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Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads

Blu Dot used Roku Ads Manager to drive incredible results for its furniture sales event. Its strategy hinged on custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.

“Roku has been a top performer,” said Blu Dot’s Claire Folkestad. “We have seen…CPMs lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”

A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

-Charlie Chaplin

WEEKLY BRIGHT SPOTS

🚴 The bike lady

In Moncton, Canada, a woman named Krista Richard has spent the past 14 years collecting donated bicycles and tricycles for children whose families cannot afford them. She repairs the bikes herself throughout the year and organizes free giveaway events between spring and fall. Many families wait months for a chance to receive one, and for some children it is their first real bike. Richard says the project is about more than transportation or exercise — she wants kids to spend time outside, meet their neighbors, and build friendships in their community. A small group of volunteers helps gather donations, but much of the work is still done by her personally. Over the years, thousands of children have ridden away smiling on bikes that might otherwise have ended up discarded.

🦋 Butterflies behind bars

At a women’s prison in Washington state, incarcerated women are helping save the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly by raising the insects in a greenhouse near the prison grounds. The butterfly population has sharply declined after losing much of its native prairie habitat, so the program carefully breeds and releases caterpillars into restored wild areas. The women monitor eggs, feed the larvae, clean the plants, and track growth data that helps conservation scientists. For many of the participants, the work offers structure, education, and a chance to care for something living in a meaningful way. Since the program began, tens of thousands of caterpillars have been released back into the environment, helping strengthen the fragile butterfly population. The project shows how conservation work can support both environmental recovery and personal growth at the same time.

💧 Cleaner water for everyone

Researchers in Brazil and the United Kingdom studied the seeds of the moringa tree, a plant that has been used for centuries to help clean water. They found that a natural extract from the seeds could remove more than 98% of certain microplastics from drinking water during filtration tests. The moringa extract worked about as well as common chemical treatments and, in some cases, performed even better in alkaline water. Scientists said the seeds help tiny plastic particles clump together so they can be filtered out more easily. Because moringa trees grow quickly and the seeds are biodegradable, researchers believe this could become a lower-cost and more sustainable option for smaller communities and rural areas. The study also showed that some traditional ideas about natural water purification may still have practical value in modern environmental research. This could mean a future of cleaner drinking water for everyone.

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Meet the Authors:

Hi - We are Hunter and Emily. We started Morning Light because we want to bring positivity and joy to people in all walks of life. 🙏

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