The Best Ads for Hot Sauce

THIS WEEK’S FODDER
☀️ Good Morning

You’re reading Marketing Fodder, a newsletter dedicated to helping you improve your Facebook and Instagram ads. Here’s what we’re serving up today:

1. Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co.

2. Yellowbird Sauce

3. Melinda’s Hot Sauce

4. Captain Mowatt’s

What do these companies have in common? They all sell hot sauce. If you don’t see a brand you recognize, it’s because many of the bigger brands create terrible Facebook ads that aren’t worth drawing inspiration from. But, the companies listed above put effort into their ads, and we’re going to take a look at why these ads work so well.

STARTER
Quick Bites

• Google’s Universal Analytics will shutdown on July 1, 2024. But, GA4 is getting new features, including AI insights and cross-channel reporting (Read more)

• 8 ways to promote and grow a Facebook page for your business (Read more)

• Tips for maximizing a relatively small PPC budget (Read more)

• Google ends continuous/infinite scroll in search results (Read more)

MAIN
The Sauce

What’s so interesting about the hot sauce market?

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global market for hot sauce was valued at 3.09 billion (USD) in 2023 and is projected to grow to 5.98 billion (USD) by 2032. That’s a projected compound annual growth rate of 7.7%.

Here’s what the global hot sauce market share looks like by type:

How I Analyze Facebook Ads

A great Facebook ad communicates the benefits of 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 hot sauces:

#1: Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co.

The Good:

• As we know, highlighting how a product benefits the customer is much more compelling than listing the features of a product. This ad exemplifies that by positioning this hot sauce as something that will impress guests and make a meal special. Instead of talking about heat level, this ad zooms in on the real benefit for the customer: recognition from others.

• The image does an excellent job of showing what’s in the hot sauce without describing the individual ingredients. The peppers, mangoes, and spices are displayed in a hunger-inducing way.

The Bad:

• This ad doesn’t use the description section (below the image) well. “Make Every Meal Special!” is fine, but including limited time offers or info that could convince the viewer to convert would be a better strategy.

The Recommendation:

• Test putting text on the image, especially if it’s social proof or a review.

#2: Yellowbird Sauce

The Good:

• The image is especially effective in this Yellowbird ad. First, I like that the woman in the image is smiling, which often correlates with higher CTR in my experience. Second, I like that the hot sauce is “in use,” which means the viewer doesn’t need to think about what they would use it on.

• Calling it the “World’s Tastiest Hot Sauce” is bold and creates curiosity.

• Saying the hot sauce has “no bullsh*t ingredients” likely appeals to a younger crowd and makes the brand sound less corporate and more relatable.

The Bad:

• Providing a URL in the Primary text is not really necessary since one is required below the image.

The Recommendation:

• Again, this feels like an ad where a quote or review would give this ad more credibility. I would test having one on the image or as part of the Primary text.

#3: Melinda’s Hot Sauce

The Good:

• This ad does an excellent job sounding trustworthy without being pushy or salesy.

• The slogan, “Anyone Can Strike A Match, But Few Can Strike A Balance” is memorable, and for those who miss the play on words, the ad immediately explains it with the phrase, “The Perfect Balance Of Heat & Flavor.”

The Bad:

• Having too many slogans/catchphrases in one ad may be less memorable than having one. Removing the slogan, “Set Your Mouth On Flavor,” with a fire emoji, may help the ad feel more cohesive.

The Recommendation:

• Test different backgrounds for the image (in a kitchen, near some food, etc.). Different scenes resonate with different people and testing is the best way to see what your audience likes.

#4: Captain Mowatt’s

The Good:

• This ad uses humor to make its hot sauce more impressive sounding.

• The Primary text reads, “Voted Maine’s #1 Favorite Hot Sauce,” and then follows that with, “according to us and everyone we talk to!” The absurdity of voting yourself Maine’s favorite hot sauce makes the brand feel fun, but it also plants the idea that this really might be one of Maine’s all-time hot sauces.

• The image reenforces the message with a quote, “Maine’s best hot sauce, truly addicting stuff.”

• The image incorporates a four bullet point list with checkmarks describing key features.

The Bad:

• The quote is good, but ideally it would be attributed to a happy customer (no name is given).

The Recommendation:

• I would focus more on the benefit that that customer gets from buying “Maine’s best hot sauce,” which could be the admiration of friends or family.

• Test different backgrounds for the image, I would try to make this ad look more like organic content and less like an ad.

Meme of the Week: