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Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein have run more than 50 Black Fridays between them, at Design Public, E-Dimensional, Karmaloop and AutoAnything. They saw them before Shopify, Google Ads or Facebook existed, and they've seen them since. In this episode they share the lessons that still hold for BFCM 2026: Black Friday doesn't create demand, it moves it around. Know your margin before you discount. Make your money on the upsell, not the doorbuster. Buy attention before ad auctions spike, then lean on channels whose costs stay flat, like email, SMS and direct mail. Lead with your highest-LTV product, not the one that converts best on the first click. Add value instead of cutting price, with bundles, gifts with purchase and upgrades. Your best prospects have already bought from you. Fewer than 10% of most customer files have engaged with email in the last 60 days, so go back years. BFCM is won in December. Brands that send one campaign and stop lose about 85% of their incremental lift by December. Automated win-backs cut that loss in half. Bonus: get your team pumped. It's your Super Bowl. Want help putting these lessons to work this season? Visit postpilot.com.

Introducing Sovereignty, Data and Code: Who's in Control? from The Next Five. Follow the show: The Next Five Throughout history, statecraft was defined by borders, battlelines, and territory. In the 20th century, global power shifted to financial capital and energy reserves. Today, with the digital revolution well underway, does real authority now belong to those who control our data and code? And what does sovereignty now mean in a fast changing AI landscape? Back in the day it used to mean keeping data in a local server room. But today, frontier AI models are advancing at pace, some argue at a speed we can’t control and regulatory lines are being redrawn across the world to try and keep up. Governments and boardrooms now face a fundamental question: who’s controlling who? And what can we do about it? Joining host Tom Parker is Charlie Giancarlo, Chairman and CEO of Everpure, Sana Khareghani, Chief Strategy Officer at Era4, Professor of Practice in AI at King’s College London, AI Policy Lead for Responsible AI UK and Former Head of UK Government Office for Artificial Intelligence and Clare Schramm Fergus, Managing Director, Transaction Banking Technology Platforms, Lloyds Banking Group and Board Member of OpenUK. Sources: FT Resources, Wired, TAIDE, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, UK GOV Sovereign AI Fund, Politico This content is paid for by Everpure and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Direct mail doesn't take months to set up. Drew and Mike walk through how to get a profitable direct mail channel live for Black Friday in about three hours. Using PostPilot's BFCM benchmark data from millions of campaigns over three years, all measured against holdout groups, they cover: Why BFCM direct mail averaged 3.9x incremental ROAS Winning back customers who are years lapsed (it peaks at 636–730 days) Mailing recent buyers: 15–60 days after purchase hits 7.6x incremental Unengaged customers, VIPs and handwritten thank-you cards Abandoned checkout, email and site retargeting (about 6x incremental) Why automations beat one-off sends and cut the December drop-off in half The three-hour launch plan, from installing the app to approving designs Mail deadlines: send postcards by November 9 to land November 18–23 Get the 6x9 upgrade for the price of a 4x6 this BFCM. 6x9s drive 31% more incremental revenue per piece than 4x6s. Sign up at postpilot.com/bfcm-gfo-2026.

In this special Nerd Marketing episode, Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein break down everything new in PostPilot's Fall Editions, the biggest feature drop yet. Featuring AI Benchmarks, Halo (Amazon attribution), and AcquisitionAI, the automation tool transforming how brands acquire customers. Learn how PostPilot is making direct mail smarter, more measurable, and fully multichannel.

In this episode, Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein explain how brands can finally measure direct mail's full impact—not just on Shopify, but on Amazon too.  They share how PostPilot Halo brings true multichannel attribution to life, why direct mail performs best when digital CPAs spike, and how leading brands are using it to win Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Harvard-published marketing professor Jonathan Zhang joins Drew and Mike to unpack research showing how direct mail drives lower CAC and higher lifetime value than digital channels. They dig into the psychology of touch, why Gen Z actually loves mail, and how brands like Amazon and Warby Parker proved it first. A data-driven roadmap for the next five years of marketing.

Preston Rutherford, Cofounder of Chubbies, joins Drew and Michael to share how the brand went from the brink of bankruptcy to a nine-figure exit. They dive into the dangers of ROAS obsession, the shift to a 50/50 brand vs. performance strategy, aligning teams around contribution, and the hard lessons that turned Chubbies into a durable, beloved brand.

Think Black Friday prep starts in the fall? Think again. In this episode, Drew and Michael explain why Back to School is the ultimate test window for Q4 success. They break down four actionable strategies you can launch this summer to identify your most profitable customer segments, validate your creative, and lower acquisition costs—before the holiday rush drives up competition and ad prices.

Recorded on Memorial Day, Drew opens up about the top lessons he learned as a Navy intelligence officer - lessons that shape how he leads today. He and Michael also reflect on personal regrets, from family and risk-taking to life metrics that matter most.

After auditing hundreds of Shopify brands, Zak Cassady-Dorion has a clear message: You're missing easy revenue. He joins Drew to reveal his retention-first approach, killer Klaviyo playbook, and why PostPilot is his secret weapon.

This week, Drew and Michael unpack the latest tariff relief and what it means for DTC operators, break down Zuck's vision for Meta as a fully automated ad platform, and explore the tension between brand and performance marketing. Plus, a deep dive into Aviator Nation's remarkable rise—from Venice Beach to Forbes' richest list.

What really changes when your DTC brand scales from 10 to 120 people - remotely? Drew and Michael break down the systems, rituals, and mindset shifts that helped PostPilot grow fast without losing culture, speed, or clarity. From all-hands to offsites to decision frameworks, this is a behind-the-scenes look at scaling alignment in a distributed team.

Drew and Michael are joined by PostPilot's Head of Finance, Daan Harmsen, to unpack what the latest eCommerce data reveals about consumer behavior and shifting market sentiment. They dive into lessons from past tariff disruptions and share practical strategies for leading through uncertainty—emphasizing transparency, adaptability, and keeping momentum when it matters most.

Performance marketing gets all the spend—but is it driving real growth? Bonobos CEO John Hutchison talks with Drew & Mike about how rebalancing the mix toward brand led to stronger revenue, better retention, and long-term customer loyalty. Plus, they dive into his leadership style, navigating culture during change, and what younger marketers should focus on today to someday run the brands they love.

Drew and Mike react in real time to the Tariffs on China and break down how a number of tips from their DTC turnaround days apply more than ever. Get 30 turnaround tips in one place at https://www.postpilot.com/turnaround. (edited)