In this episode of Vox & Coin, hosts Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine break down why most brands butcher the customer journey—and how to fix it with intentional design, strategic delight, and marketing that actually anticipates what your customer needs next.

💡 Spoiler: If your post-purchase flow starts with a receipt and ends with silence, you’re doing it wrong.

✨ This episode covers:

• Why a receipt is the worst thing to send right after a purchase

• How Apple, Disney, and Chuck E. Cheese build delight into every step

• Why your customer's next problem should be your next offer

• Real onboarding tips that turn “buyer’s remorse” into brand loyalty

• How dentists, HVAC techs, and SEO teams can crush the customer experience

• The art of re-enrollment: bringing customers back to their original vision

• What we can learn from Walkmans, Moldy Whoppers, and Chrome’s dino game

🧠 Plus:

• Confetti UX, dopamine hits, and why packaging is a marketing channel

• Designing for what hurts after purchase—before your customer even notices

• Why customer delight isn’t fluff—it’s retention

• The hidden moments that turn one-time buyers into loyal fans

🎯 Whether you're an eCom brand, agency owner, or SaaS startup, this episode gives you the playbook to stop losing customers after the sale—and start creating moments they’ll actually remember.

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💥 It’s insightful. It’s unexpected. It’s the wake-up call your customer journey needed.

Need help mapping your journey or upgrading your onboarding flow? Visit us at voxandcoin.com or follow Jake @wizardmarketing and Dave @realdeval.

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review—so more founders, creatives, and brand builders can stop sending receipts and start building relationships.

In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, host Dave Valentine chats with Ken Newman, the VP of Marketing at Zebra Pen — a brand that's quietly revolutionizing how we think about something as simple as writing. From songwriter competitions to fortune cookie fortunes, Ken’s creative strategies prove that even the most everyday products can spark unforgettable campaigns.

🔥 In this episode, you’ll learn: How Zebra Pen created national buzz by aligning with National Songwriters Day and spotlighting undiscovered artists who still write lyrics by hand. The origin of the iconic “Find Zen in Your Pen” campaign — and how it evolved from a product differentiator into a movement around mindfulness and mental health. Why Zebra invested in a 3D animated zebra mascot, and how simple packaging changes helped consumers finally “get” the brand. The wild marketing idea that put Zebra Pen inside millions of fortune cookies—and why it worked. Ken’s leadership philosophy, shaped by years as a coach and educator, and why great marketing starts with great internal culture and management.

🎯 Whether you’re selling tech, tools, or tangible goods, Ken’s story is a masterclass in emotional branding, out-of-the-box campaigns, and staying relevant in a digital-first world.

Keywords for discovery: Zebra Pen marketing, songwriting campaign, pen and paper movement, find zen in your pen, creative brand strategy, consumer product campaigns, coaching leadership in marketing, product storytelling, Ken Newman Zebra, Unicorn Campaigns podcast, fortune cookie marketing, songwriting sweepstakes, mental health awareness marketing, small budget big brand impact

📲 Follow Ken on LinkedIn and explore Zebra Pen’s campaigns at zebrapen.com — and don’t miss their ZenOffice videos on YouTube for a clever twist on office culture.

🎧 Subscribe to Unicorn Campaigns for more behind-the-scenes stories of wildly successful marketing moves that built brands worth raving about.

In this episode of Vox & Coin, hosts Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine get brutally honest about budgets, expectations, and what it really takes to get results in SEO and paid ads. Spoiler: if you’re thinking small and local without the revenue to back it up, you might not be ready for the big leagues—and that’s okay.

💰 From real talk about low-budget pain to practical thresholds for meaningful ROI, this episode covers:

• The bare minimum ad spend needed to make a platform work

• Why $50/day is your starting line—not your finish line

• What to expect at $500/day, $1k/day, and $30k+/month ad tiers

• The four levers of SEO: Content, Technical, UX, and Authority

• What $2k/month in SEO actually buys you—and why it’s non-negotiable

• How to tell if your agency (or internal team) is wasting your money

• Why most local-first mindsets are stuck in bottom-tier thinking

• Real-world stories: impossible clients, overextended businesses, and smart execution

🧠 Plus:

• What 10,000+ SEO plans taught us about ROI timelines (hint: it’s longer than you think)

• The SEO vs. Ads debate—compound growth vs. instant feedback

• Minimum time commitments you need for SEO, Ads, Email, and Organic Social

• When to cut a client loose (even if the check clears)

🎯 Whether you're running ads yourself, hiring an agency, or building your first marketing funnel, this episode is your no-BS benchmark for what actually works—and what just wastes time and money.

Search-optimized keywords: minimum ad budget 2025, how much to spend on ads, SEO pricing breakdown, SEO vs ads ROI, digital marketing spend thresholds, best ad budget for small business, SEO timeline 2025, when to quit a client, local SEO budget tips, Facebook ads budget 2025, PPC spend calculator, marketing agency expectations, campaign ROI marketing podcast, advertising milestones by spend, real client marketing stories.

💥 It’s raw. It’s real. It’s the conversation you wish someone had with you before you lit your last $3,000 ad budget on fire.

Want tailored help with your budget or strategy? Visit us at voxandcoin.com or follow Jake @wizardmarketing and Dave @realdeval.

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review—it helps more founders and marketers find the show and stop wasting cash on weak strategies.