The Omnichannel Marketer

In this episode, we meet Hasan Hasmani, founder and CEO at Underdog Games. 

Underdog Games creates family board games, most notably the “Trekking” game series, including Trekking the National Parks, Trekking Through History, and HerStory. 

Hasan shares the founding story of the business and the road to $5M in annual sales. 

Topics covered in this episode

• The nuance of marketing board games
• The role of Amazon in board game marketing
• Pivoting acquisition channels where ROAS is highest throughout the year
• Value of customer email addresses 
• Changing Amazon FBA costs

Key Takeaways

• Board games are a publishing business
• Discovery is the biggest challenge in board games
• Games business growth is via line extension (i.e. new book, game etc)
• It’s also a hit-driven business
• Amazon is a cost-effective fulfillment and storage partner for heavier products
• Providing free value-added offers post-sale can help collect email addresses from Amazon buyers

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Hasan Hasmani:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasanhasmani/

​Website: https://www.underdoggames.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Matt Mullenax, the founder, and CEO at Huron. Huron is a men’s skincare brand. 

Matt shares how his own personal experience with experience with skincare led him to found Huron and fuels his passion and drive as a founder. 

Topics covered in this episode

• The value of being human and telling relatable stories
• Immediate feedback loops on DTC and Amazon
• Price control on Amazon
• Value of playbooks

Key Takeaways

• Strive to make your brand human
• Know your infrastructure pillars
• Beware of “tried and true” playbooks
• Being your own consumer is a superpower
• Play to your strengths

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Sandra Velazquez:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mullenax-4b4b086/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattMullenax

​Website: https://usehuron.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Phil Jamison, VP of North American Sales at Beatbox Beverage. 

Beatbox Beverage is a party punch beverage brand. Party punch is a fruit-flavored non-carbonated alcoholic beverage. 

Phil shares a masterclass in alcohol distribution and how to build a powerhouse alcohol brand.

Topics covered

• Wine/liquor vs. beer distributions
• Buyer research
• Social media  for an alcohol brand
• Getting share of mind with distributors 
• Online alcohol sales 

Takeaways

• There is more focus on merchandising at the local level in beer distribution (vs. wine/liquor)
• Don’t try to be something you are not; know your demographic and career to them.
• Getting your distribution sales pitch is a powerful sales lever
• Alcohol distribution is 100% relationship-driven
• If you don’t have relationships, make sure you have data and a differentiated story
• Start small and focus on building trust.
• Alcohol brands can sell online, but it’s highly regulated. Consequently, it’s a very small part of sales.

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Scout Brisson:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

​Website: https://drinkdesoi.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Scout Brisson, CEO of De Soi. 

De Soi is a non-alcoholic beverage brand made with natural adaptogens.

Scout gives a deep dive on what it’s like to create a new category and some of the benefits of being a celebrity-led brand. 

Topics covered

• Non-alcohol category
• New category creation
• Role of DTC
• Celebrity brands
• Liquor vs traditional distribution

Takeaways

• Non-alcohol category is young and has a lot of room to grow
• New categories require education at every touch point in the funnel
• DTC and retail are connected flywheel, not separate funnels
• It takes 7 brand touchpoints to breed familiarity and desire to buy
• GoPuff, BevMil, Boisson and Faire are all helping De Soi expand distribution thoughtfully
• Celebrities can bring audience, content, brand awareness, unique giveaways, and warm introductions to high-end restaurants/bars
• Find distributors who rep multiple brands and can work on commission 

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Scout Brisson:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

​Website: https://drinkdesoi.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Menaka Gopinath, president and COO of Graf Lantz. 

Graf Lantz is a bags and accessories company that uses durable and sustainable materials like wool felt, leather, hemp, and canvas.

Menaka shares her insights and perspective on building whole in the boutique channel and building loyalty programs. 

Other topics covered in this episode

• Specialty boutique channel
• Wholesale distribution strategy
• B2B sales to hospitality and corporate 
• Customer loyalty (19:40 - 22:45)

Key Takeaways

• The boutique channel is relationship-driven
• Displays, optimized packaging, starter packs, and education make it easier for boutiques to sell your product
• Start slow with new sales channels
• Loyalty programs aren’t just about points and rewards, but creating exclusive brand engagement opportunities like meeting the founder or access to limited edition products

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Menaka Gopinath:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menakagopinath

​Website: https://graflantz.com

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menakagopinath/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Jess Cervellon, Head of Customer Experience at Feastables. 

Feastables is a better-for-you snack brand from Mr. Beast, the #1 creator on Youtube. 

Jess shares her perspective on Customer Experience and how she is driving engagement and building community at Feastables. 

Other topics covered in this episode

• Creator-led brands
• QR Codes Experiences
• Sweepstakes
• Customer experience
• Text and chat bots
• Surveying retail customers  

Key Takeaways

• Retail provides accessible pricing options for DTC products, i.e. ability to buy a single bar vs. 10-pack
• For Feastables, retail also expanded word of mouth outside the Youtuber segment 
• QR codes bridge the gap between digital and physical for Feastables
• Sweepstakes are a great way to drive engagement with QR codes
• Customer experience is more than support; it’s community building and digital experience too
• Feastables is using SMS and webchat in fun and creative ways to drive engagement 
• Brands can learn more about their retail customers with a QR code / survey combination

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Jess Cervellon:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon/

​Website: https://feastables.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Cedar Carter, CEO of the Good Patch and Lauren Farraye, head of Ecommerce & Digital at The Good Patch. 

The Good Patch is a plant and hemp-based wellness patch experiencing triple-digit growth and available in 10,000 retail locations.

Topics covered in this episode

• Organic retail first expansion
• What an Omnichannel strategy looks like
• The value of a brand compass
• Learnings from launching in Target
• What is middle funnel in CPG
• Speaking in results

Key Takeaways

• A brand should be present at every touch point in the consumer journey
• There’s no such thing as a silver bullet in marketing
• Always be testing something
• Measure with a full-funnel view
• Customers may not be different across channels but behaviors are

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Cedar and Lauren:

Cedar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedar-carter-43319611/

Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenkanick/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Jamie Roller, Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch

Dr. Squatch is a men’s natural personal care brand, best known for its soaps and deodorants. 

In this episode, Jamie shares a deep dive in how Dr. Squatch, a $100M+ soap brand is approaching and managing the Amazon marketplace channel.  

Other topics covered in this episode

• Transitioning from DTC to Omnichannel
• The growing role of Amazon
• Offensive and defensive Amazon strategies
• Marketplace pricing

Key Takeaways

• Paid Youtube and Tiktok ads to DTC drive brand search volume on Amazon
• Retail and Amazon are difficult to measure 
• Brands should consider PPC ads on Amazon to define their search positions
• Make sure to test and learn to figure out what works for your brand
• Investments in Amazon merchandising drive growth in customer LTV
• In addition to CAC / LTV ratio look at the payback period

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Jamie Roller:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieroller/

​Website: https://drsquatch.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Dale Mason, International Sales Manager at Tooletries. 

Tooletries makes silicon grooming tools that are stylish, clever, and bespoke. 

In this episode, we hear went from packing orders in a shed back in Australia to global retail distribution.

Other topics covered in this episode

• The Sales role in a CPG company
• International sales distribution
• Individual retailer sales strategy
• Role of packaging in sales
• Merchandising

Key Takeaways

• Men’s grooming is a $9.5B market
• A big component of retail success is finding win-win positions in the planogram 
• Turn retail success into case studies for selling future partners and improving placement
• Packaging design can play a part of the retail sell-through strategy
• Merchandising needs to evolve cardboard displays to touch screens to truly drive in-store engagement

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Dale Mason:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-mason-4ba76059/

​Website: https://tooletries.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, we meet Vladimir Vukicevic, co-founder and CEO of Better & Better.

Better & Better is a vitamin-infused toothpaste designed to remove the need for taking pill vitamin supplements..

Other topics covered in this episode

• Turning personal pain into a passion project
• Serial entrepreneurship
• Role of Amazon in personal care
• Product differentiation
• Role of press 
• Market education

Key Takeaways

• Distill your value proposition down to as few core benefits as possible
• Your website is the channel that gives the most storytelling power
• Amazon is a powerful channel for personal care and hygiene products
• Retailers like products with unique positioning and compelling story
• Press is a great credibility signal for getting into retail 
• Use credible sources to tell your brand story

Please let us know your thoughts about the episode!

Where to find Vladimir Vukicevic:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vukicevic/ 

​Website: ​ https://betterandbetter.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomebetterandbetter/ 

Where to find Kait Stephens:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER

www.theomnichannelmarketer.com