Kova · Pott Candles · Meta · read-only backtest

Tomato Vine: what moved before the winners wore out, and a watcher that refreshes instead of cutting

Built 21 Oct 2026 from Meta Graph API data pulled the same day (1 Jan–20 Oct 2026, unified attribution). Nothing in the ad account was changed. Every figure below is from the API or computed from it; the method notes say where a number is a judgement.

The answer

The pick: top tomato ads by spend, 1 Apr–20 Oct 2026

Matched on "Tomato Vine" in the ad name. Among the account's top 80 spenders, every tomato ad whose link we could read points at /collections/tomato-vine-refillable-candle, and no ad without "Tomato" in its name points there. No tomato ad spent anything before 2 Jun 2026, when the tomato campaign launched. Highlighted rows are analysed. Ad 551 is one video in two ad IDs (£9,498 together, so effectively joint top with Ad 707). Ad 487 is included as a close third.

#AdAd setSpendPurchasesROASCreatedStatus today
1Ad 707 Image · Tomato Vine · UGC Testimonial OG - CopyAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£9,2262301.73x14 AugPAUSED
2Ad 551 Video · Tomato Vine · Unboxing OG - CopyAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£4,9341091.50x5 AugADSET_PAUSED
3Ad 551 Video · Tomato Vine · Unboxing OGAd Set 2 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£4,5641692.55x17 JunADSET_PAUSED
4Ad 487 Image · Tomato Vine · Refillable Starter Pack OGAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£4,0411522.52x2 JunARCHIVED
5Ad 489 Image · Tomato Vine · Three Wick Tower OGAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£3,5981192.47x2 JunADSET_PAUSED
6Ad 940 Image · Tomato Vine · Maker So Happy OGTomato - Broad - Exclude Customers£3,565681.26x25 SeptACTIVE
7Ad 934 Image · Tomato Vine · Customer Quote Whole Hall OGTomato - Broad - Exclude Customers£3,550631.24x24 SeptACTIVE
8Ad 828 Video · Tomato Vine · Scent Led OGAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers£3,457911.85x15 AugPAUSED

Purchases and ROAS: Meta pixel purchases, unified attribution (the watcher's definition). Pott's breakeven ROAS is 2.46x (margin sheet); the account ran 1.5x–2.7x a week over this period, so every ad here sat below it most weeks.

What else was going on (confounders)

All three ads ran in the CBO campaign "CS | Sales | Cold & Warm | Evergreen (old Tomato vine)". Meta moves money between ads inside it, so a spend fall is often Meta's choice, not a sign the ad is spent.

Campaign daily budget (from the activity log)
Account ROAS by week (Wed–Tue)
DateBudget changeBy
6 Jun£100 → £120/dayCasey Snow
11 Jun£120 → £144/dayCasey Snow
14 Jun£144 → £172/dayCasey Snow
15 Jun£172 → £206/dayCasey Snow
3 Jul£206 → £246/dayCasey Snow
14 Jul£246 → £290/dayCasey Snow
25 Jul£290 → £340/dayCasey Snow
4 Aug£340 → £408/dayCasey Snow
5 Aug£408 → £488/dayCasey Snow
20 Aug£488 → £800/dayCasey Snow
30 Aug£800 → £960/dayCasey Snow
4 Sept£960 → £1,100/dayCasey Snow
19 Sept£1,100 → £1,320/dayCasey Snow
25 Sept£1,320 → £1,820/dayCasey Ai Brain
7 Oct£1,820 → £2,550/dayCasey Ai Brain
14 Oct£2,550 → £3,060/dayCasey Snow
DateEvent
2 JunAd 487 created (OG)
17 JunAd 551 created (OG)
5 AugAd 551 created (OG - Copy)
5 AugAd Set 2 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers set inactive
14 AugAd 707 created (OG - Copy)
13 SeptAd 487 switched off (Deleted)
19 SeptAd 707 switched off (Inactive)
25 SeptAd Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers set inactive
25 SeptAd Set 2 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers set inactive
15–21 JulAccount-wide site dip (account ROAS 1.32x vs ~1.9x; the watcher's 18 Jul check case)
6 OctChristmas launch (owned-channel drop; distorts October baselines)

Tomato ad batches (ads created per day): 2 Jun (29), 17 Jun (25), 14 Jul (30), 25 Jul (15), 5 Aug (44), 14 Aug (2), 15 Aug (4), 13 Sept (1), 24 Sept (13), 25 Sept (9), 12 Oct (6), 19 Oct (1). Median gap between batches ≈ 11 days. The 2–3 week brief→launch assumption cannot be checked from Meta: almost every creative file was uploaded the same day its ad was created, so production time leaves no trace in the account. What can be seen: Ad 707's return started falling 2 Sep, it was switched off 19 Sep, and the next tomato batch went live 24–25 Sep (23 days after the drop), consistent with roughly three weeks.

Ad 707 · Image · UGC Testimonial

Ad Set 1 - MAIN, Evergreen (old Tomato vine) CBO. Live 14 Aug to 19 Sep 2026.

Outcome-drop week 2 Sept–8 Sept ROAS 1.60x then 1.06x vs baseline 2.01x (bar 1.61x)Net of account -15%, -34%Sales in the 2 weeks: 61 vs 83 expected Confounders: account ROAS -20%

What moved first

Click rate never moved (net of the account it stayed within −8%). What moved was reach: new people per £1k fell 40% in week 2 and about 50% every week after, and CPM vs the account rose 26% in week 2. Conversion rate and basket size fell only once the drop had started (CVR −21%, AOV −12% the week of 9 Sep). Its own weekly frequency stayed at 1.05–1.28, and its ad set's 7-day frequency never passed 2.45 against the 2.5 ceiling. This is an ad using up its pocket of a broad audience, fast, while Meta scaled the campaign (budget £488 → £800 a day on 20 Aug, £960 on 30 Aug, £1,100 on 4 Sep).

Week by week

WeekSpendShareROASBaseCPACTRCTR net ΔCPM vs acct ΔFreqNew reach/£1k ΔCVRAOVSpend vs baseAcct ROAS ΔConfounders
12 Aug£1,04110%2.17x–£311.45%––1.1875,374 (–)2.5%£66––
19 Aug£2,69631%1.89x2.17x£391.46%+0%+26%1.2445,397 (-40%)2.5%£73+159%+2%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
26 Aug£1,65820%2.10x1.97x£351.16%-8%+7%1.2826,973 (-50%)3.6%£73-11%+49%
2 Sept drop£1,60320%1.60x2.01x£421.24%-1%+11%1.2023,468 (-48%)3.0%£67-11%-7%
9 Sept£1,35616%1.06x1.92x£591.44%+7%+11%1.1918,095 (-55%)2.2%£62-22%-20%account ROAS -20%
16 Sept£8738%1.17x1.72x£551.30%0%-5%1.0529,176 (-7%)2.2%£64-52%-23%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); account ROAS -23%

Weeks run Wednesday to Tuesday so the last one ends 20 Oct. Δ columns compare each week with the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks (ratio of sums, as the watcher does). Shaded = past the trip bar (blue = leading signal, red = outcome).

Signal timeline

Each cell is that week vs the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks. Blue = a leading signal past its bar, red = an outcome (ROAS, CPA) past its bar; the outlined column is the outcome-drop week.

Signal (trip bar)19 Aug26 Aug2 Sept9 Sept16 Sept
CTR, net of account ≤ −10%+0%-8%-1%+7%0%
CPM vs account ≥ +15%+26%+7%+11%+11%-5%
Ad weekly frequency ≥ +10%+5%+5%-3%-4%-15%
New reach per £1k ≤ −25%-40%-50%-48%-55%-7%
CVR ≤ −20%-3%+46%+9%-21%-20%
ROAS (outcome) ≤ −20%-13%+7%-20%-45%-32%
CPA (outcome) ≥ +25%+26%-4%+19%+60%+34%

Daily (7-day rolling)

ROAS, 7-day rolling (dashed: 2.46x breakeven)
Link CTR ÷ account CTR, 7-day
CPM ÷ account CPM, 7-day
New reach per £1k spend, by week (from cumulative reach)
Daily spend
CVR (purchases ÷ link clicks), 7-day

Old vs new watcher, every day

Ad 707 (Image, UGC Testimonial)
old
ssnnnnnnnnnnnAAFFFHHHHmmmmFFmAFAFAAAFAAppsssssss
new
ssnnnbbbbbbbbBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLsssssss
14 Aug21 Aug28 Aug4 Sept11 Sept18 Sept25 Sept

Ad 551 · Video · Unboxing (one creative, two ad IDs)

OG in Ad Set 2 from 17 Jun; on 5 Aug Ad Set 2 was switched off and the same video copied into Ad Set 1 (the Copy), which ran to 25 Sep.

Outcome-drop week 12 Aug–18 Aug ROAS 1.73x then 0.71x vs baseline 2.25x (bar 1.80x)Net of account -23%, -68%Sales in the 2 weeks: 22 vs 34 expected Confounders: pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -26%

What moved first

The classic wear-out. Click rate net of the account fell from the week of 8 Jul (−16%, −14%, −26%, −11%) while ROAS held at 2.3x–2.6x, then hold rate followed (−11% the week of 29 Jul). Hook rate stayed flat at 27–30% throughout. CPM vs the account only rose at the drop. The drop itself landed on the Copy: once Ad 707 launched on 14 Aug, Meta moved the campaign's money onto it and the Copy fell to £223 a week at 0.71x. So the drop is fatigue that Meta's own budget move exposed. Both watchers lost the history at the copy: the Copy was a new ad ID with no baseline.

Week by week

WeekSpendShareROASBaseCPACTRCTR net ΔCPM vs acct ΔHookHoldCVRAOVSpend vs baseAcct ROAS ΔConfounders
17 Jun£68812%2.51x–£291.58%––27.0%18.4%4.1%£72––
24 Jun£55610%2.82x2.51x£221.86%+18%-4%28.9%16.6%4.3%£63-19%+2%AOV -13%
1 Jul£4087%3.02x2.65x£241.78%+4%-7%29.8%17.0%3.4%£72-34%-2%
8 Jul£83212%2.53x2.74x£291.41%-16%-7%29.6%16.2%3.5%£72+51%-8%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
15 Jul£4186%1.51x2.67x£421.37%-14%-14%28.5%16.0%2.1%£63-33%-32%account ROAS -32%
22 Jul£5989%2.59x2.50x£281.11%-26%-2%26.7%15.6%4.1%£74+8%+8%
29 Jul£1,06113%2.29x2.44x£291.14%-11%-9%28.0%14.3%3.6%£66+88%+8%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
5 Aug£1,72316%2.30x2.31x£321.13%-9%-3%27.5%14.8%3.8%£73+137%+8%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
12 Aug drop£8518%1.73x2.25x£451.19%+2%+21%28.1%15.3%3.1%£78-10%-1%
19 Aug£2233%0.71x2.22x£741.44%+27%+54%26.5%16.7%1.9%£53-79%-3%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -26%
26 Aug£3775%0.75x2.08x£631.26%+21%+46%27.2%15.2%2.7%£47-61%+45%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -34%
2 Sept£2533%1.07x1.85x£511.15%+6%+26%23.1%16.3%3.5%£54-68%-5%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -25%
9 Sept£3114%2.67x1.28x£241.41%+15%-6%25.8%14.9%6.2%£64-27%-20%account ROAS -20%
16 Sept£7507%0.92x1.32x£581.20%-6%-2%28.3%13.1%3.2%£53+158%-23%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline); account ROAS -23%
23 Sept£4503%0.34x1.23x£2250.92%-23%+17%28.5%12.9%1.3%£76+6%-22%account ROAS -22%

Weeks run Wednesday to Tuesday so the last one ends 20 Oct. Δ columns compare each week with the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks (ratio of sums, as the watcher does). Shaded = past the trip bar (blue = leading signal, red = outcome). Frequency and new reach are per ad ID and cannot be added across OG and Copy (reach is not additive), so they are shown per ID in the charts below.

Signal timeline

Each cell is that week vs the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks. Blue = a leading signal past its bar, red = an outcome (ROAS, CPA) past its bar; the outlined column is the outcome-drop week.

Signal (trip bar)24 Jun1 Jul8 Jul15 Jul22 Jul29 Jul5 Aug12 Aug19 Aug26 Aug2 Sept9 Sept16 Sept23 Sept
CTR, net of account ≤ −10%+18%+4%-16%-14%-26%-11%-9%+2%+27%+21%+6%+15%-6%-23%
CPM vs account ≥ +15%-4%-7%-7%-14%-2%-9%-3%+21%+54%+46%+26%-6%-2%+17%
Hook rate ≤ −10%+7%+7%+4%-1%-9%-2%-2%+1%-4%-2%-16%-5%+10%+6%
Hold rate ≤ −10%-10%-3%-7%-5%-5%-11%-4%+3%+13%+3%+8%-4%-16%-10%
CVR ≤ −20%+4%-18%-12%-44%+21%+7%+12%-13%-47%-24%+4%+114%-13%-65%
ROAS (outcome) ≤ −20%+12%+14%-8%-43%+4%-6%0%-23%-68%-64%-42%+108%-31%-73%
CPA (outcome) ≥ +25%-22%-6%+15%+60%+4%-2%+6%+44%+130%+84%+31%-54%+34%+392%

Daily (7-day rolling)

ROAS, 7-day rolling (dashed: 2.46x breakeven)
Link CTR ÷ account CTR, 7-day
CPM ÷ account CPM, 7-day
Hold rate (ThruPlays ÷ 3s views), 7-day
Daily spend
CVR (purchases ÷ link clicks), 7-day

Old vs new watcher, every day

Ad 551 OG (Video, Unboxing) in Ad Set 2
old
snnnnnnnnnnnn···········mmAmm·HHmmAAFACAAHHHHHHHHHHmm·ssssss
new
snnnnbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb···bbbmbbbBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLBBBBBBssssss
17 Jun24 Jun1 Jul8 Jul15 Jul22 Jul29 Jul5 Aug12 Aug
Ad 551 Copy (same video) in Ad Set 1
old
snnnnnnnnnnnnpppssssspppCCCCsssssspppHH····mmmHHAAAAAAFFsssss
new
snnnnbbbbbbbbbbbsssssmmmBLLLssssssLmmBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLsssss
5 Aug12 Aug19 Aug26 Aug2 Sept9 Sept16 Sept23 Sept30 Sept

Ad 487 · Image · Refillable Starter Pack

Ad Set 1 - MAIN. Live 2 Jun; deleted 13 Sep 2026.

Outcome-drop week 12 Aug–18 Aug ROAS 1.48x then 0.59x vs baseline 2.24x (bar 1.80x)Net of account -34%, -73%Sales in the 2 weeks: 7 vs 11 expected Confounders: pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -21%

What moved first

Click rate net of the account was −20% the week of 8 Jul and ran −9% to −23% from 29 Jul. The outcome drop on 12 Aug came with Meta already pulling spend (−63% vs baseline) and a smaller basket (AOV −21%), the week after 44 new tomato ads went live in the same campaign on 5 Aug. CVR's fall on 15 Jul was the account-wide site dip (account ROAS −32% that week), not this ad. The 15 Jul and 22 Jul weeks also fail the over-scaled guard (spend 2-2.5x baseline), so they cannot be the drop week.

Week by week

WeekSpendShareROASBaseCPACTRCTR net ΔCPM vs acct ΔFreqNew reach/£1k ΔCVRAOVSpend vs baseAcct ROAS ΔConfounders
27 May£20%0.00x––0.00%––1.0568,553 (–)––––
3 Jun£20%0.00x0.00x–0.50%–-4%1.1276,522 (+12%)0.0%–+45%-12%
10 Jun£2434%2.76x0.00x£271.55%+404%+4%1.2865,887 (-10%)2.8%£74+12382%-24%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline); account ROAS -24%
17 Jun£1092%3.46x2.71x£221.73%+29%-1%1.1657,337 (-13%)3.0%£75+32%-13%
24 Jun£841%3.62x2.94x£171.51%+3%+17%1.1939,967 (-37%)5.1%£61-5%-9%AOV -18%
1 Jul£2284%3.21x3.08x£191.71%+8%-5%1.3251,673 (-12%)3.0%£61+108%-5%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline); AOV -14%
8 Jul£3235%5.75x3.14x£121.25%-20%+5%1.3542,877 (-24%)7.0%£66+95%-7%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
15 Jul£65110%1.41x4.39x£541.46%-1%-9%1.3658,599 (+24%)1.1%£76+250%-32%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline); account ROAS -32%
22 Jul£68210%2.56x2.96x£271.45%+3%-2%1.3255,394 (+6%)2.1%£70+112%+8%scaled (spend >=1.5x baseline)
29 Jul£5897%2.61x2.78x£221.17%-13%-2%1.3751,758 (-4%)3.2%£57+25%+8%AOV -17%
5 Aug£3343%2.60x2.69x£261.23%-9%-11%1.2057,570 (+7%)2.7%£67-40%+8%
12 Aug drop£2102%1.48x2.24x£351.03%-23%+17%1.3036,404 (-35%)2.9%£52-63%-1%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); AOV -21%
19 Aug£1151%0.59x2.46x£1151.01%-21%+39%1.3620,885 (-60%)1.0%£69-75%-3%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline)
26 Aug£1962%2.38x2.23x£391.07%+2%+35%1.4316,907 (-65%)3.0%£93-37%+45%
2 Sept£1902%1.37x2.01x£630.87%-17%+12%1.3627,410 (-28%)2.2%£87-11%-5%
9 Sept£821%1.08x1.56x£820.88%-11%+3%1.2713,152 (-50%)2.0%£89-54%-20%pulled back (spend <0.5x baseline); account ROAS -20%

Weeks run Wednesday to Tuesday so the last one ends 20 Oct. Δ columns compare each week with the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks (ratio of sums, as the watcher does). Shaded = past the trip bar (blue = leading signal, red = outcome).

Signal timeline

Each cell is that week vs the ad's previous up-to-4 weeks. Blue = a leading signal past its bar, red = an outcome (ROAS, CPA) past its bar; the outlined column is the outcome-drop week.

Signal (trip bar)3 Jun10 Jun17 Jun24 Jun1 Jul8 Jul15 Jul22 Jul29 Jul5 Aug12 Aug19 Aug26 Aug2 Sept9 Sept
CTR, net of account ≤ −10%+404%+29%+3%+8%-20%-1%+3%-13%-9%-23%-21%+2%-17%-11%
CPM vs account ≥ +15%-4%+4%-1%+17%-5%+5%-9%-2%-2%-11%+17%+39%+35%+12%+3%
Ad weekly frequency ≥ +10%+7%+17%-10%-4%+7%+7%+5%-2%+2%-11%-2%+3%+9%+6%-6%
New reach per £1k ≤ −25%+12%-10%-13%-37%-12%-24%+24%+6%-4%+7%-35%-60%-65%-28%-50%
CVR ≤ −20%+6%+79%-6%+122%-77%-25%+31%+3%+35%-61%+4%-17%-18%
ROAS (outcome) ≤ −20%+27%+23%+4%+83%-68%-14%-6%-3%-34%-76%+7%-32%-30%
CPA (outcome) ≥ +25%-21%-34%-18%-46%+265%+21%-11%+5%+20%+351%+48%+85%+73%

Daily (7-day rolling)

ROAS, 7-day rolling (dashed: 2.46x breakeven)
Link CTR ÷ account CTR, 7-day
CPM ÷ account CPM, 7-day
New reach per £1k spend, by week (from cumulative reach)
Daily spend
CVR (purchases ÷ link clicks), 7-day

Old vs new watcher, every day

Ad 487 (Image, Refillable Starter Pack)
old
ssssssssssssssnnnnn·sssssssssssssm·····mmmHHHAmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmHHmHCHHAAAssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
new
ssssssssssssssnnnnn·sssssssssssssm·····mmmBBBBBBBBBBBbbbbbbbbbbbbmBBBBLLLLLLssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
2 Jun9 Jun16 Jun23 Jun30 Jun7 Jul14 Jul21 Jul28 Jul4 Aug11 Aug18 Aug25 Aug1 Sept8 Sept15 Sept

The current watcher, replayed every day 1 Apr–20 Oct

The watcher's own code (backed up as watch.cjs.backup-21-oct-before-refresh) was run unchanged for each of 203 days against cached API data, with its ledger carried forward as the daily cron would. Before trusting it, the replay was checked against the four real-API backtests from 20 Oct (30 Jul, 27 Aug, 10 Sep, 24 Sep): 873 of 873 ad judgements identical. The new code's live run for 20 Oct also matched its replay (213 of 213).

H Highly likely (brief)C Close (refresh this week)F Fatigued (Cut today)A Monitor: account-wide suppressedp Monitor: pulled backm Monitor· Nonen Too news Too smallb Brief refreshB Build refreshL Launch refreshO Hand over outcome-drop week
AdOutcome-drop weekOld: first alertLeadOld: "Cut today"New: BriefNew: BuildNew: LaunchStage changes old → new
Ad 7072 Sept29 Aug4 days29 Aug (4 days)19 Aug (14 days)27 Aug (6 days)30 Aug (3 days)16 → 5
Ad 551 OG12 Aug17 Jul26 days23 Jul (20 days)22 Jun (51 days)17 Jul (26 days)23 Jul (20 days)18 → 10
Ad 551 Copy12 Aug29 Aug-17 days28 Sept (-47 days)10 Aug (2 days)29 Aug (-17 days)30 Aug (-18 days)14 → 12
Ad 48712 Aug14 Jul29 daysnever14 Jul (29 days)14 Jul (29 days)11 Aug (1 day)19 → 12

Lead = days from the first call to the first day of the outcome-drop week (negative = after it). Ad 551's drop is the creative's (12 Aug, OG and Copy combined). The Copy is a new ad ID, so both watchers judged it from scratch: too new until 17 Aug, then "pulled back".

Which thresholds were too loose or too tight

The refresh ladder (implemented)

StageActionTriggerBasis
m MonitorWatchUnchanged: one signal alone, return moving with no leading signal, over-scaled, pulled back, check site, audience-not-creative (ad set frequency only).[EXISTING]
b Brief refreshBrief the refresh now: same angle and offer, new hook, opening frame, thumbnail, first line or formatA winner: 10%+ of 7-day spend, ROAS at or above the account's 7-day ROAS, 10+ sales this week. Too-new ads qualify.[EVIDENCE: tomato] Ad 707 took 31% of spend in week 2 and its return fell in week 4, faster than a 2-3 week build. Share bar = existing bigShare [EXISTING]; ROAS ≥ account and 10 sales [JUDGEMENT].
B Build refreshPut the refresh into production now, live next to the original within 2 weeksOld Highly likely, unchanged: both leading families tripped, one Strong, or one still tripped a week later. Return not yet hard.[EXISTING] trigger. [EVIDENCE: tomato] fired 26-29 days before the drop on Ads 551 and 487; across Pott these ads earned 1.14x baseline net of the account over the next 14 days, so the stage is early, not wrong.
L Launch refreshLaunch the refresh in the same ad set as the original now. Never pause the original.Old Fatigued or Close: return hard plus a leading family, Strong leading plus Moderate return, purchases −50%, or a big spender under half its best week. On an account-wide run a fresh Launch drops to Build (if its leading signals alone justify it) or Monitor.[EXISTING] triggers. Pott Apr-Oct: old Fatigued and Close calls went on to 0.44x and 0.55x of baseline over the next 14 days, net of the account; new Launch (held days included) 0.70x. Account-wide demotion [EXISTING], now only for a fresh Launch.
O Hand overLet the refresh take the budget; wind the original down once the refresh carries most of the concept for 7 daysA refresh is live: same campaign, same product + angle name fields, different ad number and different image/video, launched 3+ days later (or named "Refresh of 707", or mapped in config). It has £100+ and 5+ sales this week, ROAS ≥ 0.9x the original's this week and ≥ 0.8x the original's baseline.[JUDGEMENT] No tomato refresh was named so it could be matched; Ad 1035 showed the duplicate trap (same image as Ad 1000).

Other changes

ChangeRuleBasis
New reach check (audience family)New people per £1k vs baseline weeks, from cumulative reach since the ad was created. Moderate −45%, strong −55%.[EVIDENCE: tomato] Ad 707's click rate never moved; new reach per £ ran −45% to −55% from 27 Aug. Ad 551 held within ±20%. Bars set at the worst ~10% / ~4% of Pott's material ad-days, because new reach falls with age anyway (median −26% under 3 weeks).
Sticky stagesAn ad keeps the highest stage it earned in the last 7 days. Held days do not count, so a hold cannot extend itself.[JUDGEMENT] [EVIDENCE: tomato] the old stages changed 16-19 times per tomato ad (Ad 707: monitor/fatigued/monitor on 11-13 Sep). New: 5-12.
Audience-not-creativeOnly when the ad set's frequency trips. A CPM or new-reach move on one ad in a broad ad set is the creative saturating, so it goes up the ladder.[EVIDENCE: tomato] Ad 707 (broad, frequency ~1.2).
Young-ad and no-breakeven capsStill computed, but both Fatigued and Close map to Launch, so they no longer change the stage (they only guarded a cut).[EXISTING]
Everything elseThresholds, windows, chance test, bigger-baskets guard, check-site, over-scaled, pulled back, persistence, families: unchanged.[EXISTING]

Wording in every action, card, email line and report heading now says refresh/launch/hand over. Nothing anywhere says cut or pause. Cron and email are unchanged and still off.

Sanity check: does it fire on everything?

Every material Pott ad, every day, 1 Apr–20 Oct (about 6 material ads a day). A refresh stage lasts longer than an old alert, because it holds for 7 days, so the count of ads opening a refresh is the fairer comparison.

MonthOld: ads entering Highly likely+Old: entering Close/FatiguedNew: ads entering Brief+New: entering Launch
2026-04145155
2026-0575105
2026-068373
2026-0710698
2026-088676
2026-092050
2026-108484
Total57296131

An entry = an ad reaching the stage for the first time in 30 days. Daily replay, 1 Apr to 20 Oct 2026.

Share of ad-days at each stage

Old stageAd-daysNew stageAd-days
Fatigued (cut today)36 (3%)Launch refresh196 (15%)
Close39 (3%)Hand over3 (0%)
Highly likely228 (19%)Build refresh402 (32%)
Brief refresh152 (12%)
Monitor557 (46%)Monitor310 (24%)
None338 (28%)None206 (16%)
Material ad-days1198Material ad-days1269

New Build/Launch include held days (about a third of all flagged days). On a typical day: ~6.3 material ads, ~1 at Launch, ~2 at Build, under 1 at Brief.

What happened next: ROAS over the following 14 days, by stage

Weekly samples (Tuesdays 7 Apr–6 Oct), each ad's next-14-day ROAS divided by its own 28-day baseline. "Net of account" divides again by the account's own move over the same windows, so a falling account does not flatter or punish a stage.

Old rules

StageCallsStill spendingNext 14d ROAS ÷ baselineSame, net of accountShare under 0.8x (net)
fatigued540.47x0.44x75%
close760.43x0.55x67%
highly-likely31291.12x1.14x38%
monitor (account-wide: held-back Fatigued/Close)1290.88x0.92x33%
monitor54490.73x0.73x57%
none38350.96x1.04x29%

New rules

StageCallsStill spendingNext 14d ROAS ÷ baselineSame, net of accountShare under 0.8x (net)
launch-refresh26230.63x0.70x65%
build-refresh (account-wide day: held back from Launch)850.68x0.83x40%
build-refresh42401.12x1.14x33%
brief-refresh20140.88x0.82x50%
monitor33290.63x0.66x69%
none23220.96x1.06x14%

Small samples (5–47 calls per stage). Read the ordering, not the decimals. Launch and Monitor ads went on to fall; Build and None ads kept earning. Build is an early stage by design.

Pott's top spenders since 1 Apr, old vs new, every day

Ad 1000 Image · Holly · Customer Quote Tree Without Needle Drop £13,304 since 1 Apr at 1.60x · 7 Oct to 20 Oct
old
snnnnnnnnnnnnF
new
snbbbbbbbbbbOL
First old Highly likely –, Close –, Fatigued 20 Oct · First new Brief 9 Oct, Build 19 Oct, Launch 19 Oct, Hand over 19 Oct
Ad 922 Video · Seasalt Starter Pack · Buy Once Refill Forever £10,335 since 1 Apr at 1.41x · 25 Sept to 20 Oct
old
snnnnnnnnnnnnCC···········
new
snbbbbbbbbnnnLLLLLLLLLBBBB
First old Highly likely –, Close 8 Oct, Fatigued – · First new Brief 27 Sept, Build 8 Oct, Launch 8 Oct
Ad 707 Image · Tomato Vine · UGC Testimonial £9,226 since 1 Apr at 1.73x · 14 Aug to 30 Sept
old
ssnnnnnnnnnnnAAFFFHHHHmmmmFFmAFAFAAAFAAppsssssss
new
ssnnnbbbbbbbbBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLsssssss
First old Highly likely 1 Sept, Close –, Fatigued 29 Aug · First new Brief 19 Aug, Build 27 Aug, Launch 30 Aug
358 Video · Starter Pack · Grown-Up Candles £5,337 since 1 Apr at 1.16x · 4 Apr to 23 Jun
old
ssssssnsnnnnnHHHHHHHHH··mmm···········mppHHCAHsssssssssssssspHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAsssss
new
ssssssnsnnnnnBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBbbbbbbbbbbbbBBLLLssssssssssssssmBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBsssss
First old Highly likely 17 Apr, Close 17 May, Fatigued – · First new Brief 17 Apr, Build 17 Apr, Launch 17 May
Ad 551 Video · Tomato Vine · Unboxing £4,934 since 1 Apr at 1.50x · 5 Aug to 4 Oct
old
snnnnnnnnnnnnpppssssspppCCCCsssssspppHH····mmmHHAAAAAAFFsssss
new
snnnnbbbbbbbbbbbsssssmmmBLLLssssssLmmBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLsssss
First old Highly likely 11 Sept, Close 29 Aug, Fatigued 28 Sept · First new Brief 10 Aug, Build 29 Aug, Launch 30 Aug
Ad 551 Video · Tomato Vine · Unboxing £4,564 since 1 Apr at 2.55x · 17 Jun to 15 Aug
old
snnnnnnnnnnnn···········mmAmm·HHmmAAFACAAHHHHHHHHHHmm·ssssss
new
snnnnbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb···bbbmbbbBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLBBBBBBssssss
First old Highly likely 17 Jul, Close 25 Jul, Fatigued 23 Jul · First new Brief 22 Jun, Build 17 Jul, Launch 23 Jul
Ad 554 Image · Roses Refill · Round 2 £4,316 since 1 Apr at 2.28x · 24 Jun to 11 Sept
old
ssssssnnnsssssssssssmmmHHHHAmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmAAAFFCCCCAAssssssssssssss
new
ssssssnnnsssssssssssmmmBBBBBBBBBBBBmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmBLLLLLLLLssssssssssssss
First old Highly likely 17 Jul, Close 23 Aug, Fatigued 21 Aug · First new Brief 17 Jul, Build 17 Jul, Launch 21 Aug
Ad 465 Video · Cook Candle · Refill Lead £4,167 since 1 Apr at 2.35x · 20 May to 4 Jul
old
sssnnnnnnnnnn····mAm···mmmHHHHHmAAAmmmppssssss
new
sssnnnnnbbbbbbbbbbmbbbbbbbBBBBBBBBBBBBBBssssss
First old Highly likely 15 Jun, Close –, Fatigued – · First new Brief 28 May, Build 15 Jun, Launch –
Ad 366 Video · Starter Pack · Buy One You Can Refill £4,151 since 1 Apr at 1.12x · 3 Apr to 7 Jul
old
sssssssssnnnnHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHmmHHHHH·······mmmHHssssssssspppHHHHAAAAAAHAAHH···ssssAACCssssss
new
sssssssssnnnnBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBmmmBBsssssssssmmmBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBssssBBLLssssss
First old Highly likely 16 Apr, Close 30 Jun, Fatigued – · First new Brief 16 Apr, Build 16 Apr, Launch 30 Jun
Ad 487 Image · Tomato Vine · Refillable Starter Pack £4,041 since 1 Apr at 2.52x · 2 Jun to 19 Sept
old
ssssssssssssssnnnnn·sssssssssssssm·····mmmHHHAmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmHHmHCHHAAAssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
new
ssssssssssssssnnnnn·sssssssssssssm·····mmmBBBBBBBBBBBbbbbbbbbbbbbmBBBBLLLLLLssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
First old Highly likely 14 Jul, Close 11 Aug, Fatigued – · First new Brief 14 Jul, Build 14 Jul, Launch 11 Aug
Ad 489 Image · Tomato Vine · Three Wick Tower £3,598 since 1 Apr at 2.47x · 2 Jun to 5 Oct
old
ssssnnnnnnnnnmAAssAAAHAAACAAFFFAAmsssssssssssssmmmmmmmmAsssssssssssssssssAAssssssssssssssssssssssssmmmsssssssssss·····ssssssss
new
ssssnnnnnnnnnmBBssBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLsssssssssssssmmmmmmmmmsssssssssssssssssmmssssssssssssssssssssssssmmmsssssssssss·····ssssssss
First old Highly likely 23 Jun, Close 27 Jun, Fatigued 30 Jun · First new Brief 16 Jun, Build 16 Jun, Launch 27 Jun
Ad 940 Image · Tomato Vine · Maker So Happy £3,565 since 1 Apr at 1.26x · 25 Sept to 20 Oct
old
snnnnnnnnnnnn··········ppp
new
snnnnnnnnnnnn···mmmBBBBBBB
First old Highly likely –, Close –, Fatigued – · First new Brief 14 Oct, Build 14 Oct, Launch –

Pott today: the refresh list as of 20 Oct 2026

The new watcher run against the live API (dry run, in a sandbox so Pott's real ledger, state and last-result files were not touched), as of 20 Oct, with the ledger carried from the replay. Account: 7-day spend £27,174, ROAS 1.72x → 1.67x. All ads listed are ACTIVE today.

L Launch refresh (2)

Ad7d spendShareROAS base → 7dSignalsOld watcher saidAction
Ad 1000 Image · Holly · Customer Quote Tree Without Needle Drop
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days · preview
£7,19327%1.95x → 1.30xctr:moderate, cpa:strong, peak:moderatefatiguedLaunch the refresh in the same ad set now. Do not pause the original. No refresh of it is live yet.
Ad 983 Image · Icicle · New Glaze Fresh From The Kiln
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days · preview
£1,4335%2.32x → 1.70xctr:moderate, cpa:moderate, peak:strongcloseLaunch the refresh in the same ad set now. Do not pause the original. No refresh of it is live yet.

B Build refresh (6)

Ad7d spendShareROAS base → 7dSignalsOld watcher saidAction
Ad 922 Video · Seasalt Starter Pack · Buy Once Refill Forever
Everything Else - Broad - Exclude Customers · 25 days · held from earlier run · preview
£1,5986%1.38x → 1.60x–nonePut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet. Held: it earned this stage within the last 7 days.
Ad 995 Image · Icicle · Meet Icicle Limited Edition
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days · preview
£8503%2.14x → 1.76xctr:stronghighly-likelyPut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet.
Ad 973 Video · Fir · Smells Like A Christmas Tree
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days · preview
£6482%2.14x → 4.50xctr:strong, hold:moderatehighly-likelyPut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet.
Ad 940 Image · Tomato Vine · Maker So Happy
Tomato - Broad - Exclude Customers · 25 days · preview
£5252%1.34x → 0.79xreach:moderate, cpa:moderate, peak:strong, purch:strongmonitorPut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet.
Ad 837 Image · Fig · Scent Led
Seasonal - Broad - Exclude Customers · 26 days · held from earlier run · preview
£4702%2.05x → 2.27x–nonePut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet. Held: it earned this stage within the last 7 days.
Ad 915 Video · Cook Candle · Review At The Hob
Ad Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers · 31 days · held from earlier run · preview
£3231%2.35x → 1.69xpeak:moderatemonitorPut the refresh into production; live within 2 weeks. No refresh of it is live yet. Held: it earned this stage within the last 7 days.

m Monitor (2)

Ad7d spendShareROAS base → 7dSignalsOld watcher saidAction
Ad 1008 Video · Starter Pack · Gifted Last Christmas Still Using It
Gifting - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days
£7173%1.09x → 1.98xcpm:moderatemonitorWatch; no action yet.
Ad 1010 Image · Christmas Collection · Favourite Gift Last Christmas
Gifting - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days
£3531%1.02x → 1.55xctr:moderatemonitorWatch; no action yet.

· None (3)

Ad7d spendShareROAS base → 7dSignalsOld watcher said
Ad 934 Image · Tomato Vine · Customer Quote Whole Hall
Tomato - Broad - Exclude Customers · 26 days
£7883%1.20x → 1.40x–none
Ad 1006 Video · Starter Pack · Bought It For My Girlfriend
Gifting - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days
£5382%1.70x → 2.25x–none
Ad 964 Video · Seasalt · Standing By The Sea
Everything Else - Broad - Exclude Customers · 16 days
£3982%1.64x → 1.74x–none

n Too new (5)

Ad7d spendShareROAS base → 7dSignalsOld watcher said
Ad 1020 Video · Cook Candle · One Candle For Your Kitchen
Ad Set 1 - MAIN - Broad - Exclude Customers · 8 days
£1,0564%1.28x → 1.88x–too-new
Ad 1025 Video · Tomato Vine · Only Tomato Candle You Need
Tomato - Broad - Exclude Customers · 8 days
£5822%3.40x → 2.91x–too-new
Ad 1011 Image · Christmas Collection · Gifted To Lots Of People
Gifting - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days
£5742%0.00x → 1.20x–too-new
Ad 970 Video · Christmas Collection · Christmas Scents Are Here
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 13 days
£4132%1.50x → 0.67x–too-new
Ad 1035 Image · Holly · Customer Quote Tree Without Needle Drop
Christmas - Broad - Exclude Customers · 3 days
£3451%– → 1.49x–too-new
Read before acting. Ads 1000, 983, 995 and 973 went live on 7 Oct, the day after the 6 Oct Christmas launch. Their "best week" and part of their baseline is launch week, when the owned-channel drop inflated Meta-attributed revenue, so part of the fall is the launch spike ending. Check Shopify daily orders against the send calendar before reading these as fatigue. The refresh still makes sense for Ad 1000 at 26% of spend. Preview links are Meta's shareable previews.

Method and limits

Files: REPORT.md, CHANGES.md, data/ (raw + computed), scripts/ (every step, rerunnable). De-indexed meta tag included; not published anywhere.