Best Marketing Operators I Connor Rolain I Connor Macdonald I Cody Plofker Podcasts (2025)

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DTC OG Ezra Firestone on How the Game Has Shifted and What’s Working Now 1:26:08

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3d ago1:26:08

1:26:08

Today on the show we’ve got a very special guest, one of the OGs of ecommerce, Ezra Firestone. He’s been around forever, running brands like Boom by Cindy Joseph, building software companies like Zipify, and creating training businesses like Smart Marketer, all while staying hands-on in the game as the DTC landscape keeps evolving. We get into how …

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Unlocking Growth Levers with Connor Dault, CMO of Fast-Growth DTC Supplement Brand Gruns 1:18:36

11d ago1:18:36

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Today we’re joined by Connor Dault, CMO of Grüns, to talk about his move into the company, how he got up to speed, and the steps he took to work effectively with a team that was already performing at a high level. We cover his onboarding approach, how he finds quick wins without disrupting existing success, and how Grüns spots opportunities by pair…

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How We’re Iterating on Tentpole Campaigns & Structuring the Content Teams That Power Them 1:19:44

17d ago1:19:44

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Today, we’re kicking things off by sharing how we’re structuring our content teams - from hiring in-house roles to building systems around freelancers - and how that supports creative that performs across both brand and paid. Next we dive into how we’re iterating on some of the biggest campaigns we run at our brands: the sweepstakes. We talk throug…

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Acquisition Offers That Drive Retention: What’s Working - and Why Testing Matters 1:12:38

25d ago1:12:38

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Today we’re getting into how acquisition offers - particularly in pop-ups - can do much more than drive opt-ins. The type of offer you lead with shapes who you acquire, how much they spend, and future LTV. We share examples from the offers we run on our brands, comparing blanket discounts with offers like cashback and second-order incentives, and h…

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When to Diversify or Evolve Your Media Mix: How To Approach Channel Expansion (Bonus Episode) 1:23:49

1M ago1:23:49

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In today’s episode, we’re talking channel expansion and diversifying our media mix - when to think about launching on new channels, what to test, and how to approach those decisions with more clarity. We break down our current media mixes, the journeys that got us here, and the mental frameworks we use to decide what to try next. We’re also joined …

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Why Great Marketers Think Like Data Scientists, with Eric Seufert 1:26:41

1M ago1:26:41

1:26:41

When we heard Eric Seufert talk at the Meta Summit we knew we had to have him on the show. Eric is the founder of Mobile Dev Memo and partner at Heracles Capital, and he joins us today for a deep dive into how today’s smartest marketers approach measurement. We unpack the difference between deterministic and probabilistic attribution, why increment…

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Spending More & Reaching Less? Fix Your Meta Account With Us 1:20:16

1M ago1:20:16

1:20:16

Today, we dig into the Meta performance issues we’ve been seeing firsthand - where spend is up, reach is down and performance isn’t tracking the way it used to. We unpack what’s been going wrong, and share the tactical changes we’ve tested to get better results. We get into where we’ve historically over-invested or moved too slowly, how we’re think…

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E067: How Marketers Should Actually Be Using AI, with the Boring Marketer 1:26:35

2M ago1:26:35

1:26:35

In this episode, we’re joined by James from Boring Marketing to dig into how smart DTC marketers are actually using AI - not just to move faster, but to build more efficient systems and workflows. We talk about how AI can support content systems and internal processes, the difference between prompting and system-building, and why using AI just to g…

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E066: DTC Marketers - Where Are You Wasting Your Time? 1:22:04

2M ago1:22:04

1:22:04

In ecommerce marketing today, acquisition costs are rising, tariffs are up, and growth is harder to come by, which means DTC brands are under pressure to do more with leaner teams. That got us thinking about where are marketers - and our teams - wasting time, and how can we work more efficiently without sacrificing performance? In this episode, we …

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E065: Using Spending Power to Plan and Spend Smarter with Steve Rekuc - Plus AI Ads and PDP 1:07:53

2M ago1:07:53

1:07:53

This week, we’re talking AI creative, product page testing, and Shopify updates - plus, we’re joined by Steve Rekuc from Common Thread Collective who walks us through how he built the Spending Power metric at CTC, what it tells us about shifting consumer demand, and how brands can use it to adjust spend and planning month to month. We also dig into…

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E064: Does Conversion Rate Matter? Dylan Ander on CRO Best Practices & Smarter Web Analytics 1:20:52

2M ago1:20:52

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Today we’re joined by Dylan Ander, founder of heatmap.com, to talk attribution, LTV, CAC, creative testing, and what actually moves the needle in media buying performance. We unpack why conversion rate alone isn’t the best indicator of success and what to look at instead, from holdout testing and CAC payback windows to 60-day LTV. Dylan shares his …

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E063: Quick Hits – What’s Shifting on Meta, Shopify’s AI Update & Your DTC Questions Answered 1:14:29

2M ago1:14:29

1:14:29

In this episode, we dive into Meta ad performance, Shopify’s latest AI features (including Sidekick), and we answer your DTC marketing questions from our MOps Hotline. We start with unpacking how Meta is performing for us right now - why it’s still the most powerful channel in the stack, but also less forgiving than it used to be. Cody shares the t…

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Bonus Episode: Marketing Operators X Meta Summit 57:56

3M ago57:56

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Disclaimer: Meta participated as a guest on this podcast episode, However, Meta does not endorse or sponsor this podcast, its content, or any of its commercial partners or sponsors. Any views expressed are those of the individual participants and do not represent the views of Meta. The Marketing Operators hosts have a live discussion about marketin…

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E062: Running a Sweepstake for Your DTC Brand? Here’s Your Checklist to Get It Right 1:18:08

3M ago1:18:08

1:18:08

How can DTC brands run sweepstakes that actually drive results? In this episode, we break down the full sweepstakes checklist: how to plan, set up, promote, and track a campaign that performs. We’ve been getting a lot of questions from marketers and DTC founders about sweepstakes, and for good reason - when done right, they can drive serious attent…

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E61: Quick Hits – Campaign Wins, Team Structure & AI Tools We’re Testing 1:21:13

3M ago1:21:13

1:21:13

In this episode, we get into a few different areas we've been working through recently, from campaign performance to org structure to how we’re using AI in our day-to-day. We dig into how recent promotions performed across our DTC brands, including Mother's Day and Memorial Day campaigns, and share what we’ve seen work (and not work) when it comes …

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E060: Go-To-Market Strategy: How 9-Figure Brands Plan, Execute, and Post-Mortem Product Launches 1:26:56

3M ago1:26:56

1:26:56

In this episode, we break down how we plan, execute, and analyze our go-to-market (GTM) campaigns. We walk through the full product launch process for our DTC brands, from the initial product brief to strategy development, creative asset production, cross-functional collaboration, and post-mortem analysis. We share how we tier our launches, how dif…

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E059: Meta Shifts, Margins & Smarter Growth with Taylor Holiday 1:14:45

3M ago1:14:45

1:14:45

As our unofficial “shadow guest”, Taylor Holiday, CEO of Common Thread Collective, finally joins us to unpack what growing a brand actually looks like in 2025. From shifting Meta performance and rising creative demands to tighter margins and changing consumer behavior, we explore the real constraints shaping how brands operate today. We talk about …

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E058: Marketing in a Recession - Cuts, Bets, and What You Can’t Afford to Lose 1:26:49

4M ago1:26:49

1:26:49

With rising costs, tariff uncertainty, and declining consumer confidence, brands are being forced to do more with less - and in today’s episode, we break down what that actually looks like in practice, and how we’re adapting our marketing strategies in today’s tough economic environment. We cover what we’re cutting, what we’re keeping, and where we…

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E057: Inside Tecovas: Reporting, Merchandising & Growing the Brand with CMO Krista Dalton 1:37:42

4M ago1:37:42

1:37:42

Today on the show, we’re joined by Krista Dalton, the CMO and SVP of Digital at Tecovas, as she takes us inside the brand’s marketing strategy. We get into how Tecovas leverages data, reporting, and merchandising to expand and evolve the brand, all while staying true to its roots. We discuss the importance of understanding customer needs, how to ba…

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E056: Redefining Your Ad Creative Strategy and Maximizing Meta Performance 1:18:38

4M ago1:18:38

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In this episode, we break down what it actually means to define a high-performing ad creative strategy, and why doing so is essential to unlocking sustainable growth on Meta. We walk through Cody’s 10-point creative framework for shaping the ad strategy at Jones Road Beauty, diving into why creative should be treated as targeting, how to escape Met…

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E055: Meta's Conversion Lift Testing, AI in Creative, and Product Seeding for Scalable Growth 1:03:00

4M ago1:03:00

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In this episode of Marketing Operators, we get into a mix of marketing topics that are top of mind for us this week, plus we answer a listener question from the MOperators Hotline. First, we break down Meta’s Conversion Lift Testing, including how it measures ad performance, its limitations, and when it’s most useful for your business. We also disc…

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E054: From Product Drops to Post-Purchase Plays - Email Marketing with 'Email Is Not Dead' Author, Karly Craig 1:16:49

5M ago1:16:49

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Email marketing isn’t dead - but it can often be done better. Today we’re joined by Karly Craig, author of Email Is Not Dead and seasoned ecommerce operator, to talk about the email marketing strategies that actually drive revenue. Karly shares why most brands are underutilising flows, especially when it comes to welcome sequences and post-purchase…

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E053: Our Takes on Saratoga's Viral Moment, Meta's Andromeda & AI's Role in Ad Creative 1:14:28

5M ago1:14:28

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Last week, a video featuring Saratoga water went viral - and the brand’s response, or lack thereof, got the ecom and marketing twitter world into a frenzy, with people calling them out for wasting a massive viral moment. We break down what we would’ve done as Saratoga’s CMO: how to respond to earned media moments, what brands should consider in vir…

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E052: How We Set KPIs, Structure Reporting and Run Meetings to Drive Results 1:25:25

5M ago1:25:25

1:25:25

How do you set KPIs that actually drive results? And how do you structure reporting and meetings to keep your team aligned and effective? In this episode, we break down how we set, track, and adjust KPIs, how we use reporting to make smarter decisions, and how we run meetings that keep everyone accountable without wasting time. We discuss how trans…

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E051: Why Meta Purchase Conversion Isn’t Enough - Rethinking Ad Optimization for Incremental Growth 1:09:17

5M ago1:09:17

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Scaling with Meta ads isn’t as simple as running purchase conversion campaigns anymore and as the platform evolves, marketers need new strategies to drive true incremental growth. Many brands are ealizing that Meta’s algorithm has shifted towards targeting people already in-market, making it harder to reach truly new customers at scale, leading to …

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E050: Tecovasgate: Is This Growth Marketing? Plus Product Expansion, AI in Growth Measurement & More 1:14:45

6M ago1:14:45

1:14:45

It’s a full house today with Cody back, and we’ve got a jam-packed episode - first up, the Tacovas Ad that’s got the marketing world talking - does brand marketing like this really drive growth? We discuss the line between long-term brand building and immediate performance results, and explore how top DTC brands are navigating that balance. We also…

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E049: How Digital Product Fuels DTC Growth with Connor Dault 1:11:21

6M ago1:11:21

1:11:21

This week, it’s a Connor Special as we’re joined by Connor Dault, VP of Growth & Digital Product at Caraway, to discuss the role of digital product in DTC growth and how it intersects with performance marketing, UX, and conversion. We dive into Caraway’s strategic response to HexClad’s Super Bowl ad, why digital product isn’t just CRO and how Caraw…

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E048: Scaling with Affiliate Marketing: What’s Working for Leading DTC Brands, with Aaron Paul 1:31:15

6M ago1:31:15

1:31:15

Today, we’re joined by Aaron Paul, founder of Paul Street, to explore how top DTC brands are leveraging affiliate marketing to drive massive growth - and where many go wrong. Aaron shares his insights from working with leading brands like Onnit, Goli Nutrition, and HelloFresh. We discuss what’s working in affiliate marketing today, why media-buying…

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E047: Blending Brand Identity with Performance Marketing at the Highest Level 1:16:08

6M ago1:16:08

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HexClad just pulled off one of their biggest marketing plays so far - a Super Bowl Ad - but this wasn’t just about airing a commercial during the big game, it was a multi-layered, cross-platform campaign designed to maximize impact beyond a single TV spot. In this episode, Connor and Connor break down how the HexClad team made it happen, from choos…

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E046: Matt Bertulli: Is Meta Still Incremental? How Paid Media is Changing & Scaling Beyond Facebook Ads 1:29:48

6M ago1:29:48

1:29:48

Today we are joined by a member of the Operators family, Matt Bertulli, CEO of Pela Case and Lomi, to talk all things marketing. Jumping off fromSean Frank’s tweet questioning if meta is still incremental, we get deep into the nuance of paid media and how it’s shifting, the increasing challenges of reaching new customers on Meta, and why the old pl…

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E045: Onboarding: How To Get The Best Out of Your New Hire from Day One 1:10:25

7M ago1:10:25

1:10:25

Today we’re diving into the second part of our hiring series, this time focusing on onboarding and how to set up your new hires for success from day one. We discuss how to get the best out of your new hires as quickly as possible, how to integrate them seamlessly into your team and culture, some common onboarding issues and challenges we’ve experie…

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E044: Hiring: How To Build and Structure Your Team For Success 1:13:24

7M ago1:13:24

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This week we’re talking hiring for high-growth ecommerce teams. We’re sharing insights on how to know when to hire, why buying back your time is essential for leadership, org chart design and how it evolves over time, and we share some real-life scenarios and challenges we’ve experienced when growing our teams. If you’re struggling with your team s…

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E043: Creative Testing: Quality Vs Quantity - Does Chasing Volume Lead to Success? 1:11:32

7M ago1:11:32

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Today, we’re diving into one of the most hotly debated topics in performance marketing: creative testing volume. Should you prioritize scaling creative volume or focus on quality? In this episode, we share how we’re approaching creative testing, how our strategies have evolved over time, what we’re budgeting for creative, when more isn’t always bet…

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E042: Our 2025 DTC Predictions Review 1:11:24

7M ago1:11:24

1:11:24

In this episode, Cody and Connor dive into the hottest DTC predictions for 2025, discussing everything from the rise and fall of AppLovin to the transformative impact of AI on customer experience and ad creative. They share their thoughts on outsourcing and the shift to global teams, the evolution and consolidation of SaaS tools, strategies for sca…

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E041: Influencer marketing strategy: how we’re product seeding, building partnerships & measuring EMV 1:31:22

8M ago1:31:22

1:31:22

In this episode, we’re breaking down the influencer marketing strategies we’re using this year. From product seeding to scaling creator partnerships, we’re talking about EMV and how to measure it affectively, how to maximise spend on influencers for maximum ROI, and strategies for whitelisting, affiliate deals and paid creator partnerships. If you …

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E040: How Product Positioning and Post-Purchase Upsells Supercharge CRO with Shane Rostad 1:13:10

8M ago1:13:10

1:13:10

It’s a full house today, and we’re joined by Shane Rostad to talk CRO. Shane’s recently launched his own brand as co-founder of Cheeky, a new creator-led brand that smashed its launch with 10k orders in its first month. In today’s ep we’re talking about brand positioning and messaging, how to drive LTV and boost AOV with strategic post-purchase ups…

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E039: Scaling to $20M+ in 2 Years With a Team of Six: Dan McCormick of Create Wellness 1:19:34

8M ago1:19:34

1:19:34

Today we are joined by Dan McCormick, co-founder and CEO of Create Wellness. Create went from zero to $20M+ in revenue in just two years with only six-full time employees, and today he’s sharing what those roles are and how he went about building his high-leverage DTC business. We discuss the power of positioning, agency vs. in-house teams, the fut…

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E038: Is AppLovin Living Up To The Hype & How We're Scaling Creative Partnerships 1:07:33

8M ago1:07:33

1:07:33

Today we are getting into the hottest new ad channel in ecommerce right now - AppLovin. We discuss how we’ve been using it within our brands, the pros and the cons of this emerging channel, and whether it's a scalable alternative to Meta Ads. Cody shares results from his team's recent holdout test, breaking down AppLovin's impact on incremental sal…

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E037: BFCM Debrief! The Marketing Strategies That Paid Off - And The Ones That Didn't 1:08:07

9M ago1:08:07

1:08:07

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, we’re unpacking our results and looking at what went right, what went wrong and what lessons we learnt for this time next year. We talk about trends we’re seeing this holiday shopping season, meta performance, navigating inventory challenges, tactical pivots to clear inventory and boost sales, and how w…

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E036: Our Biggest Mistakes & Lessons Learnt This Year 1:10:21

9M ago1:10:21

1:10:21

In today’s episode of Marketing Operators, we’re getting real about our biggest mistakes from the past year, and the lessons learnt from these. We cover why forecasting isn’t always straightforward, the importance of adjusting tactics quickly, the tricky balance of optimism versus realism in decision-making, and what it takes to scale sustainably i…

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E035: Black Friday Cyber Monday: How We'll Be Tracking, Analyzing & Maximizing Our Results 1:18:23

9M ago1:18:23

1:18:23

Happy Black Friday week everyone! In today’s episode we are diving in on the day-to-day tactics and operations our teams will be using this weekend to optimize performance during one of the most crucial sales periods of the year - Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We’re discuss the shift from pre-sale planning to sale operations, covering our real-tim…

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034: How To Launch New Channels and Identify Incremental Value In Your Ad Spend 1:05:11

9M ago1:05:11

1:05:11

Today it’s the three of us back together! We’re talking about our approaches and playbooks for launching new marketing channels and our insights on what it takes to scale effectively. We cover strategies for choosing the right channels, establishing measurement frameworks, and how to determine when to invest heavily versus cautiously testing. 00:00…

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E033: Zach Stuck on the Core Marketing Tactics to Drive Growth As You Scale 1:08:00

9M ago1:08:00

1:08:00

Today we are joined by Zach Stuck, founder of the growth marketing agency Homestead. He shares his insights on acquiring and launching brands, how to identify market trends, when's the right time to diversify into different ad channels, running a lean team, and he shares his advice on the key tactics for driving growth at each revenue band. One not…

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E032: How To Balance Brand Memorability & ROI In Your Creative Ad Strategy with David Herrmann 1:07:14

10M ago1:07:14

1:07:14

We’ve got a special guest today, David Herrmann is back, our first ever second time guest. We’re talking about what channels we’re scaling as we head into Q4, we talk about ad account builds, creating a memorable brand, we get deep into meta media buying and creative diversification and what that means for your ad account and lots more. 00:00 Intro…

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E031: One month countdown to BFCM: What We're Working On Right Now To Maximise Success 1:15:17

10M ago1:15:17

1:15:17

First up today, we’re checking in on Cody’s recent product drop and talking about some of the tactics and thinking behind the success of the drop so far, and then we get into Q4 production and what we’re working on right now to get ready for the biggest time of the year and ensure a successful BFCM. We also get into our first MOperators Hotline que…

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E030: Reza Khadjavi, Motion Founder, on Building a Creative-first Approach to DTC Marketing 1:19:53

10M ago1:19:53

1:19:53

This week we are joined by Reza Khadjavi, Founder and CEO at Motion, our premier sponsor. We’re talking the evolution of performance creative and the importance of creative strategy in DTC marketing, and Reza shares his insights on the rise of the creative strategist role, the impact of AI on creative workflows, the future of creative strategy and …

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E029: How We're Planning For 2025 - Our Approaches, Strategies vs. Tactics & Knowing When To Pivot 1:27:49

10M ago1:27:49

1:27:49

As we head into October and execute on Q4, we’re also setting our sights on 2025. In today’s episode, we’re talking about how we’re planning for the upcoming year - we discuss each of our approaches, the delineation of strategies versus tactics, delegating and communicating ownership to the team, knowing what to focus on and when to pivot and much …

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E028: MOperators Hotline! Pre-BFCM Targets, Marketing Spend, Moving from Amazon to DTC & More 47:18

11M ago47:18

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In today’s episode we are introducing the MOperators Hotline!! We’re answering some of your questions and sharing our advice on your growth and marketing questions, queries and challenges. We cover how to set targets in the lead up to BFCM to fill the funnel, what to be spending on marketing as a percentage of revenue, strategies to boost rolling r…

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E027: How We Set Goals, Attribution Limitations and KPIs for Growth 1:14:25

11M ago1:14:25

1:14:25

00:00 Introduction01:36 E-commerce Trends and Personal Updates06:10 Marketing Strategies and Media Mix17:28 Forecasting and Setting KPIs52:09 Testing and Measuring IncrementalityOperators Exclusive Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/9operators/shared_invite/zt-20pd2eq4n-UVM6oTQkdltEwLINwkCWIAPowered by:Motion.⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_sourc…

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E026: Shopify President Harley Finkelstein on Founder Mode, Chaos Monkeys & The Future of Shopify 1:02:02

11M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

This week we have the Shopify President Harley Finkelstein joining the squad. This is one not to miss - we’re talking founder mode, getting rid of chaos monkeys, how to stay focused on the most important thing, having a growth mindset in business, the future of Shopify and much more. 00:00 Introduction to Shopify and Harley's Journey 04:09 Founder …