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Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
🏆 Super Bowl Ad Wins
HexClad, Reese, and Hellmann’s ad campaigns top the list.
🚀 Scaling Beyond Meta
BYLT’s playbook for upper-funnel growth.
🏈 Brands capitalize on post-game buzz
Turn memorable Super Bowl moments into social media wins.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: PureBlend Animal, and Dryrobe. 👋
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🏆 Top Super Bowl LIX Campaigns
Did you know 42% of viewers tune in just to watch Super Bowl ads? 👀
There was no shortage of stellar ads this year as nearly 50 different brands ran campaigns during the Big Game.
Here are three Super Bowl ads that scored a touchdown with audiences:
1️⃣ HexClad's Unidentified Frying Object Ad
HexClad was one of the few DTC brands and the first cookware brand to air a Super Bowl ad, and it didn't disappoint.
The spot featured celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and SNL alum Pete Davidson with a sci-fi twist.
In the HexClad ad, Ramsey prepares a meal for an alien discovered at Area 51 using HexClad pans that are made from 'top secret alien cooking technology.'
In the grand reveal, the alien turns out to be none other than Pete Davidson. 😂
👉 HexClad did a great job of raising brand awareness and positioning their cookware products as disruptive and innovative.
The spot generated major social engagement by adding an unexpected celebrity pairing into the mix.
Reese's bold Super Bowl commercial defies expectations with an absurdist humor.
The commercial claims that since Reese dropped their Chocolate Lava Big Cups, people have felt slightly confused.
Instead of showing people running away from an active volcano, they are racing towards it. The reason? To eat lava.
In the commercial, the narrator suggests, "Don't eat lava, eat chocolate lava."
👉 The chocolate brand's ad generated laughs but also highlighted how its new product differentiated itself from its hero product.
Rather than using celebrities in the ad, they kept the focus on the product instead.
3️⃣ Hellmann's When Sally Met Hellmann's Ad
The mayo brand tapped Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to recreate the deli scene from the 1989 romcom When Harry Met Sally.
The iconic scene feels instantly familiar to older audiences who grew up watching the film but still feels relevant to Gen Zers, with Sydney Sweeney appearing to utter the famous line, "I'll have what she's having."
👉 The brand leaned heavily into nostalgia marketing to capture audience's hearts.
The takeaway?
Brands that leveraged humor, celebrities, and nostalgia scored big with audiences this year.
What was your favorite Super Bowl ad? Reply to the newsletter and let us know!
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How do you build a brand that consumers remember before they even see an ad?
In this episode, Spencer Toomey, BYLT’s Growth Lead, breaks down how the brand mastered the art of upper funnel marketing and how major sponsorships—like their Mike Tyson partnership during his Netflix fight—drove massive Q4 success.
In this podcast, we cover:
This episode is packed with tactical insights for marketers who want to scale without relying solely on Meta ads.
👉 You can listen to the full episode with Spencer here.
🤖 Meta Expands on AI Transparency Tools
Meta is making it more obvious which Facebook and Instagram ads are created using generative AI.
What this means: No label will appear if minor adjustments are made, but if an image has been ‘significantly’ altered, an AI Info label will appear at the top of the ad.
⚡ QUICK HITS
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📰 NEWS
🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE
The Big Game might be over (the Eagles won, BTW,) but the Super Bowl conversation is still going strong on social media.
Brands like Behave are leveraging highlights from the game to talk about how their snacks are also winners.
Scrappy posts like these are easy to put together and do a great job of engaging with viewers.
🎉 CELEBRATE THIS!
♥️ Feb 15: Singles Awareness Day, Butterscotch Day, Hippo Day
💡 Feb 16: Almond Day, Innovation Day, Tim Tam Day
🫶 Feb 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day
🍷 Feb 18: Pluto Day, Battery Day, Drink Wine Day
🍫 Feb 19: Chocolate Mint Day, Lash Day
🛋️ Feb 20: Leadership Day, Muffin Day, Comfy Day
🌾 Feb 21: Caregivers Day, Sticky Buns Day, Grain Free Day
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Have you heard our latest podcasts?
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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