One text kickstarted this fashion brand's goals to change the world
It’s a chilly Monday morning, you’re running off of 5 hours of sleep, and you have to give a presentation to your boss in 20 minutes.
Not fun. The epitome of life throwing a curveball at you.
It’s important to have a foundation around you that you can lean on in those situations. Like a great group of friends, your parents, your cat, or even a fashion brand.
Yes, a fashion brand.
Today’s lesson is all about a fashion brand who is giving their community a place to brighten their days, and no it’s not through retail therapy 😉
Founded in 2017 by four lifelong friends, Madhappy, all started from one simple text.
Mason Spector, one of the co-founders, sent a text to his friend saying he was “madhappy for him” to be graduating from Pepperdine University.
And that phrase stuck with him. There was an aura about “madhappy” that the founders could not get out of their head.
It was extremely thought provoking.
It highlighted the importance of being positive despite facing challenges in life.
It kickstarted the makings of a LEGENDARY fashion brand.
From the jump there was no master plan or big business idea, it all started with building a community.
Madhappy began hosting pop up shops on the streets of New York City and Los Angeles, giving them the perfect opportunity to sell their product AND engage with consumers in person.
Each pop up sold exclusive products that you could only buy if you came in person.
Working with a shoestring budget, Madhappy couldn’t spend millions on marketing campaigns building buzz around their product, so they had to sell scarcity.
You couldn’t miss out on the pop ups, otherwise you’d miss out on Madhappy.
But FOMO is not this brand’s mojo. Madhappy is all about people and it couldn’t be any more evident than in their messaging.
For mental health awareness month this year, Madhappy rolled out a campaign that proved to marketers that billboards are alive and well and to consumers that Madhappy was looking out for them.
No sales gimmicks. No product promotion. All focus on the community Madhappy was seeking to build.
They didn’t stop there. Madhappy built their own publication, The Local Optimist.
A media arm for the fashion brand, that creates a newsletter, podcast, and has a website all focused on providing FREE mental health resources.
They put their money where their mouth was.
By investing in a platform to break down the stigma of mental health, Madhappy has positioned themselves as a media company in tandem with their uber successful lifestyle brand.
And they used their newfound media expertise to launch one of the most innovative social media marketing campaigns in recent years.
Madhappy runs ZERO performance marketing. NONE.
So what do you do if you don’t run performance marketing and you want to get your brand out to the masses?
You take over TikTok.
And no, not in the Charlie D’Amelio way. But in the Madhappy way.
Madhappy hosted influencers on a 3-day mental health getaway in the Aspen mountains and took over the city.
They could be seen cruising down mountains on their Madhappy x CAPiTA snowboards, attending parties, and cozying up in infrared blankets.
Every second of the trip was filmed (maybe not every second, but you get the point).
The influencers were posting content on TikTok throughout the 3-day spectacle, while repping their favorite Madhappy pieces.
A 72-hour social media marketing campaign that highlighted the beauty, the community, and the lifestyle of Madhappy.
The founders didn’t forget about their marketing fundamentals and leveraged influencer marketing like no other, to bring it all together.
I just have one more question for you, how are you feeling? <3
MARKETING CHEAT SHEET (WHAT TO LEARN FROM THIS CAMPAIGN)
Billboards aren't dead. Out of home campaigns still prove they can do numbers. Even if you're a digitally native brand like Madhappy, billboards can be a great way to speak directly to your target audience.
Community>>>. Yes, I said it. Your product can only go as far as your community takes it. All marketers can learn a thing or two about the importance of building a community from the legends at Madhappy.
The power of a central idea. All of the world's greatest brands are built around one central idea. Nike revolutionized physical health, Apple revolutionized communication, and Madhappy is revolutionizing mental health.
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