eCommerce Evolution

Most brands think the holiday playbook starts on Black Friday. It doesn’t — it starts right now, in the two or three weeks before it, and if you get this window wrong, there’s no fixing it once Cyber Five hits. In part one of this two-part holiday series, Brett sits down with three OMG Commerce department leads — Nick Flint (retention), Bill Cover (Google/YouTube), and Trenton Bodenbach (Amazon) — to break down exactly what to do in the pre-peak window across email/SMS, paid media, and Amazon.Inside the episode:Nick’s “go broad, then suppress” play to win back lapsed subscribers and cut your Klaviyo bill at the same timeThe one landing page trick that turns email-only subscribers into SMS subscribers before Black FridayBill’s budget pacing formula — normal spend in October, 2x ten days out, 4x during Cyber Five — backed by a $28M ad spend data set showing YouTube pulling almost 40% share of spend in October aloneWhy Trenton calls it “death by stockout,” and what analyzing 35 brands across Prime Day and Big Deal Days revealed about forecasting Cyber Five growthHow Groove Life cut its Amazon ad budget, shifted the money to YouTube and Meta — and watched Amazon sales go up anywayThe low-cost checkout tweak (hint: it’s not a discount) that got customers ordering more during the holidays—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro: Pre-Cyber Five plays with Nick Flint (retention), Bill Cover (Google), and Trenton Bodenbach (Amazon)[01:13] Email & SMS: Why retention is one of the biggest holiday profit levers, plus a quick caffeine detour[02:13] Dialing in your audience: Win back lapsed subscribers with a broad send, then suppress bots and dead profiles to cut Klaviyo costs[03:31] Growing your SMS list: Collect phone numbers through an early-access landing page, and set expectations for new subscribers[05:05] Prepping popups & flows: Match the welcome, abandoned cart, and abandoned checkout flows to your Black Friday offer, then move customers from “zero to one” and “one to two”[06:32] Amazon & Fall Big Deal Days: Why October’s deal event works as a bellwether for the “holiday 60”[08:42] Death by stockout: What data from 35 brands shows about Prime Day vs. Big Deal Days vs. Cyber Five, and why giftable brands see 7–8x growth[11:03] Forecasting inventory & profitability: Using deal-day data and last year’s numbers to plan Cyber Five margins[13:52] Building a brand on Amazon: Sponsored Brand Video, new-to-brand customers, and why some brands cut Amazon ads and saw sales rise[18:59] Google promos & Merchant Center: Getting promo dates, discounts, and codes exactly right so your listings show deal annotations[21:06] Budget & campaign structure: Normal spend in October, then about 2x budget in the 10 days before your promo starts[25:12] Media mix data from $28M in Google spend: YouTube’s share of spend peaks in October and bottoms out during Cyber Five[27:49] Reading the 10-day lead-up: Comparing Shopping, PMax, and Demand Gen before Cyber Five, since Google can’t be adjusted on a dime[30:16] Final tips & wrap-up: Offering gift wrapping at checkout, and a preview of part two on the during and after periods—Connect With Brett:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGwWebsite: https://www.omgcommerce.com/Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactPast guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

Most brands think they've "tried YouTube" — a few bucks a day, no real strategy, and they wrote it off. Brett Curry disagrees, and he's got the data to back it up. In this live talk from a Google NYC event packed with 8- and 9-figure D2C and omnichannel brands, Brett breaks down the seven plays that separate the 10% of brands actually winning on YouTube from everyone else still guessing.Inside the episode:Why a 190-test study across 74 brands found YouTube's real incremental ROAS runs 3.5x to 10x higher than what shows up in-platform — and why that's a competitive advantage if you're willing to measure itHow Arctic drove a 230% search lift and a 25% retail sales lift at Walmart from ads that converted zero people on Arctic's own websiteThe media mix shift (30–70% awareness/view-based spend) that beat pure demand gen in a women's apparel brand's own incrementality testsWhy Native Deodorant's run from ~$100M to over $1B in sales at 20% EBITDA leaned hard on top-of-funnel YouTube, and how Dr. Squatch's early YouTube ads set up its $1.5B exitThe "mashup" formula (think Opopop and What the Foundation) for turning your best Meta and TikTok ads into YouTube winners — and the exact checklist (30+ seconds, voiceover, clear CTA) for knowing which social ads can go straight to YouTube as-is—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro: Live from Google NYC, Brett's "7 Ways to Scale with YouTube Ads" talk and why most brands still get YouTube wrong[02:59] What is YouTube? 98% trust in creators, "TV + search had a baby," the CTV watch-time lead, unique reach, and YouTube's many viewing modes[08:08] YouTube-built brands: Dr. Squatch's $1.5B exit and Native's run to $1B in sales[10:06] Play #1, Incrementality: causal measurement, user vs. geo holdouts, branded search, and Haus's ~3.5x in-platform underreporting finding[15:52] Play #2, Omnichannel support: the extra +1x from retail, Arctic's CDI/BDI analysis, 19 test markets, 230% search lift, and 25% Walmart lift[22:00] The snack brand that paused YouTube: Amazon sales and branded search drop within days, then recover once ads resume[22:50] Play #3, YouTube-first creative: the hook, demo, social proof, CTA formula, plus UGC mashups and brand-formance ads[26:08] Creative breakdowns, Arctic: the Chase Fly ceramic demo mashup and the Walmart-only brand ad that drove zero D2C sales but big retail lift[33:18] Creative breakdowns, Native, What the Foundation & Opopop: diverse UGC, founder-led mashups, and 9x16 vs. 16x9 edits[40:48] Play #4, The creative feedback loop: view rate → hook, CTR → convince, CVR → audience, and why average watch time per impression matters[44:55] Plays #5 & #6, Campaign structure and porting social ads: Demand Gen plus awareness/view-based campaigns, and what a Meta/TikTok ad needs to run as-is[48:53] Play #7, Operationalize testing: snapshot vs. photo album, the GPA analogy, the lift trifecta, attributed brand search, and test-over-test comparisons—Connect With Brett:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGwWebsite: https://www.omgcommerce.com/Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactPast guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

Ezra Firestone has built and sold multiple 8-figure e-commerce brands, from Boom by Cindy Joseph to Overtone, and he's done it by breaking a few rules most operators are too scared to touch — leaning into fear as a marketing lever, killing "me-too" products before they launch, and building an entire brand around a founder who's no longer here to run it. In this conversation, he gets specific: the exact margin math he uses before launching anything new, the content system that's replaced single-creator dependence, and why some of his best-performing ads never mention the product at all.Inside the episode:What actually happened to Boom's ads and community after founder Cindy Joseph passed away — and the moment Ezra knew it was time to stop running her voice in every emailThe "Brittany script" experiment: how one winning paid-creator ad got remade in a British accent, and why customer ambassadors, paid creators, and influencers all need a different kind of scriptWhy Boom runs ads about menopause without selling a single menopause productEzra's margin rule for launching anything new (buy for $1, sell for $7) — and the $800K soap brand that broke itThe "novel, not better" pattern behind Boomstick, Safe Sleeve, and a dentist-branded dog dental chewThe line Ezra repeats to his team so nobody hides bad news from him: "I will never charge you an emotional price for the truth"—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro: Brett Curry on a live, wide-ranging interview with Ezra Firestone[01:43] Life gets better with age: Boom's anti "anti-aging" philosophy[03:58] Enjoying your life is a skill: Gratitude, attention, and "Be Here Now"[09:12] Why your wellbeing drives your business: Mindset as the foundation for growth[10:33] Martial arts and opening a dojo: Changing your state and serving the community[14:02] Losing a founder-led brand's face: Cindy Joseph, Boom, and finding new voices[21:41] Talk about the experience, not the product: Menopause messaging and community angles[23:03] Product and offer innovation: Boomstick, SafeSleeve, Overtone, and the 1:7 margin rule[29:10] Messaging that makes people feel: Emotion drives action, and using fear with integrity[37:29] Product company + media company: "New and fancy" and creative storytelling[40:13] Building a culture of truth: Diversity of thought, no emotional tax, and attracting the right people[44:02] Navigate, don't drive: Delegating, Bezos-style "wandering" time, and wrap-up—Connect With Brett:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGwWebsite: https://www.omgcommerce.com/Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactRelevant Links:Ezra’s LinkedIn: /ezrafirestone/Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

He was making $10 a post from Adidas on Instagram in 2013. Today, Bill Rom and his partner Josh are running a bootstrapped apparel brand doing $220 million this year — and projecting up to $400 million next year. Bill breaks down the exact financial wake-up call that let them scale aggressively, why they still do 10-15% of their own screen printing at $200M+ in revenue, and how they became a genuine culture moment (mascots, memes, and Aiden Ross wearing their shorts included).Inside the episode:The fractional CFO hire in 2022 that revealed they were making just $60 in profit on every first purchase — and why that clarity changed how aggressively they'd spendHow their average new-customer value climbed past $400 in the first 12 months, and why that number justified riskier channel betsThe in-person activation playbook (spin-to-win wheels, velocity challenges) they started back in 2016 that Bill calls Gen Z's biggest unfair advantage todayWhy Baseball Lifestyle 101 now outsells Nike and Adidas per square foot at Dick's Sporting Goods, and how that pushed them into a $600K/month YouTube and linear TV strategyThe "asymmetrical bet" rule Bill uses to decide when it's smart to lose money for 60 days in exchange for a 10x return in 90How building relationships with creators like Eric Sim (rather than paying for one-off deals) landed them a shoe collab with Adidas—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro — Brett Curry sets up the live NYC interview with Bill Rom of Baseball Lifestyle 101[02:16] Meet Bill Rom — $220M this year, $340–400M projected next year across D2C and wholesale[02:40] The breakout moment — From Instagram media account to apparel brand; the College World Series fire marshal story[04:53] Knowing your numbers — The fractional CFO, $60 first-purchase profit, and scaling from $5M to $220M+[06:51] Beyond first-purchase math — Cohort analysis, LTV climbing past $400, and running your own race[10:29] What they got right early — Building an email list, posting hourly for five years, and in-person activations[14:59] Sponsor break — OMG Commerce[16:08] Why YouTube is the future — Evergreen content vs. TikTok, 80K subscribers, and YouTube as the #1 streaming service[19:46] Going big on commercials, CTV & linear — Working with Jacques and the "spend 10x your creative cost" rule[21:33] Investing in culture & creators — Jackson Olson, Eric Sim, King Ajuko, and building content muscle in-house[25:11] The Adidas collab — How it happened and why they won't let top creators go to Nike or Adidas[27:26] Asymmetrical risk for asymmetrical returns — "Lose money for 60 days to 10X in 90" and wrap-up—Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGw Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactRelevant Links:Bill’s LinkedIn: /bill-rom-54653744/ Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

Cody Plofker (Jones Road Beauty, Marketing Operators podcast) has run YouTube ads that stay live for two to three years without fatiguing — while most paid social creative burns out in a week. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how Jones Road builds YouTube creative that works, why incrementality is the only measurement system he trusts, and how to use it to win budget arguments with a board that only looks at last-click.Inside the episode:The YouTube creative mistake most brands make: too polished, not punchy enough — and why grittier, longer-form ads (60-90 seconds, even 2 minutes) often outperform short, clean onesWhy audio hooks matter more on YouTube than visual hooks — because half your views are happening on a TV with the sound onHow Jones Road keeps the same YouTube ad running for 2-3 years without fatigue, while Meta and TikTok creative burns out in a weekThe "16x9 conversion" trick for turning existing vertical social assets into YouTube ads without a new shootWhy incrementality is the only causal measurement system — and how Cody uses it to win budget fights with the board over channels that "don't look good" on click attributionHow Jones Road found their YouTube post-treatment window kept "exploding" over time — the opposite of Meta, where results are mostly baked in fast—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro — Brett Curry sets up the interview with Cody Plofker at OMG Commerce's NYC event[02:45] Where YouTube fits in the marketing mix — a quasi-brand, quasi-direct-response channel[03:24] Judging YouTube creative — hooks, pacing, and why longer ads can outperform[07:31] Educational content and Jones Road's creative journey — from UGC to produced TV[09:41] Foundation Stick launch — creator shoots and top-down vs. bottom-up production[12:41] Why Cody co-hosts the Marketing Operators podcast[15:30] Measuring YouTube properly — the 16x9 conversion trick and halo effects[18:22] Incrementality vs. MTA vs. MMM — the case for causal measurement[22:54] Reading individual tests and building an incrementality testing roadmap[26:18] What's next for Cody — AI, new projects, and life after Jones Road[28:37] Audience Q&A — roadmaps, baselining, and Jones Road's early YouTube hurdles—Connect With Brett:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGwWebsite: https://www.omgcommerce.com/Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactRelevant Links:Cody's LinkedIn: /cody-plofker/Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more