Simply having an outstanding product is no longer enough. Today’s brands must deploy creative and effective strategies to cut through the noise. Competition is tight, so innovative tactics are crucial for drawing in customers and securing their loyalty.
In this article, I want to explore creative growth stories with examples from a few companies in an effort to give you ideas you can implement in your own business.
THE POWER OF EVENTS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND HABITS
My first startup was the world’s first concert subscription service. We used the power of events to grow. We would get involved in big events at places like SXSW in Austin, WMC in Miami, and festivals like Electric Zoo in New York. We would also organize huge warehouse parties for thousands of people in Brooklyn. These events allowed us to sign up hundreds of thousands of potential new subscribers.
Another growth lever we used was the power of relationships. We set up a microsite that allowed people to connect their Facebook accounts to match them with their friends in the same city with similar music tastes. Then, there was an additional layer of matching that found upcoming concerts in their city and matched both friends’ music tastes. This would then trigger a conversation among friends to go to the show together and bring us multiple subscriptions in one shot.
One more interesting growth lever was integrating with people’s daily habits. We would allow people to connect their Spotify accounts to our service. We would then create weekly playlists for them in their Spotify account that refreshed every Sunday night. The playlist would feature the artists who would play in their hometown in the next seven days. People would then listen to something they liked and subscribe to our service to go to that show.
In order to implement some of these ideas at your own companies, a good place to start is to study the concept of triggers. This will help you understand how you can use social psychology and daily habits. I recommend Jonah Berger’s book, Contagious, as a starting point. This can help you learn how people act on triggers so that you can find those special moments when they act, such as signing up for your service or purchasing your product.
How about some examples of creative growth among breakthrough DTC brands?
BLUME: GROWTH HACKING AT ITS FINEST
Karen Danudjaja’s journey with Blume, her superfood latte brand, is an inspiring example of growth hacking and bootstrapping. Starting in 2017 while juggling a corporate job, her idea was born from a need for a healthier caffeine fix. Fast forward, Blume has millions in sales and its products in thousands of stores, including giants like Whole Foods and Nordstrom, all without initial external funding.
The turning point came when the pandemic hit, wiping out 85% of Danudjaja’s business overnight. Her swift pivot to e-commerce, fueled by a quick digital marketing course, saved the day. She introduced a themed bundle on her e-commerce store, balancing the business between wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales.
Danudjaja’s innovative approach to scaling involved creating a duplicate Shopify store exclusively for cafes and independent retailers. This move, requiring a login for bulk orders, allowed Blume to manage wholesale relationships effectively without expanding the team prematurely. It set the stage for handling larger retailers and eventually building a sales team.
As they say, constraints bring out the creative solutions in us.
BIOHM HEALTH: BUILDING ON INNOVATION AND PATIENCE
Afif Ghannoum’s BIOHM Health story with its gut health products is a testament to careful growth and innovation. Stepping beyond the DTC model, BIOHM ventured into the retail arena with a careful, studied approach, learning from past ventures to build a sustainable expansion strategy.
In 2023, Ghannoum shared in a LinkedIn post that because the business had real science and strong patents, he could license their patent portfolio and see their technology turned into products sold by solid partners. So, they ended up with a royalty stream.
The most impressive thing to me is how they basically white-labeled their science to Walgreens. This helped Walgreens launch its own wellness products powered by BIOHM FX probiotics.
BIOHM’s journey from a niche DTC brand to a significant player in the retail market shows the importance of patience and innovative thinking in crafting successful growth strategies.
TRUFF: SAUCE COLLABS GONE WILD
A limited-edition collection of truffle-infused hot sauces was inspired by the Super Mario Bros Movie—that is the kind of thing TRUFF does with their high-end sauces.
Under the guidance of Michelle Gabe, TRUFF’s marketing director, the brand has woven unique partnerships into the fabric of its growth strategy. Transitioning from an online-only presence to being stocked in over 19,000 retail locations, TRUFF has achieved mainstream appeal.
Collabs with giants like Taco Bell and Hidden Valley Ranch, Popeye’s Spicy TRUFF Chicken Sandwich, and the playful nod to Nintendo showcase TRUFF’s knack for tapping into current cultural currents to widen its audience.
This stuff is hard. Imagine the work that goes into making all of these collabs work. This is a brand that understands having a great product is not enough. They put in the extra effort to work these additional growth channels.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The creative growth strategies of these companies inspire me, and I hope they inspire you, too. Their journeys highlight the necessary role of innovation in achieving standout success. Understanding and engaging with the zeitgeist while continually pushing the boundaries of what’s expected is something worth pursuing for all business leaders.
Bora Celik is the Founder and CEO of Subkit / Collabs.io.