The Best Ads for Mail Order Cookies

THIS WEEK’S FODDER
☀️ Good Morning

You’re reading Marketing Fodder, a newsletter dedicated to helping you improve your Facebook and Instagram ads. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Here’s what we’re serving up today:

1. Levain Bakery

2. Mrs. Fields

3. Carolina Cookie Company

4. Last Crumb

What do these companies have in common? They all sell and ship delicious cookies! We’ll take a look at how these companies can improve their messaging, ad copy, and images.

STARTER
Headlines

• Google announced they are translating search results into 8 more languages (Read more)

• Google AI Overviews drop, its presence fell from 11% to 7% of queries in June (Read more)

• This SEO experiment suggests that disavowing links has almost no effect (Read more)

• Google’s next core update may be only weeks away (Read more)

MAIN
Cookies

How big is the market for cookies?

According to SkyQuest, the global market for cookies was valued at 27.56 billion (USD) in 2023 and is projected to grow to 45.4 billion (USD) by 2031. That’s a projected compound annual growth rate of 6.43%.

Most cookies are still sold offline, but online cookies sales are catching up:

How I Analyze Facebook Ads

A great Facebook ad communicates the benefitsof the product or service, not solely the features. Features are cool, but customers really care about what those features do for them (the benefit). So, ideally, a Facebook ad communicates how the features of a product or service create a result or transformation for the customer (the benefit).

Alright, let’s see how these companies market their cookies:

#1: Levain Bakery

The Good:

• This ad is an excellent example of letting the product sell itself, using text and an image to make the offer even more enticing.

• The great thing about cookies is that almost everyone wants some, so ads for products that everyone already wants usually involves providing some social proof and emphasizing taste. This ad does that perfectly with a quote from Insider, which basically says these cookies are the best.

• The phrase, “World-famous cookies, Wherever you are,” captures the main message of the ad.

The Bad:

• Mentioning how fast these cookies ship or a free shipping offer could be helpful.

The Recommendation:

• I like the close up shot of the cookie, but I would also test images of multiple cookies on a plate or in a box.

#2: Mrs. Fields

The Good:

• Great use of a customer quote in the Primary text. Using “Verified Buyer” after the customer’s name is smart and does make it seem like a genuine review.

• The image provides a nice example of what the cookies look like.

• The 25% off offer gives the viewer an extra nudge.

The Bad:

• The five yellow stars are bumping up against the customer quote, a space is needed there.

• Information about shipping times or speed would be helpful.

The Recommendation:

• Test the placement of the customer quote, it may work better on the image.

• This ad could use some more information about the quality or taste of these cookies; the customer quote only mentions them being “fresh.”

#3: Carolina Cookie Company

The Good:

• This ad gives the five yellow stars their own line, providing a cleaner look than the last ad.

• The detailed customer quote addresses key features like taste and amount of chocolate.

• The cookies look appealing and the background of the image makes it feel like they are sitting in someone’s home.

The Bad:

• The quote/review is not attributed to a customer. There is no name. This may not matter for some viewers, but having a name makes the quote feel more legitimate.

The Recommendation:

• Include the name of the customer who gave the quote.

• Include more information in the description section about shipping or other promotional offers.

#4: Last Crumb

The Good:

• Calling out that the cookie is only “a couple clicks away” is a nice way to nudge the viewer to click the ad.

• The image is eye-catching, especially the red fingernail, and stands out from other cookie companies. Having one color that pops out in an image can boost CTR.

• “Crave. Every. Last. Crumb.” is memorable and aligns with the brand name.

The Bad:

• I don’t like the phrase “Edible bliss,” mainly because we all assume cookies are edible. “Pure bliss” would be better and I don’t love that either.

• Also, there appears to be a typo, “of” is missing between “yourself” and “this pleasure.”

The Recommendation:

• The Primary text copy needs a rework, but I would also test a customer review.

• The ad needs some additional information about the taste and unique qualities (if any) of these cookies, and shipping info would be helpful as well.

Meme of the Week: