As a brand-new supplement competing against prescription SSRIs, established brands and cheap Amazon alternatives, Saffora had:

• No social proof or customer base
• Zero brand recognition
• Skeptical cold traffic unwilling to trust a new name

Running ads straight to product pages meant cold visitors had no:

• Education about saffron's clinical backing
• Trust signals or proof
• Emotional connection before the pitch

Result? Traffic, but mediocre conversions that couldn't support profitable scaling.

During discovery, we identified the breakthrough insight:The winning customer wasn't seeking "better wellness." She was desperately searching for an alternative to antidepressants she couldn't tolerate.

Primary Avatar: "Eleanor"

• 68, widowed, retired teacher
• Managing 6+ prescriptions
• Refuses SSRIs due to side effects, drug interactions, "zombie effect"
• Wants natural, clinically proven solutions

We developed two advertorial angles:

Angle 1: The SSRI Alternative (Primary)

"The Natural SSRI Alternative Your Doctor Won't Tell You About"
Target: Women 55-75 currently on or considering SSRIs

Angle 2: The Natural Solution (Secondary)

"How I Finally Found Relief Without Adding Another Prescription"
Target: Women 45-65 managing multiple medications

We analyzed:

• Reddit r/Supplements threads (1,000+ comments)
• Competitor reviews (BrainMD, Life Extension, Nootropics Depot)
• Facebook ad comments from Saffora's early campaigns
• Clinical study abstracts

Key insights:

• "Feel like my old self again" — desire for authentic baseline, not artificial happiness
• Fear of "zombie effect" from SSRIs was visceral and universal
• Quality skepticism — "Is this real saffron or dyed turmeric?"
• Price confusion — "Why is yours cheaper than raw threads?"
• Interaction concerns with existing medications

• 3.64% conversion rate on cold traffic
• $2.38 revenue per session
• $65.46 average order value
• $6,415.35 revenue from 2,695 sessions

• 3.40% conversion rate
• $1.88 revenue per session
• $55.36 average order value
• $775.02 revenue from 412 sessions

• $7,190+ total revenue in week one
• 18% higher AOV vs. direct-to-PDP traffic
• Clear winning angle for continued optimization and scale
• Repeatable framework now being deployed across additional products

This case study demonstrates how strategic positioning unlocks growth that creative execution alone cannot achieve.

Saffora didn't need a better product page. They needed:

1. The right audience (SSRI refugees, not general wellness)
2. The right positioning (prescription alternative, not supplement)
3. The right research (customer language, objections, proof points)
4. The right framework (education-first storytelling)