine's Day-themed.
Great things to split test - color background, offer structures, product SKUs, and sale messaging.
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🤖 OpenAI Gets A $500 Billion Investment
Earlier this week, President Trump announced a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank, and MGX.
Over the next four years, the Stargate Project will invest 500 billion dollars to build new AI infrastructure, such as data centers for OpenAI in the U.S.
President Trump calls this “the biggest AI infrastructure project in history.”
The project is predicted to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
💡 How Ayoh!’s Site Attracts Gen Z and Millennial Foodies
Have you heard of the brand Ayoh!?
This new condiment brand was started by celebrity chef and food influencer Molly Baz, who wanted to design a line of sauces that offered unique flavor profiles.
The Ayoh! site does a great job of keeping things light and fun, catering to a younger crowd looking for simple ways to elevate meals like the humble sandwich.
Let’s break down how their website attracts Gen Z and Millennial foodies:
1️⃣ Fun dynamic elements: The Ayoh! website features interactive elements that add to their brand identity without overstimulating visitors.
Hover over their product images or bright orange badges to see the changes.
2️⃣ Irreverent copy: This food brand does a great job of showing off its personality with bold and humorous wording.
The homepage has clever one-line zingers like ‘Mayo Gone Wild,' and instead of shouting out stockists in their top nav, they use the term IRL, which fits better with their target demographic.
Its cheeky newsletter pop-up proclaims its product is ‘The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.’
👉 The branding feels young, confident, and, most importantly, fun since its mission is to turn bland sandwiches into a flavor machine.
3️⃣ Appetizing lifestyle images: You can tell Ayoh! invested heavily in their product lifestyle photography, showing off the texture and the product in use, and even giving sandwich recipe inspo for new customers.
👉 Lifestyle shots are great ways for consumers to imagine using the product themselves.
The takeaway?
Ayoh’s website is a great example of how brands can create a fun shopping experience for customers.
Their design and copy choices make it clear their target market is Gen Z and millennials who want to elevate their meals.
📈 SEARCH SURGE
What’s Trending: What foods have Red Dye 3
Why is this happening? After the FDA moved to ban the ingredient, consumers are wondering how this impacts their favorite foods and drinks.
💡 This is a big opportunity for health food brands to promote how their products are free from artificial dyes.
⚡ QUICK HITS
👀 Are you looking for a brand partner to help you scale to new heights in 2025? Pilothouse will use their proven-strategies to craft a scale solution designed to help you meet your specific goals. Get a call on the books.
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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