🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your growth roadmap: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0qMvq60

What does it take to scale a wellness brand to £25M+ after your first startup crashes, your health collapses, and you’re told sleeping pills are the only way out?

In this episode, Dan Murray-Serter, co-founder of Heights, breaks down the unfiltered journey of building one of the UK’s fastest-growing brain health brands. From startup failure and burnout-induced insomnia to founding a category-defining company used by real celebrity customers, Dan shares the mindset shifts, health breakdowns, and bold brand decisions that fuelled Heights’ rise.

We talk:

• How burnout and gut issues led to a £25M brand
• Why Heights rejected nootropics hype and built around boring fundamentals
• How they landed celebrity endorsements
• Why real customer obsession beats clever marketing

This one’s part growth playbook, part founder therapy. Raw, honest, and genuinely useful for any DTC operator or founder building through the pain.

Follow Dan on socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmurrays/
X: https://x.com/danmurrays

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
X: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
X: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: / d2c.diaries
Instagram: / d2c_diaries

If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your growth roadmap: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0qBQFh0

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly and Loukas break down the biggest lessons from 2025 and what they believe will be the single biggest changes shaping e-commerce in 2026.

They recap a huge Black Friday (nearly $40M spent on Meta in November), explain why Q5 (Boxing Day → early January) is the most underutilised growth window of the year, and share a clear creative framework for capturing short-lived New Year motivation without defaulting to lazy discounting.

The conversation also goes deep on leadership and operating lessons from scaling Soar - feedback loops, urgency, prioritisation, process mistakes - before closing with the D2C Diaries Awards, standout brands and campaigns, and predictions for where channels, creative, and acquisitions are heading next.

If you’re a founder, operator, or marketer planning for January and beyond, this episode is essential listening.

00:00 Intro
01:48 Black Friday recap: $40M spend & what actually worked
04:18 Why brands forget to analyse BFCM cohorts
06:17 What this episode covers
07:15 What is Q5 (and why it matters)?
08:10 Why CPMs drop after Christmas
09:17 The “flash in the pan” New Year motivation window
10:25 Q5 creative framework: TOF vs BOF mistakes
13:05 Why brands go too bottom-of-funnel
14:00 Creative mix for Q5 (TOF / MOF / BOF)
16:03 Outcome-led offers that outperform discounts
17:14 What was happening in Jan 2025
19:12 Biggest leadership lessons from 2025
23:42 Prioritisation, planning & time-blocking
27:45 Process rollouts & buy-in mistakes
29:41 Why urgency compounds growth
32:01 D2C Diaries Awards
40:11 New brand of the year: IM8
41:24 DTC dominator of the year
48:31 Most viral campaign of 2025
56:11 Predictions for e-commerce in 2026
1:02:47 Brands to watch in 2026
1:04:03 Outro

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-hudson/
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loukas-hambi-388067152/
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c_diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your growth audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0p-Mxb0

SEO made £13.9M. ChatGPT made £175K. So why is everyone chasing AI?

In this episode, Olly sits down with Thomas Phillips, founder of DTC SEO Agency and a veteran of 17 brand exits, to cut through the noise around AI SEO.

Tom breaks down how one of their clients generated £175K in revenue from ChatGPT at a 19.7% conversion rate, yet that same brand made £13.9M from traditional SEO in the same 90-day window. The kicker? The strategy behind both is almost identical.

From backlinks and content depth to digital PR and entity trust, Tom explains why the fundamentals of ranking haven’t changed. AI has just added a shiny new label. If you're chasing AI visibility without nailing your SEO baseline, you’re prioritising tactics over foundations.

---

We're excited to share that we are hiring creative strategists to join the UK's number one independent meta-agency, as recognised by Meta. Our team is known for being curious, innovative, and fast-growing, and we work with leading D2C brands like Heights, Mindful Chef, and Space Good 47 Skin. If you're interested in being part of our dynamic team, please send me an email loukas@hambimedia.co.uk

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: http://www.soarwithus.co/

00:00:00 Intro to Thomas Phillips
00:04:30 The journey to 17 brand exits using SEO
00:07:50 Starting the DTC SEO agency
00:09:20 The rise of AI SEO and how to track it
00:14:00 AEO vs GEO: The 2 types of AI SEO
00:15:55 How to rank in Google’s AI Overviews
00:18:00 Why long-tail, question-based content still wins
00:22:35 How brands are ranking in AI search
00:25:45 How to get unbiased ChatGPT rankings
00:27:15 An increase in branded searches
00:28:40 Shopify X ChatGPT integration
00:30:10 How to rank long-term in AI search
00:32:00 Link building and credibility still drives SEO
00:42:20 SEO fundamentals top brands are doing
00:45:15 Where newer brands should start with search
00:49:10 The future of AI search + DTC landscape
00:57:25 AI usage across content
01:00:35 Key takeaways of AI SEO

Follow Tom:
https://www.instagram.com/thomasmrphillips
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomphillipsofficial/
https://x.com/thomasmrp
https://www.dtcseoagency.com/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0pQjYt0

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly and Loukas sit down with Matt Lewis, Managing Director of Soar Group and the very first hire in the business, to break down the real operating system behind Soar’s growth.

The rebuilds, the mistakes, the hard lessons, and the frameworks that turned 2025 into Soar’s strongest year yet.

If you’re a founder, operator, agency owner, or business leader, this is one of the most valuable conversations we’ve recorded. It’s a deep dive into culture, leadership, operations, forecasting, talent density, and how fast-growing companies actually scale from the inside.

Matt has been part of Soar from day one and has scaled the group to nearly 80 people. His perspective is rare, tactical, and brutally transparent.

Perfect for anyone building a team, scaling an organisation, or trying to create a high-performance culture.

---

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Wayflyer
They’re offering $25,000 in upfront capital for just $1,800 to help you ramp up your efforts leading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This funding can be crucial for covering unexpected costs and ensuring you can double down on your best-performing ads while staying stocked. Timing is everything, so don’t miss out! https://kntn.ly/55cfeeff

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: http://www.soarwithus.co/

Follow Matt Lewis:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-d-lewis/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0pzLCJ0

Creative costs are climbing fast.
Meta’s changed how ads learn.
And AI is completely redefining what “creative strategy” means in 2026.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas dive into how brands can adapt to Meta’s creative similarity update, scale creative diversity without burning resources, and build systems that use AI as part of the production line — not a side tool.

They unpack what happens when 70% of your iterations get grouped under the same entity ID, why the role of an AI videographer is about to become one of the most important hires in performance marketing, and how tools like Sora, VEO 3.1, Nano Banana, and Gemini are reshaping the creative process.

From creative operations to prompt engineering, this episode breaks down what the next wave of performance marketing really looks like and why the future belongs to the brands who move fast and systemise smarter.

Watch Andrej Karpathy's podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXUZvyajciY

---

We're excited to share that we are hiring creative strategists to join the UK's number one independent meta-agency, as recognised by Meta. Our team is known for being curious, innovative, and fast-growing, and we work with leading D2C brands like Heights, Mindful Chef, and Spacegoods and 47 Skin. If you're interested in being part of our dynamic team, please send me an email loukas@hambimedia.co.uk

---

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: http://www.soarwithus.co/

0:00 - Intro
01:08 - Club Neuro community event
03:10 - Film recommendation: “I swear”
04:40 - Creative diversity revisited
07:18 - The new iteration strategy
15:15 - Rise of AI production
19:40 - Andrej Karpathy podcast episode
23:35 - New AI drops
27:45 - Building our AI data warehouse
36:66 - How we're using VEO 3
45:20 - The future of creative operations + predictions

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0ppm8t0

Meta’s Creative Similarity Penalty just changed the rules - here’s how to protect your performance in 2026

In one of the biggest creative updates since Andromeda, Meta has changed the way your ads are evaluated and most brands are getting silently penalised.

This episode of D2C Diaries is a deep dive into Meta’s new Creative Similarity Algorithm, powered by Entity ID and Creative ID tracking.

We tested 20 ads for a top-spending brand. Meta flagged 15 of them as identical, even though they featured different creators, different hooks, and different formats.

Why? Because they looked visually similar and that now triggers Meta’s Entity ID grouping, which kills:
- Incremental reach
- Fresh delivery
- Performance learning
- CPM efficiency
This changes everything about how DTC brands should approach ad iteration, creative testing, and campaign planning in 2026.

This is the most comprehensive breakdown of Meta’s creative diversity update you’ll find, packed with examples, agency-tested frameworks, and tactical steps you can implement immediately.

---

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Wayflyer
They’re offering $25,000 in upfront capital for just $1,800 to help you ramp up your efforts leading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This funding can be crucial for covering unexpected costs and ensuring you can double down on your best-performing ads while staying stocked. Timing is everything, so don’t miss out! https://kntn.ly/55cfeeff

---

We're excited to share that we are hiring creative strategists to join the UK's number one independent meta-agency, as recognised by Meta. Our team is known for being curious, innovative, and fast-growing, and we work with leading D2C brands like Heights, Mindful Chef, and Space Good 47 Skin. If you're interested in being part of our dynamic team, please send me an email loukas@hambimedia.co.uk

---

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: [www.soarwithus.co](http://www.soarwithus.co/)

00:00 Introduction to creative update
01:35 Wayflyer's Black Friday offer
03:10 What's changed on Meta
05:40 We're hiring
06:35 The creative diversity scale
08:10 Entity ID vs creative ID
09:25 Visual examples
12:07 Why does Entity ID matter?
13:43 How our testing has changed
15:07 The building blocks of creative differentiation
17:50 How to test
21:40 Creative vehicles we're leaning into
23:45 Iterating with visual differentiation + hooks
30:20 Static iteration examples
37:00 How we're adjusting our approach

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

The D2C landscape has been completely rewritten in the last six months.

Meta’s changing what it rewards. AI is reshaping how we research, test, and create. And the creative tactics that worked just half a year ago are already burning out.

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Olly and Loukas break down what’s actually driving performance right now and how smart brands are adapting to find incremental reach in a tougher, more competitive landscape.

They dig into what Meta is really rewarding in 2025, why format and hook now matter more than volume, and how to build creative that signals to the algorithm - not just the audience.

The conversation covers the building blocks of modern creative strategy, how they’re using Grok + Reddit for sharper audience research, and why founder ads, nostalgia, and demographic nuance are quietly outperforming trend chasing.

They also unpack a new GMV MAX tactic that’s driving £6–7K/day for clients and discuss how subtle shifts in creative structure are helping brands scale sustainably.

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0nQz9n0

0:00 — Intro
2:03 — Liquid Death controversy explained
7:44 — Creative similarity and incremental reach
14:42 — Using AI (Grok/X) for persona and audience research
17:57 — Google Trends & keyword analysis for insight
22:58 — Tailoring creative for personas and demographics
29:07 — Messaging depth, market sophistication, and emotion
35:06 — Creative formats, founder ads, and persona-driven hooks
42:25 — TikTok Shop, AI content, and evolving creative execution
49:46 — Static ads, nostalgic hooks, and final takeaways

From the team behind Soar With Us and Hambi Media: [www.soarwithus.co](http://www.soarwithus.co/)

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

Purdy & Figg has quietly become one of the most impressive DTC brands in the UK. 1 in 20 households now use the product. But what’s more impressive is how they've done it:

One product. One market. One channel. For six years.

In this episode, Jack breaks down how he's stayed this focused and why most brands burn growth by diversifying too early.

We get into how Purdy & Figg became the blueprint for creative volume, running 180 shoots a year and scaling a performance team in-house before it was trendy. Now, he's pivoting again, this time toward creative *diversity*, building campaigns that stretch across YouTube, TV, podcasts and radio.

He talks honestly about the real impact of brand spend, the cash flow pain of TV, and why DR alone will never build a lifestyle brand. There's deep insight here on CAC, media mix, testing frameworks, org structure and how to lead a DTC company without losing your grip on creative.

This conversation lays out exactly how to scale performance and brand, without sacrificing either.

🚨🚀 If you're a brand spending £100K/month, we'll run your ads. Apply for your free audit here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0nQwsq0