The starting point
Duschbrocken grew steadily from 2019 to 2021, driven by performance marketing after its television appearance. With the war in Ukraine and rising living costs, people began cutting back on sustainable — and therefore pricier — products. The result was three consecutive years of falling new-customer numbers.
Contact prices in the existing channels kept climbing, budgets were adjusted, but at some point it was clear: there was no further growth to be had from Meta and Google. An earlier attempt at influencer marketing on Instagram had failed, in part because back then the shop did not even have a field for a discount code.
In May 2024 Christoph heard our talk about another client at OMR and recognised parallels with his own situation. A very ambitious target was agreed: EUR 16 cost per new customer, on a budget of EUR 150,000 over six months. For a founder who runs conservative numbers that was an unusually bold step, because never before had that much money gone into an untested channel.
Making it harder still: the product is strongly seasonal, and the start fell in August, near the end of the main season, with no historical data whatsoever for YouTube.
About Duschbrocken
Duschbrocken was founded in 2018 by Christoph Lung and Johannes Lutz, after both had independently experienced liquid shampoo leaking in their luggage while travelling. The company makes solid shower and shampoo products — plastic-free, but explicitly not a product of self-denial: plenty of lather, fragrance and enjoyment in the shower, just like conventional products.
In 2020 the brand appeared on Germany's Dragons' Den equivalent, which gave awareness a clear lift. The company is bootstrapped and runs conservative numbers: it spends no more on a new customer than the first order returns in profit. With a net basket of EUR 30 to 33, the real profit only starts with the second order.
Our approach
We deliberately chose YouTube rather than Instagram again, because a video there does not vanish after 24 hours but keeps generating views and sales for weeks and months. With a basket of around EUR 30, that tail is exactly what makes a placement able to turn profitable at all.
Rather than spending the budget straight away, we deliberately used only about a third of it in the first six months. From the outset it was said openly that the first months would not be a rocket but a discovery phase for niche, messaging and the right offer.
On the strength of early signals — above all an exceptionally high new-customer rate — we decided to continue despite high initial figures, instead of pulling out after weak months.
The tail, not the launch-day spike
A YouTube video stays visible. The entire calculation was built on that: a placement rarely turns profitable on publication day but over the weeks that follow. With a basket of around EUR 30, that is the difference between a channel that works and one that does not.
Learn first, then scale
Only about a third of the agreed budget was spent in the first six months. That was a deliberate decision against spending fast and in favour of a discovery phase in which niche, messaging and offer get worked out in the first place.
The offer is part of the strategy
A discount code is not an incentive to buy, it is a price reduction. The starter set with five free minis was tangible added value for the travel community and changed conversion markedly.
Valuation beyond the blended number
A channel where over 75 percent of buyers are new customers is worth more than the short-term maths shows. The attribution model includes repeat purchases and the tail, and brings the channel almost to the original target.
