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.
The ClearMix Google Ads campaign underperformed for structural reasons:
Despite reasonable click-through rates on available impressions, the campaign could not generate enough volume to serve as a reliable lead generation channel.
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
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 manufacturerThe 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.
The existing stick pack landing page is hemp-focused and must be reworked to align with the new mainstream wellness positioning. Key changes needed:
See [2] for the broader repositioning rationale.
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.
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