The Situation
Going into December, two things were true at the same time: CPMs were up more than 60% year over year, reflecting a much more competitive ad environment. Conversion rates were largely unchanged. That combination matters. It meant demand still existed. The product still converted. But the cost of earning attention had gone up. In an environment like that, something has to give. At a high level, there are only a few levers available:
- Offer
- Conversion rate
- Creative
The question wasn't whether we needed an unlock. It was which unlock made sense given the constraints.
- OFFER (20% → 30%+)
- Risk: Increased churn
- LANDING PAGE
- Timeline: Too slow
- CREATIVE
- Speed: Immediate feedback
- Impact: Highest leverage
What Was Off the Table
The Offer
We were offering 20% off, and we did not want to go meaningfully beyond that. Historically, once discounts creep past the ~30% range on subscription, churn increases. Short-term efficiency improves, but long-term unit economics degrade. So the offer was not the lever we wanted to pull.
The Landing Page
Landing page optimization was explored. We ran a handful of CRO tests and did see incremental wins. We added social proof to the hero section and introduced a review summary. These changes helped, but they were not transformative. More importantly, landing page testing takes time. This window was tight. December was approaching quickly, and we did not want to miss it waiting on slow feedback loops.
- Founder story building brand trust
- Family time and connection themes
- Screen-free alternative positioning
- Educational value wrapped in fun
The Constraint That Mattered Most
Speed.
We needed something we could:
- Test quickly
- Iterate quickly
- Deploy at scale quickly
That left one lever with the highest upside and the fastest feedback loop.
Creative.
The Insight
Most puzzle advertising sells the enjoyment of puzzling. Customer behavior suggested a different tension. People love puzzles. They hate clutter. That insight reframed the entire category. If we could lean into that tension honestly and clearly, the creative could do more work per impression in a more competitive environment.
The Strategy
We rebuilt creative around negative hooks paired with negative imagery, supported by radical clarity. Founder-Led Negative Hook Video We scripted a video that opened with a line most brands would never say: "Stop buying puzzles." The founder appears on screen throwing puzzles into the trash. The visual immediately breaks pattern. It forces attention without relying on gimmicks. The message is direct. The problem is not puzzles. The problem is owning them. Once the founder recorded the script, our video team tightened pacing, added B-roll, and sharpened the explanation of how the subscription actually works. The goal was clarity in the first few seconds. Once deployed, the impact on efficiency was immediate.
High-Clarity Static Creative
Alongside video, we launched a static designed for instant understanding. The ad looked like a series of subway billboards placed next to each other and read:
No abstraction. No lifestyle framing. Just a clean explanation of the value proposition. This static became a standout performer and helped stabilize performance as spend increased.
DECEMBER EXECUTION TIMELINE
Week 1:
● Launch negative hook creative → Immediate CAC improvement
Week 2:
● Scale daily spend 3x → CAC holds steady
Week 3:
● Add billboard static creative → Further efficiency gains
Week 4:
● Peak performance → 600+ subscribers/day → 8x daily spend vs. November
The Execution
Creative unlocked the opportunity. Execution protected it. During the holiday window, we ran a disciplined daily cadence:
- Reviewed results to date, last seven days, last three days, and same-day performance
- Shut off high-cost ads quickly
- Consolidated winners into shared ad sets
- Scaled only once demand proved consistent
- Introduced cost caps only after full spend delivery was achieved
This allowed us to move fast without losing control.
The Results
- Multiple days with 600+ new paying subscribers
- December outperformed November
- The brand achieved over 38% year-over-year growth during its peak season
Why This Worked
This was not a CPM story. Higher CPMs simply revealed the constraint. The real win came from:
- Choosing the right lever under pressure
- Avoiding short-term offer fixes that hurt long-term economics
- Using creative as the fastest, highest-leverage unlock
- Pairing creative breakthroughs with disciplined execution
When time is limited and competition is high, the teams that win are the ones that know where not to look just as clearly as where to focus.