Clotheshorse

08/21/2024

Yes, the Jamboree was SO MUCH work (and please don’t ask me to load or unload a car for a long time), but it was also so energizing!

I spent most of my life (before Clotheshorse) feeling that the best thing I could do was be seen and rarely heard.
As a kid, adults told me to stop talking.
As a teen, I was told that “boys didn’t like smart girls.”
As a young adult, I found myself constantly being mansplained to about music, art, film, books, and politics.
And as a professional within the fashion industry, I was usually talked over, cut off, or just plain ignored, no matter how much experience or knowledge I had.

I learned to be quiet and stay quiet. I rarely told anyone anything about myself because I was ashamed of my background and of my life story.

And so I never told anyone very much about myself. Most friends knew very little about it, romantic partners knew even less.

But Clotheshorse changed something for me. Suddenly, what I had to say DID matter. People wanted to hear it, people learned from it, people found comfort in it…even people I had never met before.

Even more surprising (and also liberating) people wanted to hear about ME, about my life, about how my experiences led me here. And that, well that was something I never thought anyone would want to hear.

I still can’t believe that people traveled across the country to come hang out with me two days and listen to me talk SO MUCH. I hope that all of you got as much out of the experience as I did. I learned that I have so much to say, so thank you for listening. And for those of you who were at the live episode, can you believe I rattled off 15 minutes of facts without looking at my notecards?! I’m still proud of myself for that!

THANK YOU for being there with me and spending some quality time together!

08/20/2024

07/29/2024

THE STICKERS JUST ARRIVED from !!!
All orders that are only stickers (no transfers) will ship out today/tomorrow.

Still haven’t ordered your stickers? Do it now at the link in bio.

07/22/2024

PA/NJ/NY friends! I am doing an episode of Clotheshorse before a live audience here in Lancaster, PA in August. Come check it out! Also, Lancaster is so rad, you should be visiting this place anyway!

Clotheshorse Live Episode: Revisiting the ethics of secondhand & resale Join us for the first ever episode of Clotheshorse in front of a live studio audience at West Art in […]

07/18/2024

Talking about fast fashion isn’t classist...if you’re acknowledging the privileges of time, money, access, and size that make opting out of fast fashion a lot easier. No blaming and shaming. We’re all in this together!

Fast fashion actually exacerbates economic inequality. 

Fast fashion doesn’t work as a business model if people are paid well and treated well. And that includes YOU, the customer…because fast fashion doesn’t sell if people are feeling financially secure and happy.

All of us—no matter where we live or what we do for a living—are experiencing the repercussions of fast fashion: microplastics in the water, soil, and food supply, water scarcity, the impact of carbon emissions, the suppression of wages, and even the emotionally corrosive nature of a steady stream of low quality/poor fitting clothing.

The fight against the fast fashion system is a matter of class solidarity.

There are some very important things we can all do, no matter how much money we have or the size we wear or where we live:

★ Sharing information and having conversations with others about fast fashion.
★ Using the power of our vote and our voices to push our elected representatives to pass legislation that regulates the fashion industry (like the Fashion ★Act), along with legislation that increases wages, benefits, and improves the lives of all workers.
★ Buying less stuff. Period. Making our stuff last, mindfully rehoming stuff when we are done with it, and breaking free of the fast fashion cycle.

LET’S CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER!

07/15/2024

Most conversations in defense of SHEIN always come back to the price, how it’s more accessible than any other brand out there.

I decided to go take a look for myself. Just how low are SHEIN’s prices?

I figured I would look at dresses, since that’s an area of personal interest to me. So I clicked on dresses and sorted by price “high to low.” I wanted to know how many dresses SHEIN offered under $10 and immediately I was shocked, with so many dresses that were priced under $5. $4.36 $4.25 $2.35 $2.20

I wondered how many dresses SHEIN had under $10, so I started counting…and I stopped counting when I reached 450 because well, life is short and I have a lot to do.

Anyone who has made clothes, whether literally by cutting them and sewing them, or in the more business-y sense like me, as a buyer, can’t help but be shocked by these prices.

We know–all of us–in our heart of hearts, even if we’ve never sewn a garment in our lives, that these prices don’t make sense. Even if we don’t know a thing about duties or garment workers or overseas shipping. These prices are too cheap to be true. But many of us compartmentalize it and make the purchase anyway. Or we tell ourselves “it’s different over there.” Or “It’s cheaper because it’s shipping from the factory.” Maybe we don’t tell ourselves anything at all because it’s too difficult to let ourselves open that door.

After all, we live in a world that tells us we need lots of new clothes as often as possible. And the industry that makes those clothes puts us in the position of turning off our empathy in order to have them. It only offers us clothing whose creation included misery.

It’s time for us to take a stand. No one should suffer for fashion.

07/12/2024

Still can't believe a team from More Perfect Union came down to Lancaster to film a video with me about how new clothes are kinda garbage these days!

We dug into the real reason all of our clothes are getting worse. The fast fashion revolution is making huge brands like Zara and Shein—and their shareholder...

07/05/2024

I try to avoid showing my face around here because I am a vain and insecure person, but when I start receiving messages that say things like “Hey Clotheshorse team,” or “Can you connect me with the head of your organization?,” well, I know it’s time to reintroduce myself. I took this photo on my way out the door to the coworking space this morning because I was feeling kinda cute.

So hi. I am Amanda (she/they) and I’m the person behind all things Clotheshorse. I do all of it—creating the content you see here, making the podcast, responding to your comments, etc. Dustin (my husband and a professionally trained audio engineer) does the final audio mix of every episode to make it sound as pro as possible.

I live in a farmhouse outside Lancaster, PA. My “day job” is working as merchandising and product planning consultant for a variety of small brands, boutiques, and microbusinesses. I also teach small business classes here and there.

My favorite color is pink. I love faux fruit, Hello Kitty, yard sales, and cooking. My superpower is speed reading (I was a lonely kid that spent a lot of time at the town library).

I also want to announce some stuff while you are here:

🍓Final installment in the SHEIN-sodes will be out in the world Sunday night.
🍓Updates on the iron transfers coming in the next few days.
🍓The last day to get Jamboree tickets is 7/15. If you’re having trouble with the financial side of it, send me a DM and we can figure something out.
🍓If you have missed hearing my voice this week, I’m a guest on the most recent episode of this week. You all loved the happiness episode with , so go check out her podcast!

Okay, that’s all. Now introduce yourself to us!

07/02/2024

Just Brenda, looking glorious in our guest bedroom. She’s standing on the back of the vintage bed that my grandma found in the Penny Saver newspaper for me back in about 2007. She’s surrounded by thrifted landscape paintings that I’ve been collecting for years. And she’s watching me work on the faux fruit photo wall for the Jamboree! 84 square feet of thrifted faux fruit!

I am so committed to as a way of life, that I’m trying to source almost everything we need for the jamboree secondhand, including craft supplies, prizes, dishes, etc.

06/23/2024

Just a little detail shot of the epic faux fruit photo wall that I am making for the Clotheshorse Jamboree! I am almost embarrassed to admit how much work this thing has been/will be, but it’s going to be worth it because I can use it at any future CH events!

🍇 I have been traveling from county to county, in search of more and more faux fruit at thrift stores and yard sales.

🍒 the grapes are literally sewn on the the fabric backing, while the other fruits are screwed into it. I’m probably going to try to glue some strawberries on there, too!

🍎 We will be adding some (believe it or not) secondhand wooden letters that we scored at an auction a few years ago that will spell out Clotheshorse.

On the thrifting odyssey to find more fruit, I scored a big “theatre style” popcorn machine for movie night at the Jamboree!

If you want to learn more about the Jamboree (and all of the slow fashion education and fun), check out the pinned post on my profile. Get your tickets NOW because they are increasing in price on July 1. Need a payment plan? DM me about BRENDAPAY.

06/20/2024

More thoughts (and actions) in the caption!

A lot of conversation around the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry focuses on the production of all of the low quality, often synthetic clothing.
And yeah, the energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions of that process is frightening.

But we don’t talk enough about all of the airplane rides our stuff is taking before it reaches us, or (apparently) the empty planes flying across the Pacific to pick up more fast fashion for us.

I have seen people here on social media beating themselves up about taking a flight to visit their families or going on a dream vacation. I do this to myself, too.

Meanwhile fast fashion brands like SHEIN or Temu are flying empty planes across the Pacific Ocean.

Zara is shipping almost all of its product via airplanes around the world to Spain, then loading it back on a plane to ship it to the stores and customers.

Every other fast fashion brand—from Anthropologie to Target to Boohoo—is transporting most of their clothing shipments via airplane, too.

Think about the impact all of that air travel is having on our planet. We own clothing that has spent more time on airplanes than most of the people in my family have!

Yes, saving our planet from climate change (or at least mitigating its impact) is going to require change and adaptation from all of us. And cutting down our personal air travel is part of that. But I also want to remind you that dismantling these systems that generate far more carbon emissions than we ever could as individuals is also a VERY IMPORTANT part of the solution.

How do we do that?
★ Buy less new stuff in the first place.
★ Make our clothing (and everything else) last as long as possible via care and repair.
★ Shop secondhand when possible.
★ Work with others to pass legislation (like the Fashion Act) that will rein in the egregiously wasteful and planet destroying behavior of these fast fashion brands.

05/31/2024

Yesterday I started a post series about SHEIN and its larger impact on how clothes are made, sold, and consumed. SHEIN is making the entire fashion industry work faster and cut quality even more. It’s not a good thing for anyone, including customers!

There’s just so much to discuss that I can never cover it all in one post!

Go check out part one on my profile.

05/30/2024

WANT TO WIN A TICKET TO THE CLOTHESHORSE JAMBOREE? It’s happening 8/16-17 here in Lancaster County. You can learn more about all of the fun and educational stuff we will be doing in the pinned post on my profile.

Kevin (and his cats Pip + Eleanor) of are giving one of you the chance to WIN a FREE ticket to the jamboree!
Empire Wool and Canvas Company makes small batch natural fiber outerwear in Duluth, MN. Kevin can’t make it all the way to PA this August, so he wants to give one of you the chance to join us!

You will have to cover the cost of transportation and lodging. Maybe the $200 ticket has been out of your budget. Or maybe you were already planning to join us, but you want to bring a friend! Both are good reasons to enter this drawing!

How do you enter? Just comment on this post about WHY you are excited about the Clotheshorse Jamboree. That’s it. Super easy! I will choose a winner at random on Saturday, June 1 at 8 pm Eastern!

One last thing about tickets:

Right now they cost $200, but they will be going up to $300 on Monday, June 10. To lock in the $200 price you can either:

★ Buy your tickets ASAP.
★ Reach out to me to reserve a ticket (and pay a $50 deposit)
★ Reach out to me to set up a payment plan.

Do it now, because when tickets sell out, that’s it!

05/22/2024

Yeah, yeah, I know that the name of this podcast/account contains “clothes,” but the way of life extends far beyond clothing, to just about everything you might need.

Over the past year, I have been able to find most things I need secondhand. Not all things of course (like it turns out it’s hard to find a secondhand compost bin), but by looking for things secondhand before buying new, I saved money AND helped keep things out of the landfill.

Some of the stuff I was able to find secondhand in the past year:

★ I needed a bigger monitor for my computer because all of those spreadsheets were hurting my eyes. Dustin found me a previous generation Apple monitor for $50 on Facebook Marketplace! The brand new ones sell for $1100+!!!

★ A washer and dryer for our new place: $100 for the set on FB Marketplace!

★ A vintage 1970s Coach large bag for carrying my computer/etc for work stuff. $7.99 at a thrift store and it just need some cleaning and conditioning!

★ A filling cabinet for all of my vintage paper goods/magazines. Not only is it vintage, but it was $30 on Facebook Marketplace!

Okay, now tell us your favorite things to find secondhand!

05/20/2024

NEW EPISODE ALERT!
I'm back from a little break from making the podcast and we're getting things started wth a banger!
This episode is part two in a recurring series examining and debunking the most common “excuses” and justifications we see for supporting, maybe even protecting(?) fast fashion and fast everything. And this week we are going to explore a classic comeback to conversations about fast fashion: “it’s classist to talk about fast fashion.”

In the first year or so of Clotheshorse, every time I posted anything about the fast fashion business model, like clockwork, someone would show up in the comment section to call me classist. And it would kinda flummox me, because I didn't know how to respond to these people (and honestly, no response ever “fixed” the situation). 

★ We will explore the following questions:
★ What is class? What are the differences between socioeconomic class and social class?
★ What is classism? And how does it play out in day to day life?
★ Why is income not always a simple indicator of one's financial situation?
★ How are fast fashion and classism *actually* linked? You might be surprised!
★ How does fast fashion actually exacerbate economic inequality?
★ Did fast fashion really democratize fast fashion?
★ Why is the fight against fast fashion actually a matter of class solidarity?
★ And what can ALL of us do to dismantle the fast fashion system?

On our journey to figuring all of this out, we'll find out if Shein customers are actually rich, and if fast fashion executives actually wear clothing made by their companies.

I will be leading a workshop at the Clotheshorse Jamboree about how to talk to others about slow fashion. And one element of that is understandng the origins of these "excuses," why people use them, and how to gently debunk them. You can get your ticket (and learn more) using the link in my bio.

This series debunking these "excuses" used to defend(?) fast fashion will be ongoing, popping up here and there between other episodes. So I want to hear from you: what other comebacks/excuses/defenses for fast fashion are you seeing on social media and IRL? Tell us in the comments!

05/15/2024

Tickets for the Clotheshorse Jamboree are officially available for purchase: https://clotheshorsepodcast.com/clotheshorsejamboree/

05/15/2024

Come hang out in scenic Lancaster County with members of the Clotheshorse community!!!

We have some pretty fun plans: upcycled crafting, thrifting tips, how to talk to others about slow fashion, a movie night curated by , a live episode of Clotheshorse, games, prizes, and so much more!!

Find all the details (and get your tickets) using the link in my bio.

05/14/2024

Tickets for the Clotheshorse Jamboree go on sale at 2pm Eastern TOMORROW!!

Activities will include informative and inspiring workshops, an ultimate upcycled craft challenge, games, a movie night, and a live episode of Clotheshorse! And....hold on to your butts...an opportunity to make your own upcycled/repurposed Clotheshorse merch.

Tickets cost $200 and include two days of activities, admission to the live episode, materials, and breakfast/lunch/snacks both days.

05/14/2024

Let's get the Fashion Act passed before the assembly session ends in June! We don't want this to be pushed off until the next session in 2025!

The planet and its people can't wait to stop the impact of fast fashion.

YOU CAN HELP! You'll find the details in the post above. I have pasted the suggested copy for your emails in this caption, which you can copy if you use IG on a web browser. You can also DM me for full text, but please anticipate a delay because I am working/recording today.

Dear _______
I am writing to urge you to pass the Fashion Act A4333 / S4746 this session.  
 
The lack of regulation is adding significantly to climate change, creating a public health issue of still unknown scale, and is uncompetitive for local industry trying to do the right thing. With the rise of Shein and Temu in just the past couple of years, the industry is going from fast fashion to single use throw away fashion. These companies are benefiting only their investors as the enormous environmental and public health costs are externalized.  
❊ Shein introduces as many styles in just two weeks as Zara and H&M introduce in a year. 
❊ This industry generates enough waste to fill the Empire State building every day. Textiles are now the fastest growing category of waste in New York’s landfills. This is both costly for taxpayers and contributes to New York’s greenhouse gas emissions. 
❊ By passing the Fashion Act the state works towards achieving the targets of the CLPA 
❊ Shein/Temu, which ships individual products directly to consumers from China, skirts both import taxes that other industry players have to pay, and their products are not being tested for hazardous chemicals. Toxic chemicals are being found on these garments that are known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.

The Fashion Act is actively supported by both brands and green technology companies such as: Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Cotopaxi, Faherty, Rothy’s, Stella McCartney, Everlane, Reformation, ThredUp, Ganni, Mara Hoffman, and Vestiaire Collective.  
 
The Fashion Act is good for the environment, good for industry and good for New York, the world’s fashion capital.  
 
I thank you for your leadership,

05/13/2024

@ #$% yeah it's yard sale season here in Lancaster County!
Now, you know I LOVE thrifting, but yard sales are extra special to me:

★ I get to walk around outside on a beautiful day.
★ The people watching is spectacular.
★ I find cool stuff.
★ The prices are amazing.
★ I get to have conversations with new people.

This weekend there were almost too many yard sales to choose from, but Dustin and I managed to get up very early and head out to a few big neighborhood sales. I found some amazing books, a needlepoint piece of art (check my stories), and a little bit of artificial fruit. I am actually super on the hunt for artificial fruit right now because I want to build a photo backdrop of all fruit for the Clotheshorse Jamboree! Also, the plan for the Jamboree is that everything we use (or very close to it) will be secondhand, so yard sales are a great place to look for craft supplies, fabric, magazines, etc.

Anyway, the images from this post are from a vintage book I scored at a yard sale this weekend, "The Kitten Book" from 1968.

A lot of people think that thrift stores are the only way to shop secondhand, but we know there are many more ways to find rad stuff secondhand. So tell me: what is your favorite way to shop secondhand and why? Tell us in the comments!

P.S. if you encounter a huge stash of fake fruit somewhere, reach out to me because I may need you to send it to me.

05/06/2024

It's official! The Clotheshorse Jamboree is happening on August 16-17 here in Lancaster, PA!
I'm looking forward to hanging out with members of our community IRL for the first time ever!
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, 5/15 at 2pm Eastern at clotheshorsepodcast.com

Activities will include informative and inspiring workshops, an ultimate upcycled craft challenge, games, a movie night, and a live episode of Clotheshorse! And....hold on to your butts...an opportunity to make your own upcycled/repurposed Clotheshorse merch.

Yes, this is a small event but I can't handle the despair of nobody showing up. I had a birthday party in 4th grade without any guests and it's still traumatic. Furthermore, attendance at the virtual events has been so terrible (100 people register, 30 show up) that it's just reinforcing that fear for me. This feels like a safe number!

That said...I am working on a larger venue for the live episode, so more people have an opportunity to attend that! And there are plenty of things to do here in Lancaster County that make a weekend trip just for the live episode pretty appealing. Stay tuned for details about that as I finalize the venue.

Have more questions? Ask in the comments because others may have the same questions!

04/29/2024

Hey fashion industry survivors! I am looking for guests with corporate experience in the following product categories to be guests on Clotheshorse (so we can share how these parts of the industry operate behind the scenes): footwear, subscription boxes (like Stitchfix andFabFitFun), luxury, and print on demand services (tees, etc).

If you have worked on the corporate side of a large thrift org or textile recycling company, I would love to talk to you, too.

Please reach out via email to [email protected].

I am not currently looking for resellers, stylists, or makers UNLESS you have previous corporate experience that led you to start your own business OR you have an area of expertise that you think will benefit the Clotheshorse community (and it has not been covered on the podcast in the past).

04/18/2024

Slow fashion is for everybody!!!

04/15/2024

NEW EPISODE ALERT!

If you dare to dive into the comments section on just about any post about fast fashion or fast everything, you are guaranteed to see more than one person saying "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism." This episode is part one in a recurring series examining and debunking the most common “excuses” and justifications we see for supporting, maybe even protecting(?) fast fashion and fast everything. And this week we are getting started with a real banger: “there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.”

We will explore the following questions:
★ What is the origin of "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism?" Who said it first?
★ What was intended meaning of this statement and how does it differ from how it is most frequently used now?
★ Why do people use this phrase so often?
★ How should we interact with people who use it?
★ How can we make more ethical choices in a system that is inherently unethical?

On our journey to answer these questions, we'll get to talk about feminist tees (again), visit an island nation in the Indian Ocean with a once-robust apparel production industry, buy some new underwear, and unpack how K-cups are a great example of individuals having an impact.

You can listen to this episode anywhere you listen to podcasts!

I also want to remind you that THURSDAY is the Clotheshorse 200th Episode Live Extravaganza! It will be happening at 8pm Eastern. It is free to everyone and you can watch it on YouTube.

04/07/2024

03/25/2024

I can’t do my usual Sunday inspiration post because I’m traveling and I don’t have access to my scanner.

So I thought I would share some of my instant photos from our trip so far. Dustin and I wanted to travel out west to see some clients and attend the opening party, so I thought it would be fun to bring our daughter Dylan along for a family vacation. We haven’t done anything like this since 2019. We went to the Grand Canyon and now we are in Yucca Valley, CA. We fly home on Tuesday.

We have seen a lot of amazing nature, animals, plants, and thrift stores on this trip. And most importantly, we have spent some quality time together as a family, talking, laughing, and singing. That’s the point of travel, right? Memories, experiences, knowledge and meeting new people. ❤️❤️❤️

02/28/2024

In this week's episode of the podcast, we talked about how in the era of fast everything, companies are looking for ways to cut costs by using AI (instead of people) to design prints, write product copy, and execute other creative projects.

Another way big retailers keep costs low? By stealing designs and art from smaller businesses (aka artists, designers, and makers). And this extends beyond clothing, into just about every category of product. A few weeks ago, artist discovered her art was stolen by (or least the company licensing Cupcakes and Cashmere as a brand name) to make glassware sold at and .

Fortunately, this is a situation in which we as individuals have a direct impact on ending this kind of theft of designs and art:

★ Don't buy copies of stuff. Seriously! I know that the knockoff versions are often (but not always) cheaper, but these companies aren't doing you a favor by selling you cheap copies. What they are doing is destroying small businesses, exploiting workers, and flooding the landfills with low quality, short-lived stuff. And they continue to make more copies of things when they see that customers are buying them.

★ Support small businesses, brands, artists, and designers. I would rather have one rad dress from one of my favorite small brands than 10 copies. It just feels better in every possible regard! Yes, I know some small businesses are s**tty and I don't shop from them, either. But in general, even the worst small business isn't having the level of negative impact of Shein or Amazon.

★ Call out that s**t when you see it! Be loud on the brand's social media accounts, report them to the original creator, and tell your friends all about it!

To quote caption about her situation: "Stop supporting companies who steal."

02/23/2024

Hey, ! Can we talk?

You literally INVENTED fast fashion and now you are the BIGGEST fast fashion clothing retailer IN THE WORLD!

Now is your chance to change the fashion industry (again) by ending fashion's race to the bottom.

You have made a lot of public statements and have spent millions on marketing campaigns to commit to being a sustainable brand, yet we have not heard back from you regarding your support of the Fashion Act. You produce 450 million articles of clothing every year, which you sell to customers around the world. Imagine the impact your support of the Fashion Act could have on the WORLD!!!!

The Fashion Act requires fashion brands doing business in NY and making an annual global revenue above $100 million to meet these targets:

★ Companies must reduce their company emissions in line with 1.5 degrees C.
★ Companies must address their chemical management within their supply chain.
★ Companies must measurably improve the lives of garment workers.

If these requirements are not met, the brand can be penalized 2% of their global annual revenue.

Despite making a lot of statements on its website about its commitment to circularity and sustainability, Zara has not signed on to support the Fashion Act. Zara's support could be a game changer for this groundbreaking legislation!

Zara's silence is opposition. Tag them in the comments to ask them to .

Learn more about the Fashion Act (and add your name as a supporter) at thefashionact.org
And follow

,

02/21/2024

I have shared this post a few times over the past couple of years, and every time I share it I think "this will be the last time because this will stop being an issue." But then I see small businesses within our community (like ) being asked to justify their prices. And I gotta say, Dani is a really good sport, literally pulling out the spreadsheets and showing you how the math, well, maths.

It's odd because no one asks Shein how it can sell a dress for less than $10. Or Free People why its dresses are over $100, but have raw hems. And I just have to wonder why we feel the need to punch down or horizontally, rather than up at these brands who sell us the illusion of value.

The fast fashion-ification of EVERYTHING we buy has really confused us about price and value.

The prices that fast fashion offers don't add up...yet rather than asking THEM to justify their prices, I see small businesses being bullied about their fair, reasonable prices. Or even worse, the higher prices of small brands/makers/designers/artists being used as a justification for buying fast fashion knockoffs of their work.

The low prices that big retailers offer aren't actually good deals at all. Those items are engineered to be highly profitable at a low price. Corners are cut, shoddier materials are used, and there are less checks along the way to insure quality and fit.

Furthermore, these low prices have a strong human cost. Everyone involved in making, selling, and shipping these products are underpaid and undervalued.

We have been taught that a steady flow of cheap, trendy clothes is way better than a few really nice, long lasting items. That's because the fast fashion model relies on overconsumption and exploitation to rake in billions every single year. Customers are left with stuff that doesn't fit quite right and won't last very long.

Only a few people at the top benefit from the fast fashion model. The rest of us are getting a bad deal.