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What You Can Learn from Liquid Death, Olipop, True Classic, and Butcher Box
Well, if you’re serious about growing your brand, you need to stop following the herd and start focusing on the strategies that actually work.
Four brands — Liquid Death, Olipop, True Classic, and Butcher Box — show us the blueprint to do just that. They’ve dialled in influencer marketing, product seeding, aggressive but profitable growth strategies, and community-building to drive high retention and scale massively.
Lesson #1: Authentic Influencer Marketing Done Right
These brands are taking influencer marketing to the next level.
Instead of just slapping a hashtag and calling it a day, they’ve built authentic partnerships that feel natural.
- Liquid Death partners with edgy, on-brand influencers like Tony Hawk to connect with their audience. Their influencer strategy is an extension of their rebellious brand identity, aligning with people who actually fit their tone.
- True Classic uses influencers to promote its comfortable t-shirts without making the posts feel like blatant ads. This authenticity makes influencer marketing feel more like a recommendation from a friend rather than a paid promotion.
Takeaway: Build relationships with influencers who genuinely align with your brand. The right partnerships feel organic and resonate more with audiences than forced product plugs.
Lesson #2: Aggressive E-commerce Without Sacrificing Profitability
Aggressive growth doesn’t mean you have to burn through cash. Brands like True Classic and Butcher Box are perfect examples of scaling fast while keeping profitability front and center.
- True Classic is a Facebook and Instagram ad juggernaut, growing from $0 to $150 million in just three years by dialling in their paid media strategies and staying profitable. They don’t just spend — they spend smart.
- Butcher Box drives high retention with a subscription model that hooks customers for the long haul. They’ve mastered the art of delivering premium, sustainable products with convenience, driving predictable recurring revenue.
Takeaway: Be aggressive, but be smart with your spending. Whether you’re scaling your paid media or building a subscription service, ensure your CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) aligns with your LTV (Lifetime Value).
Lesson #3: Product Seeding That Sparks Real Buzz
If you want people to talk about your brand, give them a reason to.
Liquid Death and Olipop are masters at product seeding, but they don’t just send out samples—they create an experience.
- Liquid Death is famous for its outrageous unboxing experiences. They know how to make a product feel exclusive and exciting, leading to tons of organic shares and word-of-mouth buzz.
- Olipop does something similar by targeting health-conscious influencers with beautifully packaged kits, making them feel special and compelling them to share with their audiences.
Takeaway: It’s not just about sending products — it’s about curating an unforgettable experience that people want to talk about. Your product seeding strategy should make influencers and customers feel like insiders.
Lesson #4: High Retention through Subscription Models
If you make a great consumeable product, people will want more. Butcher Box and Olipop don't just sell their product subscription; they also sell lifestyle subscriptions.
- Butcher Box has made its subscription service the backbone of its business model. They’re not just selling meat — they’re selling a lifestyle. Customers keep returning month after month because the convenience, quality, and consistency are unmatched.
- Olipop has a loyal following thanks to its strong subscription model and community alignment. It targets health-conscious consumers who love the product and feel connected to the brand’s mission of promoting gut health.
Takeaway: Subscription models are gold mines when done right. You need to offer more than just a product — offer convenience, exclusivity, and a reason to stay for the long haul.
Lesson #5: Targeted Distribution & Community Alignment
When it comes to retail distribution, more isn’t always better. Liquid Death and Olipop are prime brands that focus on aligning their distribution with the right communities.
- Liquid Death went from direct-to-consumer to aligning itself with exactly the right places— concert venues, festivals, and retail spaces that fit its rebellious vibe. Its partnership with Live Nation allowed it to tap into the music scene, where its core customers hang out.
- Olipop has taken a more health-conscious approach, entering stores like Whole Foods, where its core audience of wellness-focused consumers shops regularly.
Takeaway: Don’t just aim for mass distribution. Focus on placing your product in spaces that align with your core community. When your retail presence matches your brand’s ethos, customers will come to you.
Final Thoughts
What do all of these brands have in common? They’re focused, strategic, and relentless in execution. Whether it’s influencer marketing, e-commerce, product seeding, or subscriptions, they’ve found their sweet spot and are scaling precisely.
If you’re serious about growing your brand, stop trying to do everything at once — focus on what moves the needle.
That’s how you win.
How Ryan Reynolds, The Rock, Reese Witherspoon, and MrBeast are Building the Future of Mega-Brands Once upon a time, massive corporations dictated the rules of marketing. Now? Creators are running the game. The biggest media brands of the next decade won’t be faceless corporations or billion-dollar ad campaigns. They’ll be people. Ryan Reynolds, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), and Reese Witherspoon have built empires on their personalities. But the real game-changer? MrBeast—a non-celebrity who has built a business empire purely from content. Let’s break down why this model is the future. Case Study #1: Ryan Reynolds – The King of Monetized Attention From Actor to Business Mogul Ryan Reynolds figured out somethin g that Coca-Cola still hasn’t: People follow people, not brands. So what did he do? He built a media ecosystem around himself and tied it into his business empire. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: Aviation Gin → Sold to Diageo for $600M+ Mint Mobile → Sold to T-Mobile for $1.35B Maximum Effort (Marketing Agency) → Genius storytelling powerhouse Wrexham AFC (Co-owner) → Turned a failing soccer team into a global brand Deadpool & Hollywood → His acting career fuels his business machine 💡 How it Works: Ryan creates viral content → ties it to his companies → turns engagement into cash. Example: His Aviation Gin ad mocked the disastrous Peloton commercial. The result? Millions of dollars in earned media for free. He’s built a machine where hi s personality markets his companies. Case Study #2: The Rock – A One-Man Global Enterprise Dwayne Johnson isn’t just a movie star. He’s a billion-dollar brand. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: Seven Bucks Productions → His media company behind "Jumanji," "Hobbs & Shaw," and more Zoa Energy → His energy drink, now competing with Monster & Red Bull Teremana Tequila → The fastest-growing tequila brand, valued at $3B+ Under Armour "Project Rock" → A full fitness apparel empire 💡 How it Works: Every movie, every workout, every Instagram post is part of a larger sales funnel. Example: When he promotes a workout, he’s not just motivating—he’s pushing Zoa Energy & Under Armour. Everything ties into his personal brand. He’s a walking Super Bowl ad that never turns off. Case Study #3: Reese Witherspoon – The Media Queen Built an empire by betting on storytelling. 🔥 What She Owns & Runs: Hello Sunshine (Media Company) → Sold for $900M Reese’s Book Club → Turns books into blockbusters (like "Big Little Lies") Draper James → A clothing & lifestyle brand fueled by her personality 💡 How it Works: She controls the content pipeline from book recommendations → Hollywood deals → streaming hits. Example: She recommended "Big Little Lies" in her book club, produced the TV show, starred in it, and made millions. She’s vertically integrated content & commerce. Now, Enter MrBeast – The First Non-Celebrity to Do the Same Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) started with zero fame, zero Hollywood connections. Now? He’s outpacing every major celebrity brand. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: MrBeast YouTube → The biggest channel on the planet Feastables → A candy company doing $100M+ in revenue Beast Burger → A restaurant brand with thousands of locations Beast Philanthropy → A charity arm that gets insane engagement 💡 How it Works: U ses YouTube as the distribution channel Monetizes attention through merch, brands, and businesses Sells physical products at insane scale Example: One video giving away an island → Gets 100M+ views → Sells millions in Feastables & Beast Burger. His model is 100% creator-first, not reliant on Hollywood, TV, or traditional media. Why This is the Future Every major company will either become a media company or partner with creators who already own attention. Here’s why creator-led brands are winning: ✅ They Own Distribution: No middleman. Direct audience access. ✅ They Monetize Faster: No need for paid ads when content sells the product. ✅ They Are Story-Driven: People trust faces, not faceless corporations. ✅ They Scale with Content: Every post is a potential billion-dollar business funnel. What’s Next? This is just the beginning. The next generation of billion-dollar companies will be built by creators, not corporations. Companies like Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola? They've been partnering with creators and celebs for ever (Think Michael Jordna and the Jordan brand). 🚀 The Playbook for the Future: Start by owning an audience. Monetize with products that fit that audience. Scale with content, storytelling, and distribution. The era of corporate-first brands is ending. The age of creator-first brands is here. Welcome to the future.
How a Small Brand Outplayed a $100M Giant A few years ago, I consulted for a brand spending $1.5M a month on paid ads. Their CFO was thrilled with the revenue numbers. Their marketing team was stressed about rising CAC. Their retention rate? Embarrassingly low. Meanwhile, a tiny competitor—operating on a shoestring budget —was winning. They weren’t running massive retargeting campaigns. They weren’t burning through email lists with constant discount blasts. Instead, they were obsessed with organic social. They built a community. They showed up every day. They made people feel like they were part of something bigger than a transaction. Fast forward a year: The big brand kept bleeding money to maintain sales. The small brand built a retention machine that outperformed paid media. 💡 The takeaway? Retention isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about how much people care. And organic social builds trust better than email ever could. Let’s break it down. 👇 Email vs. Organic Social: The Math of Retention Everyone says: "Email is king for retention. You OWN your audience." I disagree. Email is one-time communication. Organic social is daily relationship-building. Here’s how the numbers stack up. Scenario: A brand with 100,000 past customers & subscribers 🚀 Email & SMS Approach : 30% open rate = 30,000 people see it 2% click rate = 600 people click 5% conversion = 30 orders per email Even if you send 8 emails per month , that’s 240 total orders. 🔥 Organic Social Approach : 50K+ reach per post (past, current & future customers) 2% engagement = 1,000 interactions 5% conversion = 50 orders per post Posting 5x per week ? 1,000 orders per month. That’s 4X what email does. The best part? Your content is ALSO engaging future customers—not just past ones. 3 Brands Winning with Organic Social Retention Instead of just blasting emails, these brands turned organic into their biggest growth lever. 1️⃣ Mid-Day Squares – The $10M Chocolate Empire 🍫 They don’t just sell protein bars. They built a reality show. Started with zero ad spend —just raw, unfiltered behind-the-scenes content. Shared co-founder fights, supply chain disasters, big wins —like a reality show for their brand. Went viral when a cease & desist letter from Hershey’s turned into their most viewed post ever. Now? $10M+ in annual revenue, 80% retention rate. And their TikTok is basically a community of superfans. 2️⃣ DEUX – The Cookie Dough Brand That Prints Money on Instagram 🍪 Instead of blasting discounts via email, DEUX turned Instagram into a 24/7 loyalty machine. They crowdsource new flavors directly from their followers. They treat every post like a conversation, not a sales pitch —making fans feel involved. They’ve mastered drops & scarcity marketing , turning each launch into a viral moment. Their reward? A superfan community that buys instantly when a new flavor drops. No need for an expensive email strategy— they just drop a post, and it sells out. 3️⃣ Chamberlain Coffee – The $20M Creator-Led Brand ☕ Emma Chamberlain could’ve just dropped a basic coffee brand. Instead, she turned content into commerce. No paid ads. Just Emma’s YouTube, TikTok & IG pushing organic engagement. Every coffee drop is a “cultural moment” —with UGC + viral social challenges. Built a loyalty loop : Limited edition flavors, influencer collabs, exclusive merch drops. Now? $20M+ in annual revenue —and customers who feel like they’re part of the brand. The Real Advantage: Trust & Visibility Here’s what organic social does that email never can: ✅ It builds trust. Customers see your brand daily , not just when you email them. ✅ It engages cold, warm, and hot audiences. Email is only past customers —social lets you engage everyone. ✅ It scales without ad spend. The more valuable your content, the more free reach you get. The Playbook: How to Turn Social Into a Retention Machine 1️⃣ Show Up Daily – If you’re not posting, you’re forgettable. 2️⃣ Create More Than You Sell – 80% of content should entertain, inspire, or educate. 3️⃣ Build Community – Make your audience feel involved, not just targeted. 4️⃣ Make It a Habit – The best brands make customers feel like they’re missing out if they’re not engaged. Final Thought: It’s Not Email vs. Social—It’s Both Email isn’t dead. But if you’re only relying on it for retention, you’re playing the game on easy mode. The brands that win in 2025? They’ll be obsessed with organic. What’s your best retention strategy ? Drop it below. 👇
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