Colin Flood is the Vice President of Marketing at Unreal Snacks, a better-for-you chocolate brand with widespread distribution across numerous retailers in the United States and an established direct-to-consumer platform. At Unreal, Colin has played a pivotal role in scaling the company's e-commerce and D2C operations, including expanding their presence into major retailers like Costco, Target, and Walmart. In this episode of DTC Pod, Colin Flood discusses the ups and downs of their marketing initiatives at Unreal, how they are bridging the gap between retail and digital customer experiences, and what their strategies are for data-driven marketing and budgeting across multiple channels. We also explore how Unreal is leveraging community involvement and consumer networks to drive brand awareness.Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. DTC and Retail Marketing Strategies2. Omni-Channel Presence3. Retail and Digital Marketing Mix4. Market Dynamics and Education5. Amazon Strategy6. Community Engagement7. Consumer Network Growth8. Customer Reactivation Strategies9. Contextual Targeting10. Marketing Team StructureTimestamps00:00 Colin Flood’s background; experience in e-commerce, marketing, and branding03:20 Unreal Snacks — mission & vision, retail & DTC strategy, then vs now10:39 In-store and online marketing strategies15:02 Creative ways to get in front of customers18:39 Amazon strategy, shifting to FBA22:49 Marketing team structure and responsibilities24:27 Relationship between marketing, community, and social28:16 Marketing goals, data, and budget allocation31:04 Contextual targeting, new product launch, reactivation strategies33:26 Challenges in low funnel marketing35:03 Bridging customer experiences between retail and digital36:47 New chocolate products, new retail partnershipShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  Colin Flood - VP of Marketing at Unreal SnacksBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic