Obvi’s $50M Meta Ad Blueprint: What Still Works in 2025
In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas is joined by Ash Melwani, CMO and co-founder of Obvi, one of the most transparent and battle-tested operators in DTC. Ash breaks down the exact Meta strategy that took Obvi to $1M/month in revenue, and the moment it all fell apart.You’ll learn:- The Meta playbook Obvi used to scale with static ads- Why Meta performance collapsed overnight (and what they missed)- How Andromeda and health category crackdowns hit hard- Their pivot to creative volume, video-first strategies, and cross-channel diversification- What’s working right now and why you can’t rely on Meta alone anymoreFrom $50M in spend to platform restrictions and a creative overhaul, Ash shares the raw lessons and tactical pivots every brand needs to hear in 2025.00:00 Obvi’s origin story and early creative focus02:50 Why Ash shares everything publicly05:30 The 2024 strategy that drove $1M/month in spend08:00 Business manager restrictions10:15 Diversifying content and channels12:00 Meta over-reliance 14:15 Building an organic foundation before running paid15:16 TikTok for awareness + testing23:55 Learnings from retail 32:00 IRL events = retention + golden cohort36:25 Full creative mix40:00 AI content should look intentionally AI42:45 Strategic volume on Meta45:11 Why engagement matters more than ever49:50 Ash’s tech stack & tools he uses weekly54:12 His thoughts on exit55:10 What Ash would build next if he started overFollow @AshvinMelwani :https://x.com/ashvinmelwanihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ashvinmelwani/Follow @myobvi https://myobvi.com/https://www.facebook.com/myObvi/https://www.instagram.com/obvihttps://www.tiktok.com/@obviFollow Olly on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqOTwitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudsonFollow Loukas on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8BTwitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambiFollow D2C Diaries on socialsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/
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57:12
The Scaling Strategy Behind Batch LDN’s 220% Revenue Growth
In this episode, we sit down with Sam Matanle, co-founder of Batch LDN, the made-to-order menswear brand disrupting fashion’s broken model. Sam breaks down how Batch scaled 2.2x YoY, with 75% of revenue from one physical store and zero reliance on paid media or held stock.We cover:1. Why fast fashion is financially broken and what works instead2. The decision to bet big on retail instead of performance marketing3. What happened when their Covent Garden store got robbed at 5am4. Why 70% of fittings convert and 25% of customers repurchase within a year5. How Batch London is rewiring the buying journey and turning a suit into a lifestyleThis one’s packed with founder truths, sustainable growth insights, and proof that product + experience OVER flashy funnels.00:00 Background + early years07:00 Starting Batch LDN with co-founder13:55 Early product development18:00 Why fast fashion is broken23:19 Managing customer expectations27:01 Post-purchase journey, behind-the-scenes content28:40 Maintaining focus on made-to-order model31:00 Acquisition drivers + retail strategy34:10 Events strategy + brand community42:50 Website traffic down but revenue up45:22 Content strategy (organic storytelling)48:50 Store break-in + how they turned it into a viral campaign55:20 Hardest part of running a business + burnout59:50 Using journaling and tracking burnout signalsFollow Sam:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-matanle/https://www.instagram.com/samuelmatanle/Follow By Batch LDNhttps://www.instagram.com/batch.ldn/https://www.tiktok.com/@batch.ldnFollow Olly on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqOTwitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudsonFollow Loukas on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8BTwitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambiFollow D2C Diaries on socialsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/
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1:02:58
How Ellie Carlile Turned 30M TikTok Views into a 7-Figure Beauty Brand
How do you handle it when your kitchen-table beauty brand suddenly pulls in £60K before lunch — and you’re still counting stock by hand?In this episode of D2C Diaries, we sit down with Ellie Carlile, the unstoppable founder behind By Ellie, the brand born from a personal skin struggle, a £2,000 investment, and a makeshift label operation in her mum’s garage. Ellie shares the raw, real journey of building a beauty brand that now sells every 10 minutes, is stocked in Sephora, and runs multi-market TikTok Shop operations across the UK and EU.We unpack:- How she turned product reviews into a content engine- The 30M-view TikTok that changed everything- Why staying founder-led was the secret to community-led growth- The chaos (and learnings) behind overselling thousands of units in one hour- The frameworks she uses to scale with focus, from TED values to product simplicityThis is one for any founder navigating content overwhelm, platform changes, and the pressure to scale while staying true to their brand.00:00 Starting the business03:57 First launch mistakes06:18 Growth strategy08:40 Why raw content wins11:20 Bottlenecks in the business12:30 Handling virality14:45 Entering paid media17:37 Building a brand beyond the founder22:20 The reality of scaling a team24:50 Core values in the team27:05 Staying focused while scaling28:10 Landing Sephora32:50 TikTok Shop strategy37:40 The US Tariff crisis40:40 Being transparent with customers42:45 Working with TikTok affiliates47:40 Growing as a founderFollow Ellie:https://www.instagram.com/elliecarlile_/https://www.tiktok.com/@ellie.n.cFollow By Ellie Beautyhttps://www.instagram.com/byelliebeauty/https://www.tiktok.com/@byelliebeautyFollow Olly on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqOTwitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudsonFollow Loukas on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8BTwitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambiFollow D2C Diaries on socialsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/
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50:27
How Slo Engineered the Future of Fashion With 900K SKU's and a Custom SaaS Stack
Kristian Hansen (AKA, The Jeans Guy) didn’t plan to build a fashion brand. But after accidentally buying a pair of women’s jeans, he posted a TikTok asking, “Is this really what women deal with every day?” and woke up to 3 million views. Welcome to the story behind slø, a custom denim brand that’s rewriting every rule in DTC fashion.In this episode of DTC Diaries, Kristian takes us behind the scenes of a business that:- Offers 1170 sizes and manages over 900,000 SKUs- Sold $400,000 worth of jeans in its first hour, completely organically- Grew a waitlist of over 200,000 customers from TikTok and community alone- Built a factory from scratch in Turkey after every supplier failed to deliver- Runs a 1.5% return rate in one of the highest-return industries on earth- Ships custom-fit jeans in under 21 days with a factory-powered SaaS stackKristian doesn’t just talk about product or performance, he shows what it takes to build a real moat in DTC: full control, radical transparency, and obsession with customer experience.If you’re a founder, operator, or marketer trying to scale without shortcuts, this episode is for you. 00:00 The viral TikTok that started it all03:00 The $400k launch that went wrong05:00 Supply chain failures + learning curve10:45 Why they chose accessibility over premium pricing12:30 Customer commitment 16:00 Complexity of SKUs & 1.5% return rate21:50 Building a supply chain SaaS24:07 Custom built business model29:18 Being "The Jeans Guy"31:30 Community building and customer service40:00 Slo’s product roadmap42:00 Future vision44:40 Lessons learned & what the future holdsFollow Kristianhttps://www.slo.co/https://www.tiktok.com/@thejeansguyFollow Joe on socials:Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marston/Twitter: https://x.com/JoeJMarstonFollow Olly on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqOTwitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudsonFollow D2C Diaries on socialsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/
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47:37
A New Way to Think About Ad Creative in 2025 With Sarah Levinger
In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Levinger, one of the most sought-after minds in consumer insights and behavioural strategy, to unpack the mental models behind performance creative. From understanding generational buying behaviour to why storytelling is outperforming old frameworks, Sarah shares a fresh perspective on what today’s top-performing DTC brands are doing differently.We cover:- Why “hook, body, CTA” is losing effectiveness- The 4 ad types every brand should be running (but most aren’t)- How AI is changing static ad creation and why psychology matters more than ever- Using emotional insights to improve ad resonance and attribution- What’s coming next for DTC brands in the next 12–18 monthsWhether you’re a founder, CMO, or performance lead, this one’s packed with insights that’ll challenge how you think about creative.00:00 – Intro05:45 – The death of hook-body-CTA08:30 – Brand vs performance: finding the balance13:12 – What actually drives people to buy17:46 – Why top-of-funnel strategy is broken22:51 – The power of brand voice from day one26:20 – Speaking like your customer (without losing your voice)31:45 – Why your post-purchase surveys are lying35:38 – Gen Z vs Gen X: how different audiences respond40:15 – Creative testing in 2025: less iteration, more impact44:02 – Sarah’s creative audit process47:33 – What’s next for DTCFollow Sarah:tetherinsights.iohttps://x.com/SarahLevingerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/Follow Olly on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqOTwitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudsonFollow Loukas on socials:LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8BTwitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambiFollow D2C Diaries on socialsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/
Join Olly Hudson and Loukas Hambi in a laid-back yet insightful podcast, where we dive into the heart of D2C and e-commerce. With a combined experience of managing over £150 million in ad spend across Meta and TikTok and helping scale over 200 brands, we bring you a digestible blend of performance, operational, and creative wisdom.
Ireland