Cody Plofker On Ad Messaging, Contribution Margin, and Forecasting DTC Brands

My last episode with Jones Road Beauty CMO & CRO Cody Plofker is the most popular episode in my podcast's history. Which meant it was time to bring him back.

This is a wide-ranging episode in which Cody and I talk about how to think about Contribution Margin as a dollar amount (instead of just efficiency metrics like MER or aMER), how to forecast a DTC brand effectively, and how to use the concept of a "unique mechanism" in your DTC ad messaging.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• [00:52] Cody's switch to bid caps.
• [03:39] Joining Slack groups for support.
• [07:12] Removing the pacing mechanism.
• [08:52] Bidding and budgeting strategies.
• [11:23] Ratio targets and contribution dollars.
• [14:23] Tying marketing to financial metrics.
• [17:20] ASC cost caps and lowest cost.
• [21:32] Relying on meta for demand.
• [22:37] Supply chain management in e-commerce.
• [26:23] Product launches and exclusivity.
• [29:12] Adjusting bid caps for sales.
• [31:41] Delayed attribution and Black Friday.
• [33:23] Making adjustments and comfort levels.
• [37:12] By-product value of advertising spend.
• [39:30] Bid multipliers and targeting.
• [41:19] In-store sales and advertising.

EPISODE SPONSOR

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AFP EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

• "Cody Plofker Goes DEEP On Meta Media Buying" (Spotify, Apple)
• "With $10M In Revenue And $0 In Ad Spend, Isaac Medeiros Is In A Class Of His Own" (Spotify, Apple)
• "Briefing A Longform Explainer Ad For Bambu Earth Live (With Dave Rekuc)" (Spotify, Apple)

OTHER RESOURCES REFERENCED

• Dave Rekuc's CXL Forecasting Course
• Ogilvy On Advertising
• Breakthrough Advertising

FOLLOW UP WITH CODY

• Sign Up For Cody's Newsletter: ⁠https://www.codyplofker.com/newsletter⁠
• Follow Cody on X: ⁠https://twitter.com/codyplof⁠
• Hire Cody On MentorPass: ⁠https://www.mentorpass.co/me/codyplofker⁠

FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW

• Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com
• Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

EPISODE MUSIC

• Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means
• Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means