Nerd Marketing

Performance marketing gets all the spend—but is it driving real growth? Bonobos CEO John Hutchison talks with Drew & Mike about how rebalancing the mix toward brand led to stronger revenue, better retention, and long-term customer loyalty. Plus, they dive into his leadership style, navigating culture during change, and what younger marketers should focus on today to someday run the brands they love.

Mike gives a full rundown of Shoptalk, from the Vegas suite party to the AI trends in DTC. Plus, the Nerds talk about Vera Bradley unloading Pura Vida for... only $1 million?

What's driving eCommerce valuations today? Drew Fallon, CEO of Iris Finance, reveals the latest trends in M&A, what makes a Shopify store attractive to buyers, and the financial strategies that separate high-growth brands from struggling ones. If you're a CEO or CFO thinking about scaling or selling, this episode is a must-listen.

Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein break down PostPilot's Series A journey - why they chose growth equity over VC, the challenges of raising capital, and how it impacted their business strategy. They also dive into Cozy Earth's winning direct mail strategy, revealing how the brand optimized its catalog program for faster, more effective customer acquisition. Plus, they introduce the Email Echo Strategy, a powerful way for brands to extend their email marketing impact using direct mail.

Shopify has made a huge push into the enterprise market, but why are so many big brands still hesitant to make the switch? Drew and Michael break down key insights from eTail, explore why legacy brands remain stuck on outdated tech stacks, and highlight the massive opportunity Shopify is missing. They also debunk common loyalty program myths and share smarter retention strategies that actually drive results.

Klaviyo just launched its first-ever CRM built for B2C brands, and Drew was on the ground at the event. He and Michael break down what this means for eCommerce, Klaviyo's competitive landscape, and whether this signals a major shift in the industry. Plus, they dive into two major DTC acquisitions and reveal how Four Sigmatic leveraged direct mail to drive retail success.

Super Bowl ads are the biggest marketing stage of the year - but are they actually driving new customer acquisition? Drew and Mike break down why most ads focused on brand retention over acquisition and what that means for DTC brands. Plus, they dive into the CFO-CMO dynamic - how alignment between these roles drives real, profitable growth - and why apparel brands like Vuori and Buck Mason are scaling direct mail into a multimillion-dollar acquisition channel.

The DTC landscape is shifting fast: tariffs are disrupting supply chains, Meta's ad platform is more unpredictable than ever, and DTC brands are feeling the pressure. Drew and Michael break down the five major ways tariffs are impacting eCommerce, how Meta's latest changes are frustrating advertisers, and why brands like Hexclad are scaling smarter—with strategies like direct mail and a Super Bowl commercial.

Drew and Michael break down why over-relying on one channel is risky, why ROAS is flawed, and how cutting costs can backfire. Plus, insights on driving high AOV in acquisition, beauty brand demographics, and the Jonathan Adler acquisition.