[Editor's Note: As part of our Industry Spotlight series, PRNEWS talked to brands and publicists in the direct-to-consumer space. Click here for a previous industry spotlight.]
With the flood of new direct-to-consumer brands to market, some startup founders might question whether they need, or could vastly benefit from, PR. (The case study of the Super League’s doomed start might provide some extra emphasis on the need for a launch strategy and narrative).
As entrepreneurs evaluate their business strategies and budgets for how to launch and grow their brands, where to spend branding dollars is among the top of the list. With so many areas to consider, from digital ads to social media content, one that may feel a bit more elusive is PR.
“By and large, brands understand that they need exposure and increased awareness among consumers,” says Jennifer Bett Meyer, founder of Jennifer Bett Communications (JBC), an agency focused on digitally native, direct-to-consumer brands. “When brands launch, we see a lot of companies focus specifically on paid media opportunities, inclusive of social media ads and influencer marketing, as well as sponsorships. Those … certainly lend a hand in getting your brand out there; however, by taking this approach alone, brands are not able to shape their own narrative.”
Tell Your Story
“Today’s consumers … want to know the stories behind the brands they’re supporting. They want to connect with the people behind the brands,” adds Meyer. “Storytelling is such a crucial part of what hooks the consumer and ultimately grows your business. It is super important to have that solid narrative from the get-go, not only to secure strong footing in a particular market but also to assist in keeping a steady drum beat of press coming post launch."
Take, for example, Ariane Goldman, the founder and CEO of maternity clothing line Hatch; she’s vocal about sharing the frustrations she encountered while pregnant that led to her launching her business.
Another example is ThirdLove co-founder Heidi Zak, who frequently shares her reasons for launching her company: how she disliked everything about the bra-shopping experience and thought there could be a better way to go about it.
And there’s Mayssa Chehata, founder of Behave Candy, who easily and often shares her personal reasons for launching the brand.
“We have a really specific story we want to tell about how, despite all the improvements we've seen in so many food categories, the candy industry has remained stagnant, and we wanted to create a better option for consumers who love eating candy,” she says.
At launch last summer, Behave sold out of gummy bears and attracted a 1,000-person wait list. “I knew that PR would be a really effective way to draw new potential customers to our brand,” adds Chehata, “but I don't think I realized the extent to which it could be a successful way to do that.”
Ariel Kaye, founder of the direct-to-consumer home goods brand, Parachute, also knew she needed PR to grow her business.
“I started my career in PR and know the value in using earned media to tell a compelling story and build brand narrative,” she says.
Kaye worked with JBC to help craft a launch press strategy; by the brand’s first week, the agency had placed a number of articles in relevant publications. “A few weeks later The Wall Street Journal featured us in a story that drove a ton of awareness and helped take the business to the next level,” she says.
And in 2019, despite the increasingly crowded online mattress market, Parachute worked with JBC on another launch, this time of a mattress. According to Parachute, impressions from earned media in one month would have equaled more than $2M in Facebook spend, a platform that many DTC brands previously relied on to grow their brands.
Time It Right
Melissa Duren Conner, a partner at JBC, recommends startups engage with a firm at least two months in advance of launch.
During the first month of working with an agency, brand founders should expect to go through a thorough on-boarding process, she says, which helps the team distill key messages, and determine a roadmap for how the team will work together to bring awareness to the business going forward.
One month out from launch, the team will begin outreach to secure interest, facilitate interviews and provide samples for products or demos for services.
Though this may be the ideal timing, Meyer admits she’s seen it all.
“We’ve been brought on by companies with a one-week lead time before a big launch. It’s not ideal, but it can be done. However, we don’t recommend it; that becomes a race to establish messaging, positioning, draft pitches, outreach and quickly coordinate interviews,” she says.
Perhaps the Super League should have taken a lesson from this playbook.