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Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads
Home furniture brand Blu Dot blew up on CTV with help from Roku Ads Manager. Here’s how:
After a test campaign reached 211,000 households and achieved 1,010% ROAS, the brand went all in to promote its annual sales event. It removed age and income constraints to expand reach and shifted budget to custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.
The results speak for themselves. As Blu Dot increased their investment by 10x, ROAS jumped to 2,308% and more page-view conversions surpassed 50,000.
“For CTV campaigns, Roku has been a top performer,” said Claire Folkestad, Paid Media Strategist, Blu Dot. “Comping to our other platforms, we have seen really strong ROAS… and highly efficient CPMs, lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”
Using Roku Ads Manager, the campaign moved from a pilot to a permanent performance engine for the brand.
Good morning. AI stocks took a hit Thursday while most other stocks held their ground, and Delta Air Lines kicks off airline earnings before the open.
The Market Gauge
Thursday's close: the S&P 500 fell 0.47% to 7,765.36, the Nasdaq dropped 1.25% to 27,193.34, and the Dow edged up 0.10% to 51,231.64.
The Nasdaq slid in the afternoon after the Financial Times reported that OpenAI recently told investors its annualized revenue is about $50 billion, well below earlier reports of $70 billion. That raised doubts about AI demand, and chip and AI infrastructure stocks took the worst of it: the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) fell 2.8%. The rest of the market did better. Energy stocks jumped about 3% as U.S. crude rose 3.6% to $91.49 a barrel, and the 10-year Treasury yield fell 5 basis points to 5.23% after touching 5.35% before the open. Small caps edged higher and held their 200-day line.
IBD's read: just as the rally looked ready to take off, AI and growth stocks pulled back. It could turn into a constructive pause, but that depends on what happens next, and market breadth is still a concern. IBD suggests trimming recent buys that are underwater, working on watchlists and following your sell rules.
Beginner note: The S&P 500 weights each company by its size, so a few giant tech names can pull it down. The equal-weight version (RSP) counts every company the same, and it rose 0.6% Thursday. When the two disagree like that, the average stock did better than the headline index.
On today's calendar
Delta Air Lines earnings (before the open, call at 10:00 AM ET). Delta is usually the first big airline to report each quarter, so traders read it for clues about travel demand. Fuel is one of an airline's largest costs, which makes oil near $91 worth keeping in mind as you read the results.
University of Michigan consumer sentiment, preliminary (10:00 AM ET). A monthly survey of how confident U.S. households feel about money and the economy. Consumer spending drives most of the economy, so a big surprise either way can move stocks.
Telecom stocks at the open. Late Thursday, SpaceX said it will buy wireless spectrum to strengthen Starlink, pending regulatory approval. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile fell about 6% in after-hours trading, according to IBD. After-hours moves on news do not always hold once regular trading begins.
On the radar: GigaCloud Technology
$GCT ( ▼ 1.61% ) runs an online wholesale marketplace for big, bulky goods like furniture and home products, connecting manufacturers with retailers in the U.S. and Europe and handling the storage and delivery in between. The stock is on the IBD 50 and was IBD's Stock of the Day on Thursday.
It rose 0.8% to 56.42 Thursday on a day the Nasdaq fell 1.25%, and touched a 52-week high of 57.33 during the session. That close sits about 1.5% above a 55.60 cup-with-handle buy point, inside the usual 5% buy zone that runs to about 58.38. Volume was about 58% above its average, a sign that larger buyers were active.
Why it's worth watching: Before you buy a stock, check when it reports earnings. GigaCloud's next report is November 5, about four weeks away. Buying early in a base breakout gives a position time to build a cushion before the report, which can swing a smaller stock sharply in either direction.
How useful was today's Before the Bell?
ONE FOR THE ROAD
When a stock you own has earnings coming in a few weeks, do you hold through the report or trim beforehand, and why?
Educational content only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not predict future results. Read the full financial disclosure.
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