Matt Colleran

For years I’ve been on the data-side of the ECOM equation. “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑴, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.” “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆.” But in the past couple months I’ve played a lead creative strategist role and it’s both invigorating and eye-opening. While there’s much to say about the media buyer/creative strategist role, I’ll save that for another post... For now, here are a few things I’ve learned (and re-learned): (1) 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐭. You have to have a flywheel of creative to fuel your ad accounts. In a perfect world this means something like: Day 1 - analyzing performance Day 2 - briefing Day 3 - approving/revising Day 4 - launch Rinse and repeat You get a predictable 10+ new creatives per week, and everything is hunky dory. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Business priorities shift, things take longer to approve, or budgets get adjusted. Allow yourself (and your team) to draw outside of the lines of the system. (2) 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭. Angles, hooks, concepts, formats, off-image copy & headlines, audience segments… the list goes on. I tried to systematize our briefs and naming conventions to define the concept, angle, hook, and format for every ad. Then I threw it out the window. Give me a good angle and the reason behind it. Then let’s test it. (3) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. If the media buyer is only responsible for providing the data, they have no motivation to contextualize it. If they are also responsible for the performance of new creative, they will make sure all new creative is going in the right direction based on what the data is telling them. This is where systemization can become an enemy more than a friend. If you systematize your reporting too much, you may be grabbing “insights” that are really nothing. You have to allow for flexibility in reporting to allow the data to tell its story. For the experienced creative strategists out there... agree or disagree?

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Why did Stitch partner with Talon.One? Three main reasons... 1️⃣ In working with Braze customers, we've seen an incredible amount of pain with their existing loyalty platforms (looking at you, Punchh & CrowdTwist, Inc.). 2️⃣ The platform is 👌. The response time and the ability to customize workflows is elite. 3️⃣ The combination of Braze + Talon.One is a marketer's dream. Scale, capability and efficiency bridging marketing & loyalty together.

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Dollar General is enhancing its retail media program by teaming up with solutions provider Criteo. The commerce media platform will work with the retailer's Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) arm to support onsite sponsored ad offerings. Through this arrangement, brand partners can access inventory and campaign execution and utilize Criteo’s self-service demand-side platform. Among other capabilities, brands can leverage DGMN’s inventory within their private market through Criteo’s retailer monetization platform. In addition, the technology enables brands to reach Dollar General’s digital customers who often build lists online before making their weekly in-store purchases. Omnichannel insights will be available for marketers to see if sales are taking place online or in-store. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gATgumgr #retail #retailmedia #grocery #shoppers #media #digital

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How does Seedtag find the targeting opportunities you didn't know you were missing? 👥🔍 In this video interview from the TVREV In Cannes series, Mike Villalobos, VP of Strategy & Planning at Seedtag, explains how the company's contextual AI uncovers targeting opportunities that brands might not even know existed. “We’ll find those white spaces for folks who really want to understand where the audience extends to, to catch them at the right time, at the right moment,” says Villalobos. He also discusses how Seedtag's recent acquisition of Beachfront will enable us to do this better and more efficiently on CTV. Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eWprFnnX #ContextualAI #AdTech #PrivacyFirst #CTV

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I've just published a new blog on the DIGITS site, where we delve into the recent Target Circle relaunch and its significant impact on the retail landscape. In this post, we explore:   - 1M New Signups since the relaunch  - A 20% increase in weekly offers  - 2.5X higher offer utilization with auto-apply  - Key insights on promotional spend and incrementality Plus, I share strategic tips on how to leverage these changes for maximum success. https://lnkd.in/g9PwNCMx

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The secret to sustainable DTC growth? It's not just customer acquisition. It's mastering the art of working ON your business, not just IN it. Here's what that looks like: • Refine your brand strategy • Optimize your tech stack • Analyze customer lifetime value • Develop scalable systems I've helped brands turn slow periods into massive growth catalysts. How are you investing in your business's future today? #DTCGrowth #BusinessStrategy

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LOOKING FOR SOME SUGGESTIONS PLEASE! Looking for a couple great weekly or monthly podcasts focusing specifically on e-commerce or DTC business. I’ve been listening to a ton of general business and marketing podcasts lately (Scott Galloway, How I Built This, Tim Ferris, etc.) and seeking to get more granular ideas and insights for our online business. Would appreciate any tips, suggestions or recommendations. #ecommerce #dtc #podcasts #givemesuggestions #imactuallyasking #notjustpostingforfun #doesthiswork #ecommercetips #dtctips

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James and I are interviewing Rachel Peters (Clean Age) this Friday for our pod, BrandBusters. CleanAge has been laser-focused on serving Gen Z, and they bucked the traditional 2010s CPG launch by going RETAIL FIRST instead of DTC FIRST. They have an awesome brand aesthetic and make products with better ingredients (and sustainable packaging). What should we ask Rachel? #CPG #podcasts #brandbusters

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Podcast: Powering Resale for Conscious Retailers with Continue 🎙️

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🎉 Big News From Pacvue! - As I teased a few weeks back, we’ve just added a powerful new offering to our platform!  Pacvue has released our new #iROAS Dashboard, part of our Incrementality Console, to tackle one of the biggest challenges in retail media… #Measurement.🚀 Understanding the incremental impact of advertising efforts is critical to planning budgets and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns - yet remains one of the most ambiguous areas, causing uncertainty in digital marketing. Our new incrementality model enables brands to see the impact of advertising on sales, optimize their budgets, and make better data-driven decisions on overall marketing strategy. Pacvue’s iROAS model leverages years of deep industry expertise combined with dozens of inputs and data sources to bring brands the most accurate measure of incremental revenue growth. 👇 Check out the link below for more details. https://lnkd.in/g_KRiHs3 #incrementality #retailmedia #commercemedia #martech 

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Congratulations to StandUp Ventures portfolio company Max Retail on their $15M USD Series A led by Nosara Capital after an exceptional year of growth! Oh how I love optimization problems, and especially ones that support entrepreneurs 😭 Independent retail shops sit on an average of 22% excess inventory at any given time, representing ~$50K-$200K of financial losses each year. For small businesses that are often the pillars of their communities (& frequently women-owned!), these losses are HUGELY impactful. Before Max Retail, options to recuperate them were extremely limited (discounting items far below cost, sending to consignment, or donating for a tax write-off). Alone, a single store in a small town with one or two sizes of a SKU isn't meaningful enough to engage with for zero inventory marketplaces or online retailers, but in aggregate, Max Retail's network of 2,000+ retailers and real-time data acts seamlessly as a single source of new and often hard-to-find supply. Bringing these items online exponentially increases the pool of potential buyers, resulting in immediate cash relief and payouts 4-8x higher than the status quo of liquidation. And the proof is in the pudding. 89% of active sellers are selling inventory every single month, with some sellers making upwards of $250k per year. GMV has exploded 4x YoY, with an incredible 40% of new retailer leads coming from existing customers. The macro omnichannel opportunity for real-time, SKU-level, inventory, pricing, and sales data across the normally siloed brick-and-mortar independent retail market is limitless. Alongside AI-powered pricing and item allocation engines, Max Retail is able to pay sellers the maximum value possible for excess inventory, and help retailers understand live inventory performance and market value of every item they list. This ultimately underpins a foundation for a more efficient and productive market, getting the right products to the right buyers at the right time, place and price. We're so excited to continue supporting the INCREDIBLE Melodie van der Baan alongside the wonderful M13, The Artemis Fund , and Rethink Impact, LP. Onwards and upwards! 🚀 #fundingnews #seriesa #retaildata

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Not only should brands/retailers think #omnichannel, but they can also now think #omniformat. As digital collectibles, digital apparel, and digital tokens become more popular, it's not just where you buy (in-store, mobile, online), but in what format you buy - physical, digital, or both (phygital). Here's an example from McFarlane Toys, which has both an online physical toy store that sells physicals and phygitals, and an online digital toy store that sells digitals. There's a new e-commerce flywheel in town -- physical to digital to physical. 1️⃣ McFarlane Toys Digital sold a digital DC Comics #Batman figure. 2️⃣ McFarlane Toys Digital sold a digital #Bane figure. 3️⃣ If you held your Batman and Bane figures, McFarlane Toys airdropped you a free combination #Knightfall figure with Bane breaking Batman's back. 4️⃣ If you held on to the Knightfall digital figure, you were later offered a 60% off coupon for the physical "Batman vs Bane" 2-pack 5️⃣ And, if you were starting with the physical "Batman vs Bane" 2-pack, they provide a link to the digital Knightfall figure in the secondary MTD marketplace so you can add them to your digital collection. #mcfarlanetoys #mcfarlanetoysdigital #mtd #ecommerce #physicaltodigital #digitaltophysical #web3 #web3commerce #DCcomics

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Unlocking Business Growth: Commercializing Toys with Brian Burt In this episode of Toy Business Unboxed, we sit down with Brian Burt, Partner and Chair of the Emerging Business Group. With over 25 years of experience advising entrepreneurs and startups, Brian shares his insights on how toy creators can commercialize their products and bring them to market successfully. Drawing from his extensive background in corporate law, business development, and IP protection, Brian breaks down three key strategies for growing a toy business—from raising capital to forming strategic partnerships. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your business, this episode is packed with real-world advice and actionable steps.

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How can you ensure brand safety on CTV? 📺 Brian Danzis, President of North America at Seedtag, joins the MarTech Podcast for a two-episode series. In this first episode, he discusses the importance of brand safety in CTV advertising and how contextual AI is revolutionizing this space. "Brand safety has certainly gone through an evolution. A new term over the last couple of years has evolved that is brand suitability," Brian explains. He highlights how, by leveraging Seedtag's contextual AI, Liz, brands can effectively engage with consumers in their area of interest while safeguarding their image and reputation. Listen to the full episode here: 🎧 https://lnkd.in/epvezWMH #CTV #BrandSafety #ContextualAdvertising

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The Amazon e-commerce space continues to attract significant investment, with Front Row recently being acquired for what’s reported to be a nine-figure valuation! 💰 While discussions often center around companies rolling up CPG brands, this acquisition marks a notable move in the consolidation of Amazon agencies. This follows the 2023 agency consolidation that united Fortress Brand, Schoolhouse, Taylor & Pond Digital Marketing Agency, Bizmut, and Finc3 Commerce under the Front Row brand. Front Row excels at helping clients grow their Amazon businesses through a comprehensive suite of services, including content creation, marketing, strategy & design, e-commerce management, and business intelligence. 📈 Specializing in Beauty, Health, Wellness, and Consumer Packaged Goods, Front Row has earned the trust of industry leaders like OUAI, Summer Fridays, Glow Recipe, Designs for Health, Scrub Daddy, Inc., Unilever, SEPHORA, and Wella Company. Their expertise positions them as a key player in the evolving landscape of e-commerce. Exciting times ahead for the Amazon ecosystem! 🚀

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🚀 How Casey's Boosted Sales Using a Customer Data Platform (CDP) Casey’s, the popular gas station and convenience store chain, harnessed the power of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) to drive precision marketing, transforming customer interactions and achieving impressive sales growth. Here’s how they did it: 🔹 Real-Time Offers at the Pump When customers stop to fuel up and swipe their loyalty or credit card, Casey’s knows exactly what they like. For example, if you’re a frequent buyer of their fountain drinks, a personalized offer for a discount pops up right there at the pump! This real-time targeting, made possible by their CDP, allows Casey's to engage with the right customer at the perfect moment, turning a routine fuel stop into an opportunity to boost sales. 🔹 Boosting Breakfast Sales with Smart Campaigns Casey’s also identified a group of loyal coffee buyers who weren’t purchasing breakfast sandwiches. Instead of sending out a generic promotion, they used their CDP to target this specific segment. A tailored email campaign offering a $1 discount on breakfast sandwiches was sent only to these coffee lovers who hadn’t tried them yet. The result? Increased breakfast sales without offering unnecessary discounts to those already buying. By using CDP to drive real-time, personalized marketing, Casey’s has been able to enhance the customer experience and maximize their sales opportunities. 👏 You can understand better if you see the video below. 🎥👇

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Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands had their glory days—but the curtain may be falling on the old, dare I say "legacy," DTC model. Today, #DTC is an essential channel for growth, but the model itself has been tested and found wanting. Consider Allbirds, once the darling of eco-conscious footwear, #IPO dreams, expansion plans… and now, reality checks. Casper, Away, Glossier, Inc., Warby Parker— all rode the high wave of billion-dollar valuations and cheap capital. Yet, some sank: Casper returned to private equity, Outdoor Voices went the same way, and Allbirds shut stores, pivoting to a distributor model to right the ship. Analysts like Simeon Siegel, CFA Siegel at BMO Capital Markets tell it straight: DTC didn’t eliminate the middleman; it became the middleman, bearing all the costs and headaches that come with the territory. With rising customer acquisition costs, thinning venture funds, and waning consumer enthusiasm, DTC brands faced the music. Even mighty brands like @Nike and Peloton —those with rock-solid brand equity—found they couldn’t ditch wholesale partnerships without consequences. As Neil Saunders from GlobalData Plc says, “It’s not where you sell; it’s what you sell.” Brands today aren’t ditching DTC entirely but embracing a hybrid approach, blending wholesale, digital, and brick-and-mortar to reach consumers more effectively - and more profitably. So, to today’s disruptors: Don’t aspire to be a DTC brand. Aspire to be a great brand. Let your products lead, and let the channels follow. #retailing #brands #marketing #businessmodels https://lnkd.in/gqfNYZeA

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Some products just don’t work for scaling DTC profitably. Why? The unit economics needed to scale profitably aren’t there. One example that comes to mind is the vast majority of food and bev products. If your product mix has low AOV and high (shipping + fulfillment cost)/AOV, chances are you won’t have enough room in your contribution margin before marketing to afford the CAC you need scale through DTC advertising channels. There are some exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking, the products that crush DTC have higher AOVs and higher margins before marketing, allowing sufficient CAC budget to scale. Do you agree?

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