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This week on the DTC Podcast, we sit down with Jake Bailey, Head of Industry at Meta, and Scott Kramer, VP of Growth at AS Beauty, to explore the evolving dynamics of holiday performance marketing in 2025.
Jake leads Meta’s work with its exclusive Disruptors program, partnering with fast-moving, high-growth brands to push the boundaries of performance marketing. AS Beauty is one such brand — and Scott walks us through how they’ve used that collaboration to build one of their strongest Q4 playbooks yet.
Together, they break down how creators, AI-native tools, and smarter campaign structures are shaping more resilient and scalable customer acquisition strategies.
You'll learn:
How Meta’s Advantage+ and Partnership Ads are driving real DR performance
Why AS Beauty prioritizes incrementality over traditional ROAS
What creative diversification means in the age of AI and how to structure tests
How creator content is now integrated throughout the funnel — not just for awareness
Tactical insights on budget pacing, exclusions, creative testing, and campaign simplification
Whether you’re navigating Cyber 5 or building a long-term performance engine, this episode is packed with the playbook and proof points from two powerhouses in the space.
Timestamps
00:00 – Meta’s partnership with AS Beauty and the Disruptors team
02:00 – How AS Beauty drives growth across DTC, Amazon, and retail
04:00 – Testing, innovation, and Meta’s two-way learning loop
06:00 – Holiday 2024 challenges: uncertainty, tariffs, and consumer sentiment
09:00 – The “lipstick effect” and how beauty brands thrive in downturns
10:30 – Meta’s push toward value optimization and incrementality
13:00 – Practical ways to measure incrementality and track new customers
16:00 – Evolving partnership ads and creative diversification
19:00 – Holiday creative strategy and combining catalog + creator content
21:00 – Creators’ role across the funnel and authentic storytelling
23:00 – Modern campaign structures, retargeting, and consolidation
29:00 – Scaling spend safely during Cyber Week
32:00 – AI-generated creative: performance, ethics, and practical use
36:00 – Blending data with creativity for high-performing ads
38:00 – Inside Meta’s exclusive Disruptors program
Hashtags
#DTCpodcast #MetaAds #ASBeauty #DigitalMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #HolidayMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #AdStrategy #CreativeTesting #PartnershipAds #AIMarketing #Incrementality #FacebookAds #ReelsAds #MarketingPodcast #BlackFriday2024 #CyberMonday2024 #BeautyBrands #MarketingInnovation #DirectToConsumer
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