DTC850: Hush Blankets Brand Breakdown, Fourth of July Tariff Impact

Good morning, 

Welcome to the return of the Brand Breakdown! 🎉

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into some of your favorite DTC brands, dissecting their ad libraries, email strategies, Amazon presence, CRO tactics, and more.

So make sure to open every Friday send, so you don't miss out on these valuable insights and tips. 

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

😴 Hush Blankets Ads
Snoozeworthy vs. sleeper hit ads. 

📦 Daily Tariff UpdateU.S. and Vietnam reach a tariff deal. 

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Mcmenamins, Mr. Cool, and Portland Leather. 👋

😴 Let’s Go On A Hush Ads Deep Dive

Hush is a Canadian company that was founded in 2017 by Lior Ohayon and Aaron Spivak.

The brand is known best for their weighted blankets and, more recently, their cooling sheets.

We asked the Pilothouse team to analyze a few of their recent ad creatives so you can apply these learnings to your own ad account.

Want to see what they found? Keep on scrolling!

‍

1️⃣ Static Ad #1: Limited Edition Products

Limited-edition ads are great for both returning customers and bringing folks in at the top of the funnel.

This image centers on a new colour that was launched in the Spring.

This Hush variation is strong, but there are a few simple ways to make it even more effective.

Adding these call-outs to the ad would make customers feel more compelled to purchase and add a sense of urgency. 👇

1️⃣ Mention the Quantity Produced

• E.g. We only made x amount…

2️⃣ Last Drop Sold Out…

• E.g. Last limited edition drop sold out in 48 hours, so grab yours now…

3️⃣ Customer Persona Specific Language

• Usually, Pilothouse puts these limited edition products together with a specific segmentation in mind, so leaning into a more personalized/persona-specific take on copy and styling could help pull in the right people and grab attention.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Add urgency to your copy: For limited-edition ads to really work at every juncture of the sales funnel, you need to infuse each ad with a ton of urgency and also something that will appeal directly to the demo you're trying to capture with the launch.

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2️⃣ Static Ad #2: BOGO Offer

This ad offers a compelling BOGO deal on Hush’s Iced Cooling Sheets—but the visual and copy don’t fully reinforce the offer’s core value.

The image itself is scroll-stopping, but it evokes warmth and coziness—someone wrapped up in a thick duvet. For a product built around cooling, breathability, and night-long comfort, that could undercut the message.

Additionally, the in-image copy, “Don’t buy these sheets, unless you want one set for free,” is clever, but might work better in the headline or body copy, where there’s room to expand and clarify.

Right now, it’s not fully clear whether customers receive two full sets, or a flat and fitted combo.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Visual Storytelling is Important: An image can convey a lot, and the one Hush is using doesn’t clearly support the core benefit of cooling.

Using a different image that conveys ‘cooling’ would make more sense in this case.

✅ Consider Customer's Buying Habits: If Hush positioned it as a starter set or a 'complete your set' type of offer, it could have wider reach and appeal.

With bedding, people want to buy a bundle or full set, so being more explicit about the offer would help Hush drive a higher CTR.

We’ve seen strong positioning elsewhere in the Hush ad account around full bedding bundles. There may be room to explore how different types of offers are represented to resonate with specific audience segments.

1️⃣ Video ad #1: Target Beauty Segment

In this visual, Hush shows a creator using her nighttime skincare products to catch the attention of a specific segment: the skincare girlies.

The ad naturally leads into her talking about how Hush's cooling sheets have improved her beauty sleep.

The visual of her jumping into bed feels dynamic and playful.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Signal early: When approaching new audiences, it's important to hook them in within the first 3 seconds and use that first clip as effectively as you can.

✅ Expand creator reach: Another great opportunity for Hush (if they aren’t doing it already), would be partnering with creators and launching ads through their social media handles instead.

This is another great way to start capturing a persona who may not already be in your audience matrix.

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2️⃣ Video ad #2: Evergreen Creator Content

This evergreen creator ad revolves around refreshing a home for Spring, starting with the bedroom.

However, the script stays fairly broad and takes a while to mention Hush’s cooling USP.

For a brand like Hush, a great way to stand out is to figure out fun ways to represent the cooling nature of the bedding.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Build backwards! Start with the winning angle and then distill it into simple, fun, and easy-to-digest visuals.

✅ Get Creative! Instead of using the same script to describe your USP, test out different language and visual cues to see what sticks with your target audience.

Hush has built a strong foundation with high-quality products and a smart ad strategy, but there may still be room to optimize further.

Clarifying offers, leaning into urgency, and tailoring messaging to specific personas can drive real performance gains.

Do you have a brand you’d love to see represented in the Brand Breakdown series? Reply to this email and let us know!

📦 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. 

July 4, 2025 update:

• U.S. and Vietnam Reach a Tariff Agreement
  
  • Trump shares that the U.S. will charge a 20% for Vietnamese imports and a 40% tariff for "transshipping."
    
  • U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explains the "transshipping" tariff refers to “if another country sells their content through products exported by Vietnam to us — they’ll get hit with a 40% tariff.”
    
  • This marks the administration's third significant deal ahead of the July 9 trade deadline.
    
  • However, economists and experts have warned that this deal could provoke retaliation from China, Vietnam's largest trading partner.
    

• How Tariffs Are Impacting Firework Prices
  
  • Over 90% of the fireworks used in the U.S. originate from China, which may dampen Fourth of July celebrations in the near future.
    
  • Many retailers ordered their sparklers in advance, so it won't affect this year's pyrotechnic shows, but 2026 will be a different story due to tariffs on Chinese imports.
    
  • American Pyrotechnics Association's Executive Director Julie Heckman shares that U.S. firework manufacturers alone cannot meet demand.

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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.