Cutting Against The Grain

Right now every DTC brand is racing to cram more protein into everything. The coffee, the popcorn, the pancake mix, the water (don't ask me how). So a supplement brand called Menerals ran an ad that goes against the trend. Here's why I love it: ## 1. The headline: "Don't eat more protein" Protein is the LOUDEST word in DTC right now. "More protein = good" got drilled into buyers for the last two years. That's why Menerals did a complete 180. When you see this headline, your brain has to pay attention to make sense of the inconsistency. ## 2. The subhead: "Absorb more of what you're already eating" Seven words. They close the loop opened by the headline and flip the category at the same time. Anyone who stopped scrolling already believes protein matters, so now there's a fresh itch: *am I actually using the protein I eat, or flushing half of it?* Menerals just moved you from an intake problem to an absorption problem in one line, and made room for their product on the way. ## 3. The steak Look at what they put on screen. A steak. Not a tub of powder, not a pill, a slab of real food you already eat. That picture is the argument. It's the whole pitch in one cut of ribeye, quietly saying "you're clearly getting plenty of protein," which is the exact premise the subhead needs. The image makes the case before you read a word, so by the time you hit "absorb more," you already bought into their setup. ## How I'd beat it The problem this ad is selling is invisible. You can't see absorption, so right now the ad asks you to take the gap on faith. I'd make it visible. Same steak, but half of it greyed out or sliding off the plate, with a line like "half of this never makes it in." The best problem-aware ads make an invisible problem physical (a hand full of shed hair does it for hair loss). A steak losing half itself would do it for waste. Second test: the headline flirts with sounding anti-protein. I'd run "More protein isn't the problem" against the control, since it keeps the interrupt but aims the doubt at the real villain, waste, instead of at protein itself. --- **Want this done for your brand?** One call will show you where your creative is leaving money on the table. [Book a call](https://cal.com/colinelefante/ad-oven-discovery-call)