The Kohler Bonus: What’s Actually Working in Ad Accounts Right Now
Sometimes the best insights don’t come from theory they come from being deep in the weeds of active ad accounts. That’s exactly what Andrew Foxwell, Zach Stuck, and Brad Ploch delivered in The Kohler Bonus Episode of The Scalability School Podcast: a real-time look at what’s working across different accounts, right now.One of the biggest themes from this conversation is how quickly the definition of “working” changes. A strategy that scaled two months ago might already feel stale today. That’s why staying flexible and keeping an eye on what’s trending inside the platform is critical for media buyers.
Creative continues to dominate, but it’s not just about pumping out more ads. The team emphasized the importance of variety: mixing UGC with polished brand content, testing humor against problem-solution storytelling, and constantly refreshing hooks. The recommendation here is to treat creative as a pipeline, not a project. If you’re launching ads only when performance dips, you’re already behind. Instead, build a cadence of new concepts weekly or biweekly so you’re always ahead of fatigue.
Another major point was structure. Account setups CBO vs. ABO, consolidation vs. splitting aren’t the game-changers people make them out to be. Yes, you need clean organization, but the real growth comes from creative testing, strong data feedback loops, and consistent execution. The tip here is to stop obsessing over the “perfect” structure and put that energy into your creative system and reporting process.
The episode also drove home how critical the backend is. Great ads can’t scale if your landing page is confusing, checkout flow is clunky, or upsells aren’t in place. Several examples showed how backend fixes unlocked growth that had been stuck. The recommendation: audit your customer journey end-to-end, not just your ads. Every extra click, slow load, or unclear message costs you money.
Finally, pacing was a recurring theme. The brands scaling profitably aren’t making wild budget jumps; they’re increasing spend with discipline, pulling back when signals weaken, and pushing harder when creative and backend both align. Think of scaling less like a sprint and more like controlled intervals you win by managing energy, not burning it all at once.
The biggest insight?
There’s no single universal playbook. But the patterns are clear: consistent creative variety, backend readiness, and disciplined pacing show up again and again in accounts that are scaling right now.3 Things to Do in Your Account This Week
Refresh your creative mix. Launch at least one new concept that’s different in format or tone from your current winners. Don’t just iterate diversify.
Audit your backend. Go through your landing page and checkout flow like a customer. Find and remove at least one source of friction.
Set pacing rules. Decide how much you’ll increase spend when ads are strong, and write down thresholds for when to hold steady or pull back.