The Latest DTC Insights: From Emerging Ad Platforms to Industry Disruptions
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DTC founders are drowning in content these days. From ad platform shifts to regulatory drama to funding insights - here's your curated dose of actually useful industry knowledge.
Hey there, DTC founders! Back again with another curated collection of the best content that caught my eye recently.
From emerging ad platforms to industry-shaking regulatory news, we've got quite a mix this time.
Let's dive into what's worth your precious time:
1. AppLovin: The Meta Alternative?
The Operators bring us an fascinating deep dive into AppLovin advertising, which is showing surprisingly competitive CPMs compared to Meta.
While it's too early to tell if these rates will hold, it's definitely a platform worth exploring for DTC brands looking to diversify their ad spend.
Listen on Spotify.
2. TikTok Ban: What's Next?
Prof G Markets offers a compelling analysis of the TikTok situation following their recent appeal loss. They outline three potential scenarios: Trump overturning the ban, TikTok losing further appeals, or the platform shutting down.
While they lean toward the ban sticking, there's significant uncertainty ahead - something to keep in mind if TikTok Shop is part of your strategy.
Listen on Spotify.
3. Mars Family Empire: A Sweet Success Story
Acquired's latest episode delves into the Mars family saga. While comprehensive (perhaps a bit too comprehensive), it reveals fascinating historical insights.
One particularly interesting tidbit: in the early 20th century, Frank Mars faced major inventory challenges with his penny candies due to the absence of air conditioning - a reminder of how far we've come in solving retail challenges.
Listen on Spotify.
4. Health Insurance Economics Deep Dive
Econ 102 takes an unexpected but illuminating detour from pure e-commerce to explore health insurance economics. The revelation about razor-thin insurance margins compared to pharmaceutical profits offers valuable perspective on industry economics, even if it's slightly off our usual beaten path.
Listen on Spotify.
Food Industry Investment Insights
A must-listen episode featuring food industry investors sharing critical metrics for venture funding. Their clear benchmarks are invaluable: negative gross margins are deal-breakers, with 15% as the minimum acceptable margin and 35% as the ideal target.
Perfect for CPG founders planning their funding strategy.
Listen on Apple Podcasts.
Challenging Traditional DTC Wisdom
Ben Cogan offers a thought-provoking counterpoint to current DTC trends. While conventional wisdom favors lightweight, high-AOV products, Cogan argues that mastering the complexities of challenging products can create stronger competitive moats.
His perspective offers a fresh take on building sustainable DTC businesses.
Read on LinkedIn.
That's it for this roundup! As always, I'm out here filtering through the noise so you don't have to. Stay tuned for more curated insights coming your way! Want to feature here or have a your own recommendation to add? Drop me a line on [email protected].
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