01 · The challenge
What was holding growth back.
Stuffed States makes state-shaped plush with real emotional pull: a hug from home for college students, transplants, and proud locals.
People already loved the product — it sold in real stores. But the website wasn’t built to sell, there were no ads, and nothing brought a buyer back. And all of it had to be live before the spring–summer 2026 gifting season.
02 · What changed
One system, built in layers.
Website rebuild
A new storefront launched in mid-April around the brand’s personality and gifting occasions.
Google Ads, from zero
Google Ads structured around graduation, America 250, and back-to-school moments.
An email program that pulls its weight
Post-purchase and promotional campaigns, a warm-up series for new subscribers — and resends to everyone who missed the first send, which drove 28% of campaign revenue.
Creative built for the product
Creative built on the joke and the feeling, not the discount — the NYC Trash Can plush launch sold 300 units at full price.
This work, on the shelf: Shopify Build · Klaviyo Email & SMS · Paid Ads
03 · The results
The receipt.
Google Ads returned 4.9x across its first three months, peaking at 6.5x in May. Email-attributed revenue in June reached 5x the pre-program monthly average.
May 2026 became the brand’s best revenue month to date, driven by coordinated Memorial Day promotions across the site, email, and paid.
Google Ads from launch
- Return per ad dollar
- Ad spend vs. April
| Month | Ad spend vs. April | Return per ad dollar |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 1.0× | 2.72x |
| May 2026 | 8.3× | 6.54x |
| June 2026 | 11.1× | 3.90x |
| Apr–Jun 2026 | — | 4.92x |
Email revenue
| Period | Monthly email revenue (indexed, pre-program = 1.0×) |
|---|---|
| Jan–Apr 2026 avg. · before program | 1.0× |
| May 2026 | 3.4× |
| June 2026 | 5.1× |
“And by the way, we aren’t even doing ads yet—people are just searching and finding it.”
— Stacey McLaughlin, Founder, Stuffed States · launch week
04 · Why it worked
The system behind the number.
The same campaign reached the homepage, inbox, and ad account in the same week. For a seasonal gifting brand, that coordination is not a nice-to-have. It is the whole game.