This week, we’re getting into all things BFCM. What we’re doing right now to prep for the most important time of year for DTC marketers and what brands need to be thinking about that most people don’t. We dig into pacing, impulse-buyer windows and how to avoid misspending on the day, plus how we’re approaching budget planning, Meta performance, and the lessons we’ve learned from our own campaigns over the years.

We also get into what we’d do if we had a new product or brand idea and how we’d validate it in the market, even without a finished product, and the scrappy, cost-effective ways to test before going all in. We break down real examples of brands that nailed their early launches through smart validation and lean marketing, and what you can take from those approaches.

To wrap up, Connor R shares the three ideal hires he’d make first if he were building a marketing team from scratch and how those roles can help you execute faster, test smarter, and scale sustainably.

Zach Stuck on the Core Marketing Tactics to Drive Growth As You Scale: https://youtu.be/M4xn2aISEbg?si=V_8R4sIklXa487CB

If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:08:05 - Less-Talked-About BFCM Tactics & Insights

00:24:17 - BFCM Sale Timelines & Pacing Strategy

00:36:46 - Analyzing ROAS Lift & Scaling Spend Pre-BFCM

00:53:50 - How to Test & Validate a New Product Idea

01:10:14 - The First 3 Hires for a New Growth Team

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⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends

Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.prescientai.com/operators

Richpanel.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc

Aftersell.

https://www.aftersell.com/operators

Haus.

http://Haus.io/operators

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This week, we’re joined by Reza Khadjavi, founder and CEO of Motion, the podcast’s premier sponsor. Reza breaks down who he’d hire first if he were running growth today, why the best marketers right now are the ones who can merge strategy, execution, and AI into one high-leverage role, and how he’s seeing the return of the elite IC reshape modern marketing teams.

Connor M shares a behind-the-scenes look at how Ridge has collapsed entire layers of their go-to-market workflow, cutting out handoffs, speeding up launches, and proving that smaller, sharper teams can actually do more. We dig into how AI is automating execution, why creativity still sets teams apart, and what it really means for how work gets done.

Then we explore the latest creative trends, from Meta’s Andromeda update and what it means for persona-based targeting to how brands should actually be thinking about creative diversity. Reza walks through Motion’s new AI tagging system, the eight most important categories for creative testing, and why so many brands miss the mark on evolving their messaging. We also talk about how getting naming conventions right can unlock better insights, sharper strategy, and way more creative clarity.

If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction00:05:41 - The Three First Hires for a Director of Growth

00:26:28 - How Ridge Collapsed Its Go-to-Market Workflow

00:37:36 - When Leaders Become ICs

00:51:14 - Meta Andromeda & The Need for Creative Diversity

01:07:44 - The Power of AI Tagging & Naming Conventions

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Motion.

⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends

Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.prescientai.com/operators

Richpanel.⁠⁠⁠

https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc

Aftersell.

https://www.aftersell.com/operators

Rivo.

https://www.rivo.io/operators

Subscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9

Subscribe to the Finance Operators Podcast here:

https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS

Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here:

https://9operators.com/

Learn what separates top 1% creative strategists from everyone else - and why AI is making this the most valuable role in performance marketing.

The Marketing Operators break down the exact skills, mindset shifts, and creative strategy frameworks that will make you indispensable in 2026.

Motion.⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trends