DTC813: Using Authority Bias in Advertising

Good morning,

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

💡 Create More Persuasive Ads
How authority bias can help.

🔧 The Ad Reset Strategy
Fix stalled Google PMAX campaigns.

📦 Daily Tariff Update
Breaking news: U.S. and China agree to lower tariffs.

😟 Searches for ______ ______ are climbing.
And trending big time on social media.

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: SuperFoodLx, Taazaa, and Earth Breeze. 👋

💡 The Future of DTC Is Bright—And It’s Powered by Agentic AI

If you haven’t explored agentic AI yet, it’s probably because you don’t realize just how much it can do for you. 🚀

Whether you’re new to AI Agents or already pushing the boundaries of superhuman intelligence, Triple Whale’s new playbook shows you how to turn manual, time-sucking workflows into automated, scalable wins.

‍

➡️ Download The Ultimate AI Agents Playbook for Ecommerce Brands and learn how agentic AI helps you:

• 🎯 Analyze performance across platforms—instantly, all in one view
• 🚩 Flag underperforming ad creatives and get relevant recommendations to boost ROAS
• ✉️ Know which email & SMS copy resonates by segment, down to the word
• 📈 Uncover which purchase paths drive the highest LTV

The first (and only) intelligence agents for your entire brand, Triple Whale’s Moby Agents save you hours of manual analysis, catch issues before they hurt revenue, and reveal insights no human could spot.

💡 Persuasive Ads: 3 Ways To Boost Customer Confidence

Let’s face it. People are more willing to accept advice from people of authority.

If a dentist recommends a particular brand of whitening toothpaste, we are more likely to consider purchasing it.

The same goes for Usain Bolt endorsing a pair of high-impact running shoes or a chef recommending a set of carbon steel knives.

‍

Why?

That’s because their opinion carries more weight since they are experts in their field.

Customers feel more confident about purchasing, and establishing trust is key for brands.

Here are three easy ways to leverage authority bias when creating ads:

1️⃣ Showcase your awards! If your products have won an award from a recognizable organization in your niche, this can help establish customer trust.

👉 Include these award badges in your ad creatives to call out certain SKUs.

2️⃣ Feature authority figures. The cookware brand HexClad uses celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to build a trustworthy brand reputation in the culinary space for chefs and foodies.

👉 You don’t need to work with a celebrity, though. Reach out to micro-influencers in your niche who can also confidently deliver your message.

3️⃣ Emphasize experience: If your brand has been around for a long time, emphasize your company history in your ads to show off your reliability and commitment to serving customers.

👉 Copy like ‘Trusted since 1941’ or ‘Helping customers for the past 20 years’ quickly demonstrates that your brand is reliable and gives you an edge above competitors.

‍

The takeaway?

Using an authority figure, award badges, and language emphasizing experience can make consumers feel more confident about trying your product.

🏖️ Millions of Shoppers Are Already Shopping for Swimwear, Outdoor Gear, and More

For Walmart Marketplace, summer starts now. ⏰

Need some inspiration? NexGrill, an outdoor cooking and heating brand, joined Walmart Marketplace in 2022 and has since tripled their SKUs and grown revenue by 200% YOY.  

Now’s your chance to follow their lead. As a new seller, you’re eligible to save up to $75,000 in New-Seller Savings, Walmart’s incentive program going on now that includes:

• Up to 75% off base referral fees*  
• Up to 50% off storage fees and 25% off fulfillment fees** (a $2K value)  
• $1K in advertising credits with Walmart Connect***  

New Seller Savings runs through January 31, 2026, but the sooner you start, the more you can save. List your products now and make this your biggest summer yet. ☀️

📦 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.

May 12, 2025 update:

• The U.S. and China Will Roll Back Tariffs Temporarily
  • In a surprise turn, the two economic superpowers have announced in a joint statement that they have made ‘substantial progress’ in de-escalating the trade war.
  • The new terms? Each side has agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs on each other for 90 days.
  • The U.S.'s tariff on China will go from 145% to 30% while China will cut its 125% tariff to 10%.
  • Global stocks rose after the announcement was made on Monday.

⚡ The FTC Delays ‘Click to Cancel’ Subscription Rule

The FTC's click-to-cancel rule was originally scheduled to come into effect on May 14th.

But now the FTC declared it will give businesses more time before the rule goes into effect.

‍

What's the click-to-cancel rule?

The FTC click-to-cancel rule requires companies to make it easy for customers to cancel their subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring payment programs and save consumers' time and money.

‍

The new deadline? July 14th.

More on this story in our News section below.

🎧 The PMAX Reset Strategy That Delivered a 37% ROAS Lift‍‍

In this episode, we sit down with Zavire from Pilothouse’s Google team to dissect a common problem many DTC brands face: Performance Max campaigns that stagnate after a few months of initial success.

You’ll hear exactly how Pilothouse helped Benji Sleep break out of this “PMAX plateau” by overhauling their campaign structure — and why the first move was to turn the campaigns off.

‍

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Stalled Campaigns? Why PMAX campaigns often stagnate after the 3 to 4 month period.
• How To ‘Reset’ Campaigns: The power of a 5-7 day PMAX "off period" to reset bidding algorithms.
• Power of Segmentation: How segmentation by product or audience unlocks better signal quality and performance.
• Benji Sleep’s Success Story: How a restructured PMAX approach delivered a 37% ROAS lift and 2.2x conversions for the bedsheet brand.

👉 Listen to the full episode with Zavire here.

📈 SEARCH SURGE

‍

Searches for ‘recession indicator’

Why is this happening? Ever since reports came out that the U.S. economy shrank in Q1, searches for ‘recession indicators’ have been climbing.

A recession is defined by two consecutive periods of declining growth, and this seems inevitable due to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.

Not only are online users searching for indicators online, but TikTok users are also sharing their own ‘recession indicator’ observations and memes over social media.

Couponing? Recession indicator.

But so are press-on nails gaining popularity, painting potatoes instead of eggs for Easter, and spotting Khloe Kardashian in Bushwick. 😆

While these takes are often humorous, they reflect society’s collective unease as anxiety increases over the continuing trade war and businesses face declining sales and inventory shortages.

What do you think is a solid recession indicator? Reply back to the newsletter and let us know!

‍

⚡ QUICK HITS

🔎 Still trying to find your audience? Snapchat’s user base has over 75% of 13-34 year olds from over 25 countries. Most of them aren’t on any other platforms daily. Snapchat helps you reach them. Learn more here. *

‍

📅 EVENTS

The Lead Summit - Focused on the fashion, beauty, home, and consumer innovation ecosystem, connecting startups with enterprise leaders and investors.

📅 May 28-29, 📍 Brooklyn, NY 💰 Apply for Tickets

Shoptalk Europe -  The Shoptalk Europe community is an online network for retail and consumer brand executives across Europe. This community provides access to exclusive content, networking opportunities, and insights into the latest trends and innovations in the retail industry.

📅 June 2-4, 📍 Barcelona, Spain 💰 Free

‍

📰 NEWS

• U.S. and China agree to roll back tariffs for a 90 day period.
• FTC holds off on ‘click to cancel’ subscription rule for businesses.
• TikTok pledges $1M in ad credits for U.S. small businesses.

‍📥 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?

• 🥛 Ad-venturous 1: A Peanut Butter Sandwich Could Lead to Disaster
• 🏆 TWBERP 32L Apple vs. Gmail Mail App Wars
• ⛳ How Pins and Aces Built a $25M Golf Brand with Limited Drops
• ⚡ AKNF 504: 6 Reasons Why Your Meta Ads Aren’t Scaling
• ⭐ TWBERP 31: Behind Frye’s Emails: Design and Strategy
• 🛍️ Inside Shein’s $30B Global Fashion Machine (Live from ShopTalk)

‍

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

‍

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

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

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