Honey Scam, Mexico Ban and more

Good morning.

A lot happened last few days.

From Mexico legal change, Honey scam video to start of Q5. Let’s dive in

—Matej Dolenec

What is Happening Today

Table of Contents

• Ad Dissection Glow Nurture App

• Ad Dissection Hey Smile

• Mexico Ends Border-Skipping Loophole for E-Commerce

• How do you market “cool stuff”

• Honey Scam

• Closing thoughts

Ad Dissection Glow Nurture App

This ad promotes a pregnancy tracking app by using a handmade, creative approach to highlight its features. The app is presented as “The Best Pregnancy App,” visually accompanied by an iPhone displaying the app’s interface. It emphasizes the app’s functionality in helping expectant mothers monitor their pregnancy progress.

CREATIVE

Handmade Poster Design:

The ad employs a hand-drawn aesthetic, featuring bold, colorful lettering and illustrations of leaves, hearts, and a crown. This gives it a personal, approachable, and warm feel, appealing to the emotions of expectant mothers.

COPY

“The Best Pregnancy App”:

A straightforward headline that boldly claims superiority, appealing to viewers looking for reliable solutions.

Minimal text on the phone interface but shows the app tracking progress: e.g., “17 weeks & 3 days,” “158 days to go,” “Scoop of the Day,” and task-based features like “Log,” “Insights,” “Dashboard,” etc.

Why It Works

• Emotional Appeal

• Authenticity

• Organic look

Ad Dissection Hey Smile

This ad highlights the effectiveness of a teeth whitening product—specifically whitening strips. It provides a visual before-and-after comparison, demonstrating the transformation from stained teeth to visibly whiter teeth. The ad uses user-generated content (UGC) style, making it relatable and authentic.

CREATIVE

Split-Screen Design:

The left side showcases the user explaining their experience with the product (a conversational, testimonial format).

The right side zooms in to emphasize the “after” result—a close-up of visibly whiter teeth.

COPY

“Did the teeth whitening strips fix your teeth stains?”

The question immediately addresses a common pain point (stained teeth), engaging viewers who might have the same issue.

Why It Works

• Relatability

• Visual Proof

• Addressing Pain Points

Mexico Ends Border-Skipping Loophole for E-Commerce

Source & Date: Freight Waves | Dec 24, 2024

Mexico has shut down a popular cross-border loophole that allowed duty-free imports into the U.S., forcing e-commerce brands to rethink their supply chains.

This new policy aims to promote fair trade and protect local industries, challenging businesses to adapt logistics strategies.

E-commerce brands must explore alternative solutions like U.S.-based distribution hubs and optimize shipping processes to maintain efficiency while adhering to the new regulations. This change is a wake-up call for companies relying on outdated shipping practices.

How do you market “cool stuff”

This was a debate on Twitter a few days ago: how to market things that don’t solve a problem, don’t help people avoid pain, don’t appear to help economically or socially or create any form of efficiency in their lives, etc., but are wildly popular.

Products like

• Katanas

• Any “man” stuff

etc…

We had some good answer on two things: Why they sell and how to sell them.

The why:

The desire behind buying “cool” stuff like mini katanas isn’t about solving problems—it’s about identity, self-expression, and connection.

These products don’t promise utility; they promise meaning.

How to sell

• Tell a story—Make the product symbolic of something greater.

• Dial up the aesthetic—Cool is the feature; lean into it unapologetically.

• Focus on aspirations—What kind of person do they become by owning this?

Full Post Below:

Honey Scam

Source:Verge

Honey, the popular browser extension promoted by MrBeast and over a thousand YouTube channels, accused of being a scam

A YouTuber claims that Honey intercepts money from affiliates and that it ignores better deals in favor of its own coupons.

The PayPal Honey browser extension is, in theory, a handy way to find better deals on products while you’re shopping online. But in a video published this weekend, YouTuber MegaLag claims the extension is a “scam” and that Honey has been “stealing money from influencers, including the very ones they paid to promote their product.”

Honey works by popping up an offer to find coupon codes for you while you’re checking out in an online shop. But as MegaLag notes, it frequently fails to find a code, or offers a Honey-branded one, even if a simple internet search will cover something better. The Honey website’s pitch is that it will “find every working promo code on the internet.” But according to MegaLag’s video, ignoring better deals is a feature of Honey’s partnerships with its retail clients.

MegaLag also says Honey will hijack affiliate revenue from influencers. According to MegaLag, if you click on an affiliate link from an influencer, Honey will then swap in its own tracking link when you interact with its deal pop-up at check-out.

That’s regardless of whether Honey found you a coupon or not, and it results in Honey getting the credit for the sale, rather than the YouTuber or website whose link led you there.

Closing thoughts

Let me know what you would like to see more in coming editions

Matej