At a recent panel discussion featuring Sam Wood, Founder of 28 by Sam Wood, he shared an insight that stuck with me - out of a $100,000 monthly marketing budget, his team allocates 80% to what they know works and 20% to ‘test and learn’ initiatives.
It got me thinking: whatever happened to the old ‘test and learn’ approach in brand marketing?
Once upon a time, marketing teams had the freedom (and budget) to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what stuck. Creativity thrived. Innovation was welcomed. Testing new ideas, launching unexpected campaigns, and experimenting with channels were part of the norm.
But somewhere along the way, did we get too risk-averse? Have marketing teams lost the autonomy to push creative boundaries? Are brands so reliant on paid ads that the ‘test and learn’ portion has been swallowed up in digital performance metrics, leaving no room for trial and error?
Many brands now approach marketing with a laser focus on ROI. Every dollar spent must be accounted for, and if an initiative doesn’t immediately generate measurable results, it’s dismissed. The problem? This mindset dampens market experimentation and long-term brand building.
Traditional ‘test and learn’ budgets used to fund:
New messaging angles (instead of repurposing the same paid copy)
Experimental content formats (such as demand gen v lead gen or an educational series)
Innovative brand collaborations (before the influencer boom turned partnerships into purely transactional deals)
Creative media placements (think experiential marketing and guerrilla tactics)
Now, with marketing budgets squeezed, we’ve seen this portion diminish - swallowed up by performance marketing that prioritises short-term gains over creative risk-taking.
But here’s the irony: without a ‘test and learn’ culture, we’ll never discover the next big marketing breakthrough.
Now, I can almost hear you asking 'so, where should hair & beauty brands experiment in 2025? our industry is competitive. Brands that don’t evolve will be left behind. So, if we were to reclaim the ‘test and learn’ budget, where should we allocate it?
TikTok-Led Brand Discovery
Experiment with TikTok Shop and live-stream selling.
Invest in micro-creators over polished influencers to test organic reach.
Create a ‘trend-hacking’ content calendar to capitalise on viral sounds and challenges.
Offline-First Strategies
Test hyper-local pop-up activations to drive real-world engagement.
Explore salon partnerships where professionals act as micro-influencers.
Send PR packages to underground beauty communities, not just the usual influencer lists.
AI-Driven Personalisation
Trial AI-powered consultation tools that give customers personalised product recommendations.
Use AI to test dynamic pricing strategies or hyper-personalised email flows.
Subscription Experimentation
Offer limited-edition discovery kits to test customer appetite for new product ranges.
Trial tiered loyalty programs that reward referrals and engagement, not just purchases.
New Media Channels
Invest in a branded podcast or video series featuring professional beauty educators.
Test LinkedIn marketing for B2B beauty brands looking to engage salons and aestheticians.
Run UGC-led OOH campaigns where customer testimonials appear in real-world placements.
It’s time to shift our mindset. Marketing isn’t just about optimising ads - it’s about creating movements, stories, and experiences. The brands that win in 2025 will be the ones willing to take calculated risks.
So, let’s mourn the loss of the old ‘test and learn’ - and then fight to bring it back. Because the next time a brand discovers the campaign that changes everything, it won’t be from something they already knew would work. It will be from a test that, at first, seemed like just another crazy idea.
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