Rather than focusing purely on ads, I took a holistic view of the brand, its offer, and how marketing was working together as a system. This surfaced several connected issues that were limiting growth.
Key areas identified:
Product mix & stock: The brand’s range was narrower than competitors, and marketing had focused heavily on a single hero product for over 18 months. That product was well established, but demand had plateaued, while other products had never been properly positioned or supported.
Organic social strategy: Instagram, the main organic channel, had followed a similar approach for several years and needed a refresh to stay effective.
Community: There was little space for community-building — increasingly important for D2C brands moving into 2025 and beyond.
Brand depth: The brand’s story and values weren’t coming through as strongly as they could.
Tracking & data: Cookie consent and tracking setup needed updating to ensure reliable performance data.
Creative cohesion: Photography quality was high, but needed stronger alignment and a more cost-effective, repeatable approach.
STRATEGY
I designed a six-month plan to address these issues in parallel, with a focus on long-term performance rather than short-term fixes. This involved defining changes to the product and marketing focus to reduce reliance on a single hero product, setting clear direction for deeper and more consistent brand expression, and shaping a refreshed organic social approach using bespoke prompts to guide more meaningful, brand-led captions.
I also provided strategic guidance for restructuring paid media to support more effective scaling, oversaw updates to tracking including a new cookie banner and a move to server-side tracking, and aligned photography across the site and channels around a clear, consistent style. Specialist teams across development, content, photography and paid media implemented the plan to the direction set.
Results took a few weeks to materialise as audiences adjusted to the new messaging and campaigns optimised. Once they did, performance shifted quickly. Return on ad spend increased to over 4x ROAS, allowing paid media to be scaled confidently without waste. The resulting uplift in sales created a cash injection for the business, enabling investment in a broader product range that further supported growth. As a result, the business entered 2026 in a significantly stronger position, with improved performance, clearer brand foundations, and greater flexibility for future growth.