Scale & Strategy

This is Scale & Strategy, the creator newsletter that's as smooth as a well-aged whiskey, minus the hangover.

Here’s what’s fresh today:

• Coffeezilla Raises Money for Logan Paul Lawsuit
• Nick DiGiovanni Launches ‘Coffee Mixology’ Drinks at Dunkin’
• IN THE LOOP

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Coffeezilla Raises Money for Logan Paul Lawsuit

Gif by IMPAULSIVE on Giphy

Coffeezilla (left) releases t-shirts called “Waiting For Refunds” (left) and “Thank You – I’m Suing” (right) to support defending himself against Logan Paul’s lawsuit / Coffeezilla

Stephen Findeisen, aka Coffeezilla, just dropped a new line of merch and launched a Patreon to fund his legal showdown with none other than Logan Paul.

Catch up: Two months ago, Logan Paul slapped Coffeezilla with a defamation lawsuit after Coffeezilla called out Paul’s CryptoZoo bitcoin game, demanding refunds for investors and dubbing the project a “scam.” Hours before Findeisen was set to release an exposé on another of Paul’s ventures, Liquid Marketplace, the lawsuit landed.

Which brings us to now: Coffeezilla revealed his media insurance doesn’t cover defamation. Translation: he's got hefty legal bills looming.

Tyler Chou, an attorney for YouTube creators, estimates Findeisen might need $500,000 to cover his legal fees. Ouch.

What creators are saying: LegalEagle and other law-centric creators are rallying behind Findeisen.

“Two people can draw different conclusions from the same facts and that doesn’t qualify as defamation,” LegalEagle said in a video.

“I think [Findeisen] has a strong First Amendment case here,” Chou added.

Looking ahead: Chou believes this lawsuit sets a precedent for future defamation claims against creators.

“I bet creators like Phil DeFranco and MoistCr1TiKal are double-checking their media insurance policies right now,” Chou said. “There’s a line you might cross in proving ‘do you know that to be true,’ and creators will be more careful when speaking.”

“But for Coffeezilla, this is a David vs. Goliath situation,” Chou continued. “Logan Paul has a deep war chest he can use against Coffeezilla, and if they go all the way through trial, there will be tons of legal fees.”

So, grab a “Waiting For Refunds” or “Thank You – I’m Suing” tee, support your favorite creator, and enjoy the courtroom drama unfold!

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Nick DiGiovanni Launches ‘Coffee Mixology’ Drinks at Dunkin’

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Nick DiGiovanni (right) builds “The Chef Nick Menu” with Dunkin’ / Dunkin’

Food creator and chef extraordinaire Nick DiGiovanni has taken his coffee game to the next level with Dunkin’. After a year of working together on ads and a TV commercial, DiGiovanni and Dunkin’ are rolling out “The Chef Nick Menu” featuring four new coffee drinks, available nationwide starting July 31.

We caught up with Zach Blank, DiGiovanni’s head of operations, to get the scoop on how they turned a brand partnership into a long-lasting, caffeinated relationship →

Dunkin’ and Creators: A Match Made in Coffee Heaven: Remember when Charli D’Amelio partnered with Dunkin’ in 2020? They sold hundreds of thousands of her signature drink in just five days and saw a 57% spike in app downloads. Inspired by that success, Dunkin’ is keen to invest in long-term campaigns with creators. “They’ve really allowed us to take a lot of creative freedom and control with the direction of the campaign,” Blank told us.

Tease to Please: DiGiovanni has been subtly hinting at his Dunkin’ creations through Instagram stories and short videos for the past year. This strategy paid off, creating buzz and anticipation. Fans were already trying the drinks and tagging DiGiovanni in their photos even before the official launch video drops on Wednesday.

Beyond Social Media: With over 35 million followers across his channels, DiGiovanni is no stranger to social media fame. But his appearances in the Dunkin’ app and national TV commercials, especially during the NBA Finals in June, have broadened his reach to new audiences. “I think it really legitimizes a creator brand… it’s totally out of our zone of the ‘social media sphere,’ and now into the traditional world,” Blank shared.

So, if you’re a coffee enthusiast or just love supporting your favorite creators, head to Dunkin’ and try out “The Chef Nick Menu.” It’s sure to be a brew-tiful experience!

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IN THE LOOP

Money

Skips Matter: An Ad Nauseum survey reveals that three-fourths of podcast listeners don’t realize that ad-skipping negatively impacts the podcast. [Sounds Profitable]

Educate your fans on the importance of your brand partnerships. These aren’t just ads—they help fund your business and often make free content possible.

Audiences

Down with Reality: Apple’s iCloud Private Relay outage caused lower-than-usual email open rates starting July 24. But these numbers more accurately reflect actual opens. Privacy Relay routes emails through multiple servers, inflating open rates before the end user even sees them. [The Verge]

Don’t stress about the raw numbers. Focus on trends, as they give a clearer picture of growth and declines.

Tech and Tools

Log in Again: Threads now boasts 200M monthly active users. [Social Media Today]

It might be time to dust off that account you opened a year ago and see what’s buzzing in your community.

And Finally

Battle Bots: The US Copyright Office released part one of its AI report, advocating for legislation to tackle digital replicas. The goal? Protect working artists’ livelihoods, the dignity of living persons, and the public from fraud and misinformation. [Publishers Weekly]

Sounds great in theory. But will Congress actually follow through, and how will they achieve it? Stay tuned!

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