The Sale Was Only Half the Strategy: How Nordic Naturals Turned A TENTPOLE EVENT into Sustained Growth

The Challenge

Global Omega-3 Day (March 3rd) represents Nordic Naturals’ single largest sales period of the year. For several years, the brand has worked with Code3 and activated a coordinated awareness campaign alongside a limited-time Amazon and DTC sale. However, as competitors increasingly capitalized on the same moment, the event became more crowded and expensive.

Compounding this challenge, Omega-3 Day occurs immediately after the peak “New Year, New You” window, a period when supplement sales surge due to resolutions and wellness goals. By early March, many shoppers have already made their purchases or shifted focus away from health-related goals.

For Nordic, retention was not the primary issue: the brand maintains strong loyalty. The greater challenge was education and new customer acquisition. Omega-3 benefits are well-known broadly, but differentiation within a saturated category requires consistent education and reinforcement.

The campaign therefore needed to:

• Defend leadership in a growing competitive moment
• Reignite category interest post–New Year surge
• Drive meaningful new-to-brand growth, not just incremental purchases
• Balance aggressive event-day conversion with long-term customer value

The business challenge was compounded by channel realities:

• Ecommerce growth was essential. With limited brick-and-mortar distribution, Amazon performance needed to do more heavy lifting, especially as the brand sought to expand with younger, digital-first shoppers like Gen Z.
• Legacy DSP strategy lacked precision. Prior campaigns leaned on overly broad targeting that didn’t map to AmLactin’s true value: specific skin concerns and use cases (ex: rough/flaky skin, conditions like Keratosis Pilaris, foot therapy). That mismatch diluted efficiency and limited message relevance.
• Budget constraints forced trade-offs. With limited dollars, the brand couldn’t afford wasted reach. Every impression needed to work harder, building awareness and creating a path to purchase.

The Action

Code3 implemented a three-phase strategy: lead-in, peak, and lead-out, designed to build momentum before the sale, maximize impact during the event, and extend performance afterward.

Phase 1: Pre-Event (Lead-In)
The lead-in period focused on building awareness and consideration to strengthen retargeting pools before the promotion went live.

Rather than relying solely on lower-funnel tactics, investment prioritized upper- and mid-funnel placements to educate consumers on the benefits of Omega-3s and reinforce Nordic’s authority in the category. Messaging emphasized product education and brand value to ensure that when the sale launched, audiences were already primed to convert.

This period was critical in fueling high-efficiency retargeting during the event window.

Phase 2: Peak (Event Window)
During the three-day sale, the focus shifted to conversion and urgency.

Budget allocation pivoted toward mid- and lower-funnel tactics designed to capture high-intent shoppers actively browsing the category. Messaging evolved from education to promotional urgency while maintaining brand consistency.

Importantly, the campaign structure remained stable, allowing performance continuity without introducing learning disruptions during the highest-volume window.

Phase 3: Post-Event (Lead-Out)
After the sale, Code3 sustained momentum by re-engaging audiences who interacted during the event but did not purchase.

This phase capitalized on residual demand, shifting messaging toward long-term value and subscription incentives. Lower competitive pressure during this period allowed for efficient retargeting and strong ROAS recovery.

Across all phases, real-time reporting, frequency analysis, and audience insights informed adjustments in budget pacing, messaging emphasis, and channel prioritization, ensuring performance remained efficient despite shifting market dynamics.