About the Brand
Aged & Ore is a Chicago-based barware brand founded in 2017 by two brothers-in-law with a sharp product vision and a deep appreciation for modern spirits culture. They design high-quality, minimalist barware and spirits accessories, premium functional pieces built for today’s spirit enthusiast. A founder-led brand with a clear identity, a growing product line, and ambitions that had outpaced their current growth system.
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Summary of Results
+39%
Net Sales Growth (Q4 YoY)
vs. 27% spend increase
vs. 27% spend increase
27.5%
Efficiency Improvement
First 6 months
First 6 months
90%
New Customer Revenue
via CGC creative
via CGC creative
2.40x
CGC ROAS
At a Six-figure ad spend
At a Six-figure ad spend
The Challenge
When Aged & Ore partnered with Pilothouse, they weren't looking for incremental gains. They needed a real breakthrough.
The goal was clear: scale to $100K/month in ad spend — but only if it could be done profitably.
Specifically, they were facing:
The goal was clear: scale to $100K/month in ad spend — but only if it could be done profitably.
Specifically, they were facing:
8% YoY Revenue Decline
Post-holiday drop with no clear recovery path
Post-holiday drop with no clear recovery path
Growth Plateau
Stuck at $40K–$50K/month in ad spend
Stuck at $40K–$50K/month in ad spend
Creative Fatigue
Existing content was stale, performance was declining
Existing content was stale, performance was declining
Cash Flow Pressure
New product launches needed funding — which required profitable scale first
New product launches needed funding — which required profitable scale first
The plateau wasn't a budget problem. It was a creative and segmentation problem. The account lacked diversity in messaging and persona targeting, and the algorithm was starving for fresh signals.
The Kickoff
The Strategy
We didn't start by increasing the budget. We started by rebuilding the foundation that would allow the budget to scale profitably. The goal wasn't growth at any cost — it was efficient, sustainable scale.
Before adding spend, we identified the real constraint. The account wasn't capped by budget. It was capped by creative diversity and persona segmentation. The algorithm was recycling the same messaging to the same audiences and producing diminishing returns. So we restructured the system first — clarifying personas, aligning messaging to each segment, and introducing internal CGC to dramatically expand creative volume and variation. Once the account was sending stronger signals and proving efficiency, we scaled spend. When the inputs improved, scale became a lever, not a liability.
Before adding spend, we identified the real constraint. The account wasn't capped by budget. It was capped by creative diversity and persona segmentation. The algorithm was recycling the same messaging to the same audiences and producing diminishing returns. So we restructured the system first — clarifying personas, aligning messaging to each segment, and introducing internal CGC to dramatically expand creative volume and variation. Once the account was sending stronger signals and proving efficiency, we scaled spend. When the inputs improved, scale became a lever, not a liability.
Define what winning actually looks like
Most brands chasing scale define success as revenue growth. We pushed further. The goal wasn't more revenue — it was profitable revenue. Efficient growth, where every dollar of increased spend had to pull its weight. That single alignment shaped everything that followed.
Diagnose before prescribing
The plateau wasn't a budget problem. It was a creative and segmentation problem. The account lacked diversity in messaging and persona targeting — and the algorithm was starving for fresh signals. Throwing more spend at the same creative would have made things worse, not better.
Get precise about who we're talking to
We refined audience segmentation and got deliberate about the personas behind the purchase. Different buyers needed different messages. Once we understood who we were actually speaking to, we could build creative that was intentional — not generic.
Use internal CGC to solve the creative problem
This became a major unlock in the account. Internal CGC injected meaningful creative diversity, increased testing velocity, reduced fatigue, and gave the algorithm stronger behavioral signals to optimize against. Instead of recycling variations of the same message, we introduced new angles, formats, and hooks at scale.
Creative stopped being the constraint. It became the growth lever.This became a major unlock in the account. Internal CGC injected meaningful creative diversity, increased testing velocity, reduced fatigue, and gave the algorithm stronger behavioral signals to optimize against. Instead of recycling variations of the same message, we introduced new angles, formats, and hooks at scale.Creative stopped being the constraint. It became the growth lever.
Creative stopped being the constraint. It became the growth lever.This became a major unlock in the account. Internal CGC injected meaningful creative diversity, increased testing velocity, reduced fatigue, and gave the algorithm stronger behavioral signals to optimize against. Instead of recycling variations of the same message, we introduced new angles, formats, and hooks at scale.Creative stopped being the constraint. It became the growth lever.
CGC was not just an add-on to the account. It became the foundation of new customer growth, driving 90% of new customer revenue at a 2.40x ROAS.
Operate as one system
Strategy set the direction, but execution was fully integrated across creative, media, and optimization. Every test informed the next brief. Every data point shaped targeting and spend allocation. We tested wide, scaled what proved efficient, and aligned the account with platform best practices at every stage to serve the algorithm, not fight it. Pilothouse owned execution end to end. That meant Aged & Ore could stay focused on product innovation and expansion while we built and optimized the growth engine.
The Results
Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2025
+27%
Increase in Ad Spend
Meta + Google combined
Meta + Google combined
+39%
Increase in Net Sales
Revenue grew faster than spend — efficiency improved
Revenue grew faster than spend — efficiency improved
First 6 Months
2x
Ad Spend
Compared to prior 6-month period
Compared to prior 6-month period
+27.5%
Efficiency Improvement
Scaled up while getting more efficient, not less
Scaled up while getting more efficient, not less
Month One
18.4%
Efficiency Improvement
In the first 30 days — no extended ramp-up period
In the first 30 days — no extended ramp-up period
Immediate
Creative Traction
CGC formats outperformed existing creative from week one
CGC formats outperformed existing creative from week one
The CGC Impact
Creator-Generated Content became a key lever in scaling the account efficiently.
30% of total ad spend went to CGC. That 30% generated 22% of total revenue — at a 2.40x ROAS — while driving 90% new customer acquisition. For a brand that needed to grow its customer base, not just retarget existing buyers, this was the engine that made it happen.
+39%
Net Sales Growth (Q4 YoY)
vs. 27% spend increase
vs. 27% spend increase
27.5%
Efficiency Improvement
First 6 months
First 6 months
90%
New Customer Revenue
via CGC creative
via CGC creative
2.40x
CGC ROAS
At a Six-figure ad spend
At a Six-figure ad spend
Performance window: July 1, 2025 – January 21, 2026
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The Outcome
Aged & Ore broke through their growth ceiling. They scaled beyond their ad spend plateau, improved efficiency while growing revenue, and built a stronger foundation for upcoming product launches — all profitably.
Beyond the numbers: by integrating strategy at the business level and taking execution off the brand's plate, the team could focus on what they do best — product innovation and expansion.
Is This Relevant to You?
If you're running a premium ecommerce brand and you recognize any of these signs, this case study is worth studying closely:
Growth plateau despite increasing budget
The spend isn't the problem. The creative is.
The spend isn't the problem. The creative is.
ROAS inconsistency at scale
Creative diversity and segmentation solve this.
Creative diversity and segmentation solve this.
Over-reliance on one creative format
CGC adds velocity and format variety without sacrificing quality.
CGC adds velocity and format variety without sacrificing quality.
New customer acquisition costs rising
Fresh formats drive cold audiences — existing creative doesn't.
Fresh formats drive cold audiences — existing creative doesn't.
The brands that scale profitably don't just spend more. They build systems where creative, strategy, and media buying operate as one unit — and they iterate faster than the algorithm can fatigue.
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