Dia Creative

Our Favorite Case Study of the Week Frank Body: Turning Coffee Grounds into a Beauty Empire Frank Body transformed leftover coffee grounds into a multi-million dollar skincare sensation through strategic brand personality and organic social growth. Their success shows how creative branding and authentic community building can fuel explosive expansion, even on a shoestring budget. The Power of Brand Personality Starting with just $5,000, the founders created "Frank" - a cheeky, flirtatious character that became the brand's voice across all touchpoints. “We had a very deliberate user-generated content strategy from day one." - Co-founder Jess Hatzis Frank Body’s bold personality set it apart, connecting with customers as a lively, relatable voice instead of just another faceless brand. Organic Instagram Growth Strategy Their Instagram-first approach focused on three key elements: - Customer-Generated Content: Every product package included a note encouraging customers to share their experience with #frankeffect, resulting in over 50,000 authentic user posts. - Zero-Budget Marketing: By launching before Instagram let users pay to advertise, they grew organically through engagement and word-of-mouth, reaching 700,000 followers without paid promotion. - Strategic Influencer Partnerships: Rather than chasing follower counts, they prioritized authentic brand fit. "We would rather build a relationship with someone who fits the brand's characteristics than find one with the most followers." - Frank Body Team Community-Driven Loyalty Frank Body's Hotel Pink loyalty program turned customers into brand advocates. The program featured tiered rewards with exclusive perks, encouraging repeat purchases and brand loyalty. Customers could earn points by sharing on social media and leaving reviews, building community engagement. Referral incentives rewarded customers for bringing in new buyers, further expanding the brand’s reach. Additionally, regular engagement through personalized email marketing kept members involved and excited about the program. Their approach proves that strong branding and authentic community building can drive massive growth without big marketing budgets. Give your brand a compelling personality and let your customers become your best marketers. Here's a good article to learn more about this: https://lnkd.in/gB8D_txU

Tariffs vs. TikToks: The Unexpected Battle Over Digital Ads A proposed 10% tariff on Chinese imports, along with the potential suspension of the de minimis rule (which allowed duty-free entry for shipments under $800) threatens to disrupt digital advertising projects and Ecommerce businesses. These changes could hugely impact major Chinese Ecommerce platforms like Temu and Shein, which use digital ads to fuel their expansions into the US market. The Impact on Digital Ad Spending Chinese Ecommerce companies account for up to 4% of Meta’s total ad revenue. Temu has spent billions on ads across TikTok, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Higher tariffs could push companies to cut costs, likely starting with ad budgets. As Chinese Ecommerce giants adjust their strategies, opportunities could arise across the digital advertising and retail sectors: US Retailers: Domestic brands may benefit from reduced competition in ad auctions Small/Mid-sized Brands: Less crowded ad markets could allow for increased visibility Alternative Marketing Channels: Brands may pivot toward long-term loyalty-building rather than impulse-driven ads Ad Platform Diversification: Google, Meta, and TikTok may need to cultivate new revenue streams, encouraging ad spend from other sectors like home goods, beauty, and electronics Chinese brands might also explore alternative logistical solutions, such as setting up US fulfillment centers or working with third-party logistics providers to navigate tariff challenges. These shifts could lead to new pricing structures and marketing approaches that focus on brand loyalty rather than price-driven strategies. What’s Next? For digital marketers and advertisers, these trade policy changes make adaptability more important than ever. The full impact will depend on how quickly companies adjust. Businesses that diversify ad strategies and explore new partnerships will be best positioned to roll with the punches. Here's an article to learn more about this: https://lnkd.in/g8-hY3vT

Our Favorite Case Study of the Week GOAT’s Unconventional Journey to Success Eddy Lu’s journey to founding GOAT, a leading sneaker and luxury apparel platform: - Early Ventures: Before GOAT, Eddy Lu and Daishin Sugano tried various business ventures, including becoming franchisees for Beard Papa’s cream puffs and developing early iPhone apps. - A Fake Sneaker Sparks an Idea: The turning point came when Sugano bought a pair of fake Air Jordan 5 Grapes on eBay, leading him to realize the need for a trusted sneaker marketplace. By combining Lu’s computer science background with Sugano’s design expertise they created GOAT, a platform where authenticity is guaranteed. - Black Friday Fiasco: GOAT’s first test came during a Black Friday promotion that crashed their site due to overwhelming traffic. “People had skipped work, school, and even doctor’s appointments to be online for our Black Friday drop, and they were upset when the site crashed. We had to apologize profusely,” says Lu. Despite the backlash, this event proved their authentication promise had value. - Reducing Friction: One key to GOAT’s success was simplifying the buying process by showing only the best offer. “We wanted to remove friction from the experience. And since we’re an authenticated marketplace, people could trust that they would receive exactly what they ordered,” emphasized Lu. - Measured Expansion: GOAT learned from past mistakes, only expanding from sneakers to luxury apparel once confident in their infrastructure and market fit. Resilience, adaptability, and commitment to the core vision supported GOAT’s success through every step of their journey. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/g75rqfBh

Threads: The Best New Marketing Channel Meta's text-based platform Threads has evolved into a powerful marketing channel, with 300 million monthly active users and growing. Here's how to utilize this platform for your brand. Getting Started Right: First impressions matter, especially on a platform still finding its footing. To start, claim your handle, optimize your profile, and link your Threads to your IG bio. Content That Works on Threads: The platform favors conversational, authentic content over polished marketing speak. Focus on: - Behind-the-scenes glimpses: Share casual updates about your business operations - Quick tips and insights: Break down complex topics into digestible threads - Industry commentary: Join relevant conversations with valuable perspectives - Customer engagement: Respond to mentions and build genuine connections Utilize Platform Features and Take advantage of Threads' unique capabilities: - Scheduled Posts: Use the new scheduling feature to maintain a consistent presence - Cross-Posting: Share Instagram content strategically to Threads - Thread Format: Break longer content into engaging multi-post sequences With Meta's advertising capabilities now entering the testing phase and user engagement growing rapidly, early adopters have a unique opportunity to establish their presence before the platform becomes more crowded.

LinkedIn’s ‘Top Voice’ badge just got an update—here’s what it means for thought leaders. LinkedIn is making sure its “Top Voice” badge remains a sign of active, high-value contributors. Instead of being a permanent title, recipients will now hold the badge for six months before a review. To keep it, they’ll need to consistently share original insights, engage with their community, and provide high-quality contributions to their industry. For brands and professionals, this change reinforces the importance of ongoing thought leadership. Want to establish yourself as an industry leader? Keep creating, keep engaging, and keep adding value. Here's an article to learn more about this: https://lnkd.in/gH4w2w9t

Our Favorite Case Study of the Week Bandit Running’s Community-First Playbook Bandit Running grew its apparel brand by putting the vibrant New York running community first. That focus on community helped them become one of the most engaged with running brands on Instagram and raise a $14 million funding round. Here’s how they did it. Organic Growth from the Start Bandit focused on organic, word-of-mouth growth rather than paid ads in their first year. Co-founder Tim West explains: “I was never going to push the product on anyone. And I wasn’t going to take out a paid ad for the first year.” While slower, this approach built an authentic foundation. “It’s actually a lot scarier to try to build an iconic brand than to try to build a marketing funnel,” says co-founder Nick West. “Building all of these emotional connections in person doesn’t pay off immediately.” Showing the Real Running Experience Bandit’s content captures the full spectrum of the running experience, from the mundane to the magical. “We’re really good at Bandit at taking the mundane moments of running and showing you actually how special and lovely and elegant and fun they are,” Tim says. Even the grittier side makes an appearance. Their Williamsburg storefront serves as a hub, with a water jug for passing runners and weekly group runs that draw 100+ people. Scaling Sustainably The West brothers believe in “jogging before sprinting” when it comes to growth. They hosted more than 10 pop-ups in the 12 months before the city’s biggest running event of the year—the New York City Marathon. This taught them how much to spend, how many staff they’d need, and how many sales they could expect online and in-person. By capturing the real running experience, Bandit built a brand that stands out from the crowd. Read about it here: https://lnkd.in/eJuak9mr

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Email marketing doesn’t get enough credit. Brands obsess over acquiring new customers but ignore the ones they already have. Meanwhile, we’ve seen email outperform paid ads in retention and revenue—at a fraction of the cost. One of our clients went from 17% of revenue from email to 43% in just three months. Not with discounts, not with spam—just strategy. With acquisition costs rising, should brands be shifting more budget into retention?