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In this BFCM 2025 breakdown, Eric chats with Pilothouse's Head of Ecom Grayson Rudzki and Lead Strategist Abby to unpack what actually worked, what flopped, and how smarter strategy beat brute-force ad spend.

For DTC marketers running paid, creative, or lifecycle retention

• How Pilothouse beat Meta's creative fatigue warnings
• What "targeting with creative" really means in 2025
• Why retention—not acquisition—won this year
• Tactics for using AI without generating slop
• Real BFCM ads that moved the needle (with examples)

Who this is for: Founders, brand-side marketers, and media buyers looking to de-risk spend and boost lifetime value

What to steal:

• The "persona-led Christmas card ad" concept that crushed
• How to diversify creative for open targeting without burning out
• Simple Rebuy tweaks that doubled items per order

Timestamps

00:00 AI reshaping BFCM strategy and creative testing

02:00 Record BFCM performance numbers and key takeaways

04:00 Why retention, baseline revenue, and loyalty mattered most

06:00 Real examples of AI workflows that saved teams time

08:00 Outdated playbooks vs the need for real strategists

10:00 Meta Andromeda, creative fatigue, and targeting with creative

12:00 Persona-driven creative example that drove conversions

14:00 Humor, culture, and relevance in winning ad creative

16:00 Diversified creative performance and lowered CPMs

18:00 The new state of UGC and authenticity on Meta

20:00 Post-click strategy, bundles, and conversion wins

22:00 2026 resolutions: intuition, creativity, and human strategy

24:00 Hero apps of the year: Rebuy, Triple Whale, and results

Hashtags

#BFCM #Ecommerce #EcommerceMarketing #DTC #MetaAds #FacebookAds #PerformanceMarketing #AIinMarketing #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #MarketingStrategy #CreativeStrategy #AdBuying #TripleWhale #Rebuy

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