DTC841: Summerween, Baby Boomers, 2000s Guerilla Marketing

Good morning, 

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

👻 Celebrating Summerween!
Don’t miss out on this spooky opportunity.  

🧓 Cracking the Boomer Code
Inside the minds of a misunderstood generation.
📦 Daily Tariff Update
Will costs of tariffs fall onto the consumer? 

🍾 2000s Guerilla MarketingFlash mobs are so back. 

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: BOOM! Beauty, Donde, and Ecosa. 👋

👀 Six Ways AI Is Evolving Ecommerce in 2025

Smarter operations start with smarter systems. Is your brand ready? 🧠

✅ Swap surveyed 100 ecommerce execs to uncover how AI is reshaping operations, boosting margins, and powering next-gen retail strategies in 2025.

The full report reveals the pressure points brands are facing—and how AI is becoming the operational upgrade they can’t ignore. 

Inside the guide, get ready to discover:

• 📈 Where AI is transforming ecommerce operations
• 💡 How it’s driving faster decisions and stronger margins
• 🌟 How AI’s predictive analytics help you forecast the future, even with ongoing global disruptions
• 🔍 What early adopters are doing differently
• 📊 Key predictions shaping AI’s role in retail this year

AI is no longer a future trend — it’s the new operating system for growth.

👻 How Summerween Can Boost Sales   

Do you notice more spooky, scary promotions happening? 

You’re not alone.

This strange phenomenon is known as Summerween. 

In the summer months, Halloween shoppers like to stock up on spooky decor ahead of time or celebrate Halloween early by throwing Summerween parties which combine spooky elements with summery vibes.  

In response, retailers like Michaels have already begun promoting Halloween items in June. 

And why not? Halloween is quickly becoming a major retail event in the past few years. 

Still need some convincing? 

Here are the spine-chilling stats 👇

• In 2023, the National Retail Federation reported that Americans spent $12.2 billion on the spooky holiday, reaching an all-time high. The average spending per person was $108.24.
• In 2024, they predicted $11.6 billion with an average spending per person to be $103.63. While figures dipped slightly in 2024, Halloween still sees overall growth when we look at stats from the past decade. Compared to 2014, revenue has nearly doubled in the past ten years. 😲
• Amazon sales of Halloween-related items have continued to move earlier and earlier YoY. 
  
  • In 2024, Amazon Halloween shopping began ramping up in early August.

What does this tell us? 

There’s a big demand for Halloween-related items during the summer months. Whether it’s for costumes, decorations, or candy. 

Some tactics to try: 

‍1️⃣ Create Halloween-specific SKUs or put them out earlier. Target early online shoppers and customers looking to host Summerween parties.

2️⃣ Put together some Halloween ads. Use ‘trick or treat’ messaging and test them out. 

The takeaway? 

Brands can combat sluggish summer sales by cashing in on Halloween early with Summerween promotions. 

When planning your marketing calendar, see if there’s an opportunity to run a Summerween campaign for your brand well before the Fall.

🚨 DTC Brands: Tariffs Are Here. Margins Are Vanishing. What’s Your Move?

Margins are getting squeezed—fast.

With blanket tariffs, China import hikes, and new sustainability surcharges now live, your cost structure is changing whether you’re ready or not.

👉 Join Aftersell and operators from Ridge Wallet, HexClad, Groove Life, Ekster, Triple Whale, Gorgias, and Stay AI for Margin Recovery Mode—a tactical, zero-fluff roundtable on how DTC brands are adapting in real time.

You’ll get:

• ✅ Real sourcing and fulfillment pivots
• ✅ Revenue tactics that recover lost margin (upsells, loyalty, bundles)
• ✅ Free giveaways for live attendees

🗓️ Live June 24 & 25 @ 1PM ET

🎯 Don’t wait for Q3 to fix this—come ready to take notes.

📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In

Whether it’s a minor tweak or a major shift, we’ll keep you posted on the latest tariff changes—so you’re always in the know. 

June 20, 2025 update:

• Fed Holds Interest Rates
  
  
  • Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank is holding off on rate cuts until the impact of Trump’s tariffs is clearer, warning they could lead to a “meaningful” rise in inflation.
    
  • Powell emphasized that the cost of tariffs will ultimately fall on consumers.

• Auto Tariffs Causes Prices To Spike
  
  
  • Trump's tariffs are causing U.S. auto prices to increase by nearly $2,000 per vehicle.
    
  • Consulting firm AlixPartners predicts that auto companies will pass 80% of the cost onto consumers.

🎧 Are Baby Boomers Just Misunderstood? 

In this episode of Ad-venturous, Aves investigates one of marketing’s most misunderstood audiences: Baby Boomers.

Rather than leaning into Boomer stereotypes, Aves digs into this demographic’s lived experiences, history, and psychology to uncover actionable insights.

From Woodstock to accusations of wealth hoarding, Baby Boomers have lived through dramatic cultural shifts.

Aves uses the philosophical lens of hedonism and the economic allegory of "Keeping Up with the Joneses" to explore why Boomers buy, what they care about, and how brands can connect with them authentically using humor, humanity, and a bit of hedonism.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why Boomers Buy: How Boomer values were shaped by Depression-era parents and led them to be on the “hedonic treadmill.”
  
• Ways to boost Boomer engagement: How using satire and humor in your campaigns can help big time.
  

“Be funny. Be human. Stop treating them like dinosaurs! Boomers will comment, tag, and share if it’s something clever and connects with them emotionally.” 

• Boomer marketing fails: Why most campaigns miss the mark with ‘play it safe’ messaging.

👉 Listen to the full episode with Aves here.

😰 Still struggling to find the right creators? Click Analytic spots influencers tagging your brand, your competitors, and finds lookalikes of top-performing influencers, all in one place. Get your 1 month FREE here. *

Aperol Spritz stopped traffic this month with this creative guerilla marketing campaign.

Rather than spending their budget on paid ads, they hired 100 people to form a flash mob and hand out drinks. 

The back of the white jumpsuits also had QR codes so passerbyers could scan and learn more about the brand.

The lively event generated tons of user-generated content (UGC) and social media posts surrounding the unexpected hoopla, and Aperol Spritz positioned itself as the drink of the summer.

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📥 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.

Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• 📧 TWBERP 38: Stop Double Tapping Unengaged Addresses 
• 🍘 How Back To Nature Repositioned Away From ‘Plant-Based’

• 🤖 AKNF 516: Steal These AI Workflows and 3x Creative Production
• 🤔 Ad-venturous 6: Did Gen X Pledge Allegiance to Value? 
• ⚡TWBERP 37: They Subscribed, Now What? Welcome Emails 

• 🧊How Shiti Coolers Turned a Joke into A Party Cooler Brand 

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

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

Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.