Good morning,
Haircare brand Amika is now stepping into the fragrance arena with its first major expansion in nearly two decades.
Last month, the brand launched Amika:Aura Hair + Body Mist, a scent-driven innovation designed to fulfill years of enthusiastic consumer demand.
We asked Pilothouse to analyze these Meta Ads. They shared insights PLUS why having a full-funnel strategy is so important.
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Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
✨ Amika’s Meta Ads → Analyzing ads from their new product launch.
🚨 Daily Tariff Update → Trump pressures the EU
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✨ Amika’s Aesthetic And Playful Meta Ads
Amika’s new Aura launch marks an exciting step into the hair + body mist category. The creative direction is bold, vibrant, and aligned with Amika’s playful, feel-good brand DNA.
But nailing a product launch can be challenging, no matter how big your brand is.
Everything matters, especially when you're looking to break into a new category. What's at the core of a net new product launch is strategy.
Every piece of the funnel, every channel and every piece of creative needs to tie back to your overarching strategy.
If you don't step back and look at how these launches work as standalone sprints (e.g. channel allocation, creative messaging), then you've likely not thought about how it plays into your long-term strategy (new customer acquisition cost, brand recognition, retention).
Even the development of the product itself should plug into your overall strategy.
Pilothouse broke down these ads from Amika to showcase how even the bigger brands are leaving money on the table and limiting their own reach.
1️⃣ Static Ad #1
This creative is visually stunning. ✨
The emotive branding (e.g., soft-focused filter and ingredient-forward visuals) communicates a warm and inviting scent profile, tying back to the product name “Aura.”
It creates a mood that fits with Amika’s brand voice and an aspirational feel.
However, at the top of funnel (TOFU), this execution leans too heavily on brand equity.
While Amika is well known in haircare, entering a competitive category like body mists requires stronger differentiation.
Without clear “why us vs. Sol de Janeiro?” messaging, this risks blending in.
The copy is descriptive but not benefit-driven. Consumers see what the product smells like, but not why they should care.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Anchor on value props: Amika’s success in haircare is tied to quality ingredients and R&D-backed performance.
Carry that credibility into this new category: highlight clean ingredients, longer wear time, or dermatologist-tested benefits.
✅ Test hero angles: Instead of leading with “aura,” experiment with proof-driven messaging: longevity tests, functional benefits (hydrating mist, not just fragrance), or “hair-safe meets skin-safe.”
✅ Controlled creative testing: Roll out controlled variations, find 2 to 3 winning angles, then expand into more stylistic, brand-forward creative.
2️⃣ Static Ad #2
This creative is retargeting-ready!
It’s perfectly framed for an audience already familiar with Amika.
By positioning Aura as a natural extension of a beloved scent, it reinforces loyalty and increases cross-sell potential.
And leaning into the “now for hands, hair + body” framing makes sense given Amika’s authority in haircare.
However, as a paid social ad, this is unlikely to attract or convert cold audiences.
The messaging assumes product familiarity, and with limited differentiation, the ROI on paid placement risks being low.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Reallocate channel strategy: Ads like this should primarily live in email or SMS, channels designed for owned-audience retention and upsell.
✅ Paid dollars should build the funnel: On Meta, invest in creative that drives discovery and establishes product benefits for new shoppers.
Retargeting should push urgency (e.g. limited bundles, giftability, testimonials) rather than reiterating known product attributes.
✅ Full-funnel cohesion: Ensure CRM and paid efforts are synchronized so campaigns reinforce each other rather than duplicating effort.
Keep scrolling for more insights on Amika’s video ads. 👇
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1️⃣ Video Ad #1
Like most fragrance ads, the creative is abstract and vibe-driven.
Atmospheric music plus a warm color palette make the spot enjoyable to watch and visually engaging.
The script wisely leads with social proof (“most-requested launch”) before introducing scent notes.
And the copy: “Amika's most-requested launch of all time—fruity, floral + finally bottled.” is short, confident, and impactful.
It positions the product as both in demand and worth the wait.
But the visuals alone don’t add much clarity for new customers.
There’s no real differentiator beyond aesthetic appeal.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Copy drives performance: Amika’s strong copy should be a reminder for brands to not treat ad copy as an afterthought!
Even with strong visuals, simple creative can pop when paired with tested copy variations.
At Pilothouse, we regularly test new copy against control creatives, a low-lift optimization that often delivers meaningful performance lifts.
✅ Test hooks: Play with benefit-led openers (“longer-lasting scent, safe for hair + skin”) versus emotional appeals to identify what resonates most with TOFU audiences.
2️⃣ Video Ad #2
The ad is clean, stylized, and feels consistent with an established beauty brand entering fragrance.
The copy is playful: “The scent that sparks smiles in the shower” pairs well with quick cuts of a model spritzing the product.
But all ads in this set link out to a PDP page. This seems like a missed cross-sell opportunity.
Sending cold traffic to a single PDP is not as effective as having a dedicated launch landing page where Amika can feature the new mist alongside bestsellers to increase AOV.
There’s also the risk of the product selling out. If the product sells out
(which appears to be the case here), traffic driven to the PDP is wasted.
Not only is this a poor user experience, but it’s also wasteful ad spend.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Dedicated landing pages: For launches, build campaign-specific landing pages that bundle new and core products. This maximizes AOV and helps anchor the new SKU as part of a broader ecosystem.
✅ Pre-order + redirect strategy: When products sell out, redirect ad traffic to a pre-order or “back in stock soon” page.
Sweeten the deal with a small bonus (e.g. “Thanks for your patience! Enjoy a free mini with pre-order.”) to keep momentum alive.
✅ Tools like Warpdrive: Pilothouse uses its internal proprietary tool, Warpdrive, to make it easy to test post-click experiences at scale without breaking Meta’s learning phase.
For Amika, this could mean testing bundle offers, waitlists, or upsell flows all without resetting campaign data.
✨ Conclusion
Amika’s ads do a strong job of visually connecting scent with emotion, but there are opportunities to tighten strategy so every paid dollar drives maximum impact.
To maximize ROI, Amika needs sharper value props at TOFU and tighter channel alignment.
By highlighting unique benefits, testing messaging angles, and shifting “loyalist” content into CRM channels, Amika can strengthen both customer acquisition and retention without burning ad dollars.
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September 11, 2025 update:
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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.
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