DTC POD: From Feastables to a Gen-Z venture studio with Magnetic Lab’s CEO, Ben Acott.

This week’s episode of the DTC POD features Ben Acott, the Ex-CMO of Feastables, & Founder of Magnetic Labs. There, he’s changing the marketing landscape for businesses catering to Gen-Z and Alpha.

Join us as we listen to his journey, the unwanted cost of being too fast to market, and the secret to finding & building products to make people buy something they don't know they want.

• 3 Big Lessons from Ben

• Lesson #1: Finding a Product People Don’t Know They Want Yet.

• Lesson #2: Fast is not always best.

• Lesson #3: What the expectations of working with a celebrity could look like.

  • DTC Job Positions!

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3 Big Lessons from Mina

Lesson #1: Finding a Product People Don’t Know They Want Yet.

You may have a product category you’re interested in going into, but you don’t know exactly what to sell.

The strategy that Ben applies is interesting and effective. Through content production and A/B testing, you’re able to find the product that’ll best fit your market category.

For example, say you want to go into teenage personal care, but you don’t know what product might have the best ROI. Create four ads with different products, which in this case might look like:

1. A deodorant.

2. A face mask.

3. A moisturizer.

4. And acne treatment.

The ads should have the same brand, name and copy; only changing the product itself. From there it’s seeing the winning product and moving down the line with packaging, landing pages, and every other aspect of the product.

That way, you’ll end up with a well validated product idea that you can decide whether you move on with it (solo or with a partner), or kill the product.

Lesson #2: Fast is not always best.

Talking about his time at Feastables, Ben recalls the speed at which everything was happening.

And looking at their new rebrand, he says that none of that would’ve been necessary if only they’d taken more time to prepare and evaluate the market.

They went from the grass-fed, organic product, to a commodity that is readily available all over the US.

Ben speculates that this is a huge market shift that won’t result in the exponential returns they might expect from a rebrand of that scale. Something closer to 5%-7% rather than 30%-50%.

While it’s true that not everyone is Mr. Beast, it’s also true that it might be worthwhile to slow down when launching your product, to send it through the validation framework we talked about earlier.

Lesson #3: What the expectations of working with a celebrity could look like.

In the case of Magnetic Labs, they’re looking for a creator whose product connects deeply with them and their brand. Something completely opposed to the current state of creator ads.

Think Mr Beast & Feastables, or Michael Jordan & Jordans; as opposed to someone simply creating lifeless ads for the paycheck.

To that extent, a boilerplate deal might look like, a 40-40-20 split:

• 40% for the agency, which will take care of strategizing.

• 40% for the creator, who’ll take care of the content for the product.

• 20% for the company, as it grows and starts to require an executive team.

DTC Job Positions!

Head of Commercialization at Feastables

Job Description: Lead strategy, execution of new product launches, aligning market insights with consumer trends.
Responsibilities: Orchestrate commercialization, collaborate with teams, develop market strategies, and oversee research and analysis.
Benefits: Competitive salary, full health coverage, 401(k) match, wellness & phone stipends, unlimited PTO, and free snacks.

Head of Content & Production at Feastables

Job Description: Lead content strategy and production, aligning with Feastables mission and brand values, driving engagement.
Responsibilities: Develop content strategies, oversee impactful video production, manage creative teams, and collaborate with the MrBeast team.
Benefits: Competitive pay, full health benefits, 401(k) match, wellness & phone stipends, unlimited PTO, and dynamic work environment.

Social Media Coordinator at Feastables

Job Description: Support and execute social media strategies, fostering community engagement and amplifying brand voice.
Responsibilities: Engage with an online community, support the social media director, monitor trends, analyze metrics for strategy refinement.
Benefits: Competitive salary, health benefits, 401(k) match, wellness & phone stipends, unlimited PTO, and free snacks.

That wraps up this week’s newsletter!

As always, reply any time with thoughts, questions, reactions, or ideas for future issues. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to unlock new episodes of DTC Pod each week!