American Extractions Stick Pack Google Ads Campaign
Overview
During the [1] 2025 review and 2026 strategy session, the team made a decisive pivot in Google Ads strategy: pause the underperforming ClearMix campaign and reallocate all ad budget toward stick packs and drink mixes, targeting broader, higher-volume keywords aligned with the client's new mainstream wellness positioning.
This shift was driven by two converging factors: the ClearMix campaign's poor performance due to low search volume for hemp-specific terms, and a strategic business decision to reposition American Extractions away from THC/CBD toward a general "wellness powder manufacturer" identity in anticipation of hemp regulation.
Background: Why the ClearMix Campaign Failed
The ClearMix Google Ads campaign underperformed for structural reasons:
- Advertising restrictions: Google prohibits direct advertising of THC and CBD products, limiting keyword targeting to "hemp" variants only.
- Low search volume: Niche hemp B2B keywords (e.g., "private label hemp drink powder manufacturer") have insufficient search volume to generate meaningful impressions or leads.
- Narrow product scope: ClearMix is a single, hemp-specific product with limited keyword flexibility.
Despite reasonable click-through rates on available impressions, the campaign could not generate enough volume to serve as a reliable lead generation channel.
The New Strategy: Stick Packs / Drink Mixes
Budget Decision
Mark Schweiger (American Extractions) directed that 100% of the Google Ads budget be shifted to stick packs — not "most" of it. The ClearMix campaign is to be paused immediately.
"Most of the budget, I think it should be all of the budget... I think we need to focus and we need to make something happen here."
— Mark Schweiger
Keyword Approach
The core insight driving the new keyword strategy is that "stick pack" describes packaging, not the product. The actual product is a powdered drink mix or wellness powder, which opens up significantly broader keyword territory:
drink mixeshydration powdersenergy drinks/energy drink mixesbeverage manufacturingcustom formula drink mixespre-workout powder manufacturerpost-workout powder manufacturer
The strategy uses broader match keywords to capture long-tail B2B queries (e.g., "contract manufacturer for hydration stick packs") within higher-volume search pools. If high bounce rates emerge, that signals B2C bleed-through and triggers further refinement.
Karly Oykhman (Asymmetric) is conducting a deep-dive keyword research session with the ads specialist specifically focused on non-hemp stick pack / drink mix terms before reallocating the ClearMix budget.
Landing Page
The existing stick pack landing page is hemp-focused and must be reworked to align with the new mainstream wellness positioning. Key changes needed:
- Lead with wellness benefit categories (energy, focus, sleep, relax, pre/post-workout) rather than cannabinoids
- Frame cannabinoids as one optional ingredient among many, not the core offering
- Target beverage manufacturers and brand owners, not cannabinoid companies
See [2] for the broader repositioning rationale.
New Product Pipeline for Marketing
American Extractions has six formula categories ready (or near-ready) to market, providing fresh keyword and content opportunities:
| Category | Status |
|---|---|
| Energy | In development |
| Focus | In development |
| Sleep | In development |
| Relax | In development |
| Pre-workout | Adapting existing formula |
| Post-workout | Adapting existing formula |
Target marketing launch: January 1. Caitlin Doak noted that SEO content can begin immediately — products don't need to be fully white-label-ready to start building keyword rankings.
Target Audience Shift
The campaign will target beverage manufacturers and brand owners, not cannabinoid brands. This reflects both the regulatory risk mitigation strategy and the existing reality that ~80% of American Extractions' stick pack inquiries already come from non-THC customers.
Potential segments include:
- Small beverage brands seeking contract manufacturing
- Hospitality brands (hotels, spas, airlines) exploring private-label wellness products
- Sports nutrition brands
Action Items
- [ ] Pause ClearMix Google Ads campaign — Karly Oykhman (immediate)
- [ ] Conduct deep keyword research for stick packs / drink mixes (non-hemp focus) — Karly Oykhman, before next call
- [ ] Send keyword report to Mark & Caitlin by next scheduled call — Karly Oykhman
- [ ] Rework stick pack landing page to align with wellness powder positioning — Karly Oykhman
- [ ] Publish 1–2 blogs targeting energy, focus, sleep/relax, pre/post-workout keywords — Karly Oykhman
Related
- [3]
- [2]
- [4]
- [5]