DTC719: Alouette’s Packaging Redesign

Good morning,

GIPHY’s trend forecast reveals that GIF searches are now dominated by Gen Z slang.

Words like “ijbol” (‘I just burst out laughing’) and “aura” (describing someone’s presence) have surged in popularity, while millennial favorites like “lol” and “vibes” are on the decline.‍

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Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
🧀 Learn how Alouette transformed their packaging for its 50th anniversary.
💰 We discuss how mobile ad network Applovin allows brands to tap into new audiences and boost growth.
💡 We go over five top creative ad styles to test for next year.
🎁 And… Christmas might be over but here’s another gifting angle you can use in your next email campaign to excite customers.  

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You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Bountiful Chef, Peora, and Granddad Jacks. 👋

🧀 Alouette Transforms Look In Time For The Holiday Season

[Alouette’s before and after packaging transformation]

Alouette celebrates its 50th anniversary with a rebrand and its biggest campaign to date.

The French cheese brand wanted a change so customers would feel less intimidated shopping in the cheese aisle.

Here’s what they did to position themselves as a more approachable and accessible brand so customers will consider purchasing the product for holiday festivities and beyond.

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Major packaging design changes:

• Brings ‘little lark to life’: The silhouette of the songbird is a key component to the new logo and an inspiration for the new playful slogan ‘flavor that sings’. The sonic branding draws from a popular Quebecois children’s song (“al-ou-et-te”). The new imagery feels much more intentional.
• Larger font: The fonts are bigger and bolder, making everything easier to read. Along with enlarging the logo, other key unique selling points like ‘no outer rind’ are more strongly emphasized.
• Focus on image: The new packaging gives a bird's eye view of the spreadable product and is a more decadent image that evokes the senses.

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The angle of the shot really highlights the brie spread, making it the clear focal point.

By removing the extra details, the new design puts all the focus on the product, resulting in a sharper, more impactful look.

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The takeaway?

Alouette’s old design had a classic, traditional feel, with a mix of white, blue, and red that gave it an unmistakably French look. Their new monochromatic design, however, feels much more inviting and refined.

🎧 How DTC Brands Are Scaling with AppLovin: A Guide to Mobile Ads Success

In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we dive into AppLovin, the emerging mobile ad network reshaping how DTC brands scale.

Join Pilothouse’s Taylor and Aves as they share their hands-on experience with Applovin, exploring its algorithm-driven audience targeting and creative-first approach.

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In this podcast, we cover:

• What is Applovin? Learn how this platform enables 9x16 video ads in mobile apps and why it’s creating buzz in the ecommerce space.
• Creative Strategy Tips: Discover why humor, entertainment, and long-format storytelling are crucial for success on this platform.
• Incrementality Challenges: Understand how to measure new customer acquisition effectively with tools like post-purchase surveys and MTA analysis.
• Who Can Advertise? A $20k/day spend on Meta is required to qualify—making it ideal for scaling brands.

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👉 You can listen to the full episode with Taylor and Aves here.

META ADS

💡 Ad Creative Styles To Test Next

Pilothouse shares the number one rule to remember is fancy fails, simple scales, especially on the ad creative side.

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Here are some successful ad creative styles you can test for next year:

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1️⃣ The Organic Shot

Or the Box shot as we refer to it. A messy, unfiltered, unedited, minimal-effort image that emulates something you’d send a friend as soon as you got the product or sharing a product you enjoy.

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It can be something like unboxing or holding the product up. These do really well in ads, as they feel authentic and stop the scroll.

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2️⃣ DPA Frame

Dynamic Product Ads and Catalogue ads are doing great across the board. They offer a straightforward product showcase, essentially taking the imagery from a product page and seamlessly placing it into an ad format.

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However, simply making some Unique selling points (USPs) or sale overlays can scale these ad styles tremendously.

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3️⃣ Text Overlay

A simple message, bold text overlay with the top product.

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It can be applied to any top image in the account – CGC, product image, organic warehouse, you name it.

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4️⃣ Repeat Background

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These text backgrounds have been wildly popular for promotional posts. The key is to use contrasting colors so the background still pops.

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5️⃣ Trending

Anything trending organically on TikTok like a meme or video style, is great to make into ads.

The key is to get it made and launch it in ads ASAP in order to ride out the trending wave. At the end of this year we saw a lot of Spotify Wrapped inspired posts like this one.

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Test these out, and let us know if you find any winners for 2025!

🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE

While everyone was racing to get their presents delivered before Christmas, here’s a fresh take on gifting after Dec 25.

Get customers to buy by surprising their loved ones with a bonus gift. It’s working for DadGang so test this out!

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⚡ QUICK HITS

👀 Looking for some more holiday listening material? You can find the full DTC Podcast catalog here and The World’s Best Email and Retention Podcast here. Get inspired, start strategizing, and go into 2025 with confidence.

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📅 EVENTS

The Founders Reset* - Join DTC Co-Founders Eric and Jeff at this exclusive event for top DTC founders to unplug, share, find inspiration, and reflect on their business journey. 👉 Get $500 USD off with discount code: DTCVIP

🗓️ January 23-25 | 🇨🇦 Whistler, CA | 💰 $3,000

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Digiday Media Buying Summit - This summit gathers key decision-makers from top brands and agencies, attracting a diverse audience of professionals eager to explore cutting-edge strategies and technologies in media buying.

🗓️ March 3-5 | 🇺🇸 Nashville, TN | 💰 $2,295 - $4,495

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Digiday Publishing Summit - This event for publishers and media professionals is focused on overcoming industry challenges and seizing new opportunities. Participants will engage in discussions around key topics such as monetization strategies, audience engagement, and the impact of emerging technologies in publishing.

🗓️ March 24-26 | 🇺🇸 Vail, CO | 💰 $3,395 - $4,795‍

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⭐ END OF YEAR HITS

‼️ Is your Gmail storage full? Get organized and clean up your cluttered inbox with these handy tips and tricks.

✨ Visualization is the key to success. Use this free tool to create a 2025 vision board.

😰 Are you guilty of procrastinating? This “anti-planner” has skyrocketed in popularity in the past few days for helping people stick to their goals.

SPONSOR DTC

📥 Got a B2B Biz?

Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.

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‍Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• ⭐ Building a Mission-Led Brand: Better Basics’ Plastic-Free Journey
• 🎄 AKNF 465: Google’s Holiday Trends Indicate BFCM Isn’t Over!
• ❌ TWBERP 12: Top Six Email Segmentation Mistakes
• 🌱 Seed Oil Alternatives: TerViva’s Regenerative Food Approach
• 📧 AKNF 464: Gmail’s New Spam Rules Requires Sniper Segments
• 💰 TWBERP 11: The Financial Case for Email

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Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

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