Menard challenges the assumption that every order needs free shipping. He argues that its perceived value may be lower than its cost to the brand and suggests testing a minimum-spend threshold, particularly for low-order-value or one-time-purchase products.

Free shipping is often treated as mandatory without testing
Its brand cost may exceed its customer-perceived value
A spend threshold can protect margin and encourage a higher order value
Menard frames the conversion effect as a testable expectation, not a guarantee

“the perceived value of free shipping to the customer is lower than what shipping costs to the brand”
Jordan Menard · 30:00

“an easy way to test this is add a threshold to get free”
Jordan Menard · 30:30

#free shipping#aov#margin

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take22:30

Marketing Connects to Desire, It Does Not Create It

Menard distinguishes customer desire from product demand. He argues that desire already exists in the customer, while marketing creates demand by understanding the customer's problem and connecting the product to that existing motivation.

Customer desire is treated as pre-existing
Marketing can create demand for a particular product
Customer understanding begins with why people buy
The message should connect the product to lived problems

“we don't create desire right the desire is 23 00 innate in our customer”
Jordan Menard · 22:30

“we can create demand but that desire is innate in there”
Jordan Menard · 23:00

#desire#demand#customer psychology

Hot Take39:00

Seven Winners May Require Testing Hundreds of Ads

Menard rejects the claim that high-scale advertisers do not need substantial creative production. He says accounts spending six figures per day test hundreds of ads per month, even though most budget may ultimately concentrate on only a handful of winners.

Creative volume remains important at high spend
The messages must target different users and pain points
A small set of winners can absorb most of the budget
The large test pool exists to discover those few winners

“they're testing hundreds of ads a”
Jordan Menard · 39:00

“in order to find those seven we had to test 300”
Jordan Menard · 40:30

#creative testing#ad scale#portfolio

Explainer· 2

Explainer11:00

Why Native iPhone Ads Often Beat Polished Production

Menard says social users expect to see real people in ordinary environments, so highly polished production can be dismissed immediately as advertising. Based on his agency experience, he reports that first-person iPhone videos from influencers or founders have often performed best, while acknowledging that the trend could change.

Social feeds create an expectation of native, person-led content
Polished production can trigger immediate ad recognition
Founder and influencer videos can retain a homegrown feel
Menard presents this as an observed trend rather than a permanent rule

“our brain just instantly turns off because we're like oh that's an ad”
Jordan Menard · 11:30

“the stuff that works the best is um just e like influencer content”
Jordan Menard · 12:30

#creative#iphone ads#authenticity

Explainer41:30

A Higher-CPA Ad May Be Finding Your New Customers

Menard warns against turning off a high-spend ad solely because its direct acquisition cost looks worse. He says one ad may be prospecting for new customers while a cheaper image ad benefits from remarketing, so account decisions should consider each creative's funnel role.

Direct CPA does not reveal an ad's entire function
Prospecting ads may introduce net-new customers
Remarketing ads can appear cheaper because they close familiar users
Frequency helps reveal repeated exposure in the account

“that ad is doing it's prospecting it's finding new customer customers”
Jordan Menard · 41:30

“Facebook remarket even if you tell it not to”
Jordan Menard · 42:00

#prospecting#remarketing#attribution

Q&A· 1

Q&A25:00

Two Signals the Offer, Not Just the Creative, Needs Work

Asked how to separate an offer problem from a creative problem, Menard names two warning signs: spend repeatedly stalls at the same ceiling, or an overwhelming majority of new ads produce unaffordable results. He treats these as signals to test the offer rather than proof of a single cause.

A persistent scaling ceiling can indicate an offer constraint
Consistently unaffordable new ads can indicate the same issue
The signs justify offer testing rather than a certain diagnosis
Offer revisions can include more than discounts

“you'll scale to a certain point and you just can't get beyond that”
Jordan Menard · 25:00

#offer diagnosis#creative#scaling

Tool· 1

Tool20:00

Use AI and Customer Reviews to Find Ad Angles

Menard suggests asking an internet-capable AI system to analyse a product page and propose customer pain points, then treating the output as idea generation rather than proof. He also recommends manually reading store reviews because customers often describe uses and benefits the brand did not anticipate.

Ask for pain points the product may alleviate
Expect only some AI suggestions to be useful
Mine customer reviews for unexpected language and use cases
Manual review moderation can force regular exposure to customer wording

“what are the top five pain points that this product can help alleviate”
Jordan Menard · 20:00

“customer reviews right um they are a gold mind”
Jordan Menard · 22:00

#ai#customer reviews#ad angles

Takeaway· 3

Takeaway03:30

Why Menard Designs for at Least a $50 CAC

Menard argues that average order value is not a universal viability rule because subscriptions can support acquisition through later revenue. His preferred starting point is to design the business so it can absorb at least a $50 customer acquisition cost at scale, while accounting for cash flow.

Front-end order value does not reveal the full acquisition capacity
Subscription lifetime value can support a higher initial acquisition cost
Cash-flow timing remains a critical constraint
The $50 figure is Menard's rule of thumb, not a universal threshold

“figure out how you could absorb at least a $50”
Jordan Menard · 03:30

#cac#subscriptions#unit economics

Takeaway15:00

Script Actors, but Brief Influencers

Menard uses scripts when the brand controls production through founders or hired actors, but gives influencers a brief instead. The brief covers prohibited claims, core benefits, and a general structure while preserving the creator's own delivery and story.

Most untrained speakers benefit from a script
Influencer scripts can undermine the voice they were hired for
Briefs should lead with legal and compliance boundaries
Creators can choose one strong benefit and tell their own story

“if we're doing influencers we're going to go with a brief”
Jordan Menard · 16:30

#influencers#creative briefs#ugc

Takeaway40:30

A 30% Creative Hit Rate Is Hall-of-Fame Performance

Menard compares creative testing with baseball: if three out of ten ads become strong performers, the advertiser is doing exceptionally well. The analogy reframes failed tests as an expected cost of finding winners, provided the team keeps producing authentic and varied work.

Most creative tests are not expected to become winners
Three strong ads from ten would be an exceptional result in Menard's view
A high failure rate is compatible with profitable creative production
Authentic and original work remains the closing priority

“if you fail 70% of the time but 30% of the time you're crushing”
Jordan Menard · 41:00

#testing mindset#creative#failure rate

Frameworks in this episode

AOV Expansion Ladder

Creative Diversity Matrix

Grab, Bruise, Bridge, Action Script

Hero Offer Test Loop

Natural CAC Scaling Threshold

Perceived-Value Offer Arbitrage

Pre-Ads Scaling Inputs

Insights & moments

⚡Myth Buster· 1

Free Shipping Can Cost More Than Customers Value It

◆Hot Take· 2