Good morning. If you are seeing an uptick in celebrity endorsement ads, it turns out they might not be…real? An account pretending to be cookware brand Le Creuset recently used a deepfake of Taylor Swift to run an online giveaway.
❗A reminder that you can’t use a celebrity’s likeness in an ad without their consent.
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Bobi Health, Rosa Brothers, and Slick Inbox 👋
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We thought so. 🤝
But first, you should know: CRO is an art and a science.
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Warpdrive turns conversion testing mystery into magic. 🪄
👀 You can expect:
If you’ve got lofty goals this year, do yourself a favor and get started on the right foot. 📈
Last month one eye-brow raising Sephora review about Sol de Janeiro’s Delicia Drench Body Butter perpetuated a myth that quickly went viral. 📈
The backstory
A Sephora reviewer claimed that the body product attracted wolf spiders which was later reposted on Reddit. 🕷️
[The Sephora review about Sol De Janeiro’s body butter]
This led everyone on the internet to Google ‘wolf spiders’ (don’t by the way, they are TERRIFYING), conduct their own spider experiments on TikTok, and even some chemists to weigh in on these bizarre claims for news write ups.
The result?
Searches for the brand spiked in the past few weeks and spider queries took over SERPs.
The question ‘Does Sol De Janeiro attract spiders?’ even wound up in Google’s People Also Ask section demonstrating how widespread this theory had become online.
A few days later Sol de Janeiro posted this humorous response on their Instagram Stories:
"We didn't think we would wrap 2023 becoming an urban legend but all of our products, including our new Delícia Drench Body Butter and Cheirosa 59 Perfume Mist are free from farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate. So while they may attract a lot of attention from people they won't from arachnids."
The takeaway?
Reviews can go viral in an instant and shows how quickly a customer perception about a brand can change.
For brands, keeping a close eye on your online reviews is a must especially when someone makes a false claim that can negatively impact your bottom line.
Sol de Janeiro’s swift response shows how social media is a great tool to debunk wild theories quickly so it doesn’t damage your brand reputation.
The brand also capitalized on this attention by emphasizing that their product only attracts people, not spiders. Well-played.
While brands are putting together their Valentine’s Day creatives, don’t forget to think about all the single people who might not want to see V day content.
The Pilothouse content team suggests if Valentine’s Day doesn’t work well for your brand or niche, consider what other angles you can leverage during this high-intent purchasing period.
Can you spin your campaign into a ‘treat yourself’ moment or anti V Day angle instead?
Here are some anti-Valentine’s Day content ideas you can use for your next email campaign:
Not only do these messages make you stand out from the traditional Valentine’s Day messaging but it’s also relatable content for those who find the holiday overrated or want to celebrate being single instead. 🍾
Have you heard our latest podcasts?
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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