D2C brand Playbook - Part 1 - Thinking of finding a gap in a crowded market for your business?

 Building a D2C brand? 

Here are 6 dilemmas that haunt every founder & marketer 👇

1️⃣ Thinking of finding a gap in a crowded market?

Start with the customer’s pain. That’s where the white space lies.

2️⃣ Starting to build a new product?

Don’t build from get-go. Steal this Amazon trick. Write a PRFAQ doc First.


3️⃣ First product in a new category; go mass or go premium?

You can inspire by magic; not by price. First stop - 1000 raving fans.


4️⃣ Have a WIP product; but no budget for marketing?

You don’t need money. You need honesty. Build in public.


5️⃣ Building your product in public; but why build your founder brand along?

Because people trust people. Face is your moat against faceless MNCs.


6️⃣ Crafting your brand; go niche or cater to everyone?

You can't build emotional connection with everyone. Unless you’re God.


Lets unpack the first one -

"How to position a new brand in a mature market dominated by 2-3 giants?" Feels impossible, right?

Honestly, that's most categories today.

🚕 Cabs – Ola, Uber
🍔 Food delivery – Zomato, Swiggy
💸 UPI apps – PhonePe, GPay, Paytm

Take UPI.
There are 200 apps for UPI.
But still there are gaps to build one!

Let's start with the consumer.

What matters to her?
✅ Speed – It should finish in a flash
✅ Reliability – No glitches, no drama

But, that’s table stakes. Everyone’s doing that.

So, what could currently be consumer pain points?
---
🔍 1. I can't find the 'point to QR' button when I need to pay fast!

In current apps, at times it's like doing a treasure hunt in Chandni Chowk.

🎁 2. I feel cheated with those fake rewards & coins?

When you complete a txn, what do you get:
-“Win up to ₹100” = ₹1 most times
- Coins you can only shred
-Coupon spam

Why call them rewards? Call them spammy messages, no?

🧘 3. I feel lost in the sea of tiles & banners, when i open that super app for simple stuff - like finding txn history!

What the consumer needs is:
-Cleaner UI,
-Minimalistic functions.
-Not your super app to sell them more.

That's 3 axes for differentiation out of user behaviour!!

And we haven’t even touched demographics or attitudes yet.

-----

💡 The insight:
There’s always room for a new entrant.
If you think consumer-backward, not category-forward.

Solving for Top of Funnel - 5 Tactics for D2C brand

Stuck in Brand Vs Performance Marketing Debate? Or paying too much Google/Meta tax?

Find it annoying when i see such debates; when answer is a full funnel approach; else you are leaving a lot on the table.

Sharing here are my 5 learnings on Top of the Funnel:

1. What Message?

Plan your "Always-on" content rooted in brand, category, and consumer insights.

Should answer your category's why (eg. better mobility),
brand's why (eg. Kill ICE for a better world)
& consumer's worldview (eg. i want to care for planet))

Differentiation is key; assuming thats already baked in.

Most brands dive into many segments; and then think what to build brand on; most then taking position of "your go to fintech brand" which is weak!

2. What Channels?

Wrt your audience; choose where they thrive -
Social, Influencers, PR, Owned.

Not just Insta; think deeper;
for carpenters, could be chingari or glance; for kids, YT?

Influencers are riding the authenticity, micro-cultures & niche storytelling wave! Must have in your channel mix for niche targeting.

Owned channels are under-leveraged - Employees can be content creators. Enable them with tools & right rewards.

3.What Formats?

Short and long basis Channels.
Video > Static > Text
Make it easier for audience to chance upon you

4. Build more Authority in what you say?

PR lends authority over time, on what you say when others back you up.
Much needed for initial stage startups.
Its most under-leveraged lever in D2C.
Unique stories get picked up faster.

Show up in as many opportunities - be it category, consumer, origin, occassions & more

5. Build more Occasions?

Events can swing organic SOV in your favour & can enable shifting baselines up.

They can be anchored in category (Eg EV Expo),
brand (Eg. Ola Sankalp),
consumer (Eg. Fashion Show),
Community (Eg Creator Day) and so on!

(Plan the year & make them IPs for memorability)

Brand building as most think - short term but expensive media splash campaigns.

But for startups & #D2C brands; think more consistent, authentic & sustainable ways of "always on" communication!

More brands of today are getting built with no celebrities, TV & big budgets than ever!

Share what are your challenges as D2C #brand building? How you are solving?

D2C Marketing Playbook

Performance without brand has no pull.
Brand without performance has no proof.

In today's high-churn, attention-deficit digital world, siloed marketing doesn’t scale.

A  full-funnel marketing framework that maps creative, channel, and messaging strategy to stages of consumer journey is a must.

Essentially, every marketing action needs to make the funnel stronger & efficient - from smaller cone to bigger to a cylinder!!

Here's my playbook based on my experience in "#D2C with Offline" brands :

👉Top of the funnel

- Brand building content for awareness & discovery should be always-on; derive what to say from brand, category, consumer & why your brand exists!

- Use as much short form video as much possible for awareness; statics for information dissemination (offers/launches).

- Social Media to share ur POV around:
--Business (eg. sale),
--Category (eg. seasonality),
--Brand (eg. whats ur why & usp?),
--Community (eg. why should u be part of this exciting group),
--Topical trends (eg. barbie pink)

- PR can multiply reach like crazy; leverage industry/geography occasions over obvious brand ones

-Plan Events around business (launches, community) to drive SOV & baselines

-Language (along with offline) is a big lever in India; go regional & vernac if you want to grow beyond 100 Cr ARR

👉Middle of the funnel

-CLM marketing (PNs, email, Whatsapp) are good owned tools for lead nurturing with consideration content

-Well defined CLM consumer journeys with event based nudges (post website visit, post store visit, post test drive) is a must to optimise ROI

- SEO rich Blogs, YT, Content & PR partnerships with aggregators really help in building consideration.

-YT long-form education repository is a big under-leveraged tool.

-Build consideration content from organic search keywords + user comments + testimonials/slice of life

-Retail Footprint is a Middle+Bottom funnel channel; plan for what u r saying there (facades, connected TVs, collaterals, sales pitch)

👉Bottom of the funnel

-Link sales processes to high quality lead flow for faster conversions (inside sales calls, allocation to stores)

-Focussed BTL activation + regional influencers trumps pure perf mktg in T3+ towns.

-Affiliates work well in categories where aggregators are key sources of consideration-content (eg auto)

-Testimonials & Influencer videos work well for performance video ads

-Use remarketing aggressively for leads in various drop off funnels (cart abandoned, >avg lead-lifetime)

-Disciplined FOMO works in BOF to drive sales; making it predictable hurts baselines.

Thats it for now. More later.

🙏Would love to learn from your experiences too or if something doesn't resonate? Share.

#marketing #performancemarketing #brand #retail #playbook

Brand Identity ---> Life? Lessons from Ferrari World

Bringing a Brand to Life?

My recent trip to Ferrari World turned out to be a masterclass!

Ferrari World is a masterclass in translating brand essence into a tangible, immersive experience; consumers can feel it!

During my recent visit, I saw firsthand how it checks every box of great brand storytelling:

👉Design that Speaks: The sprawling 86K sqft structure, with dynamic curves and the iconic red roof, mirrors Ferrari’s sleek aesthetics.

👉 Cultural Authenticity: From cobbled streets like floors to pasta/pizza cuisine to immersive virtual rides to Italy, the park breathes Ferrari’s heritage.

👉Core Brand DNA: Rides like Formula Rossa (240 kmph - world's fastest roller coaster!) ensure you feel the thrill Ferrari stands for.

👉Iconic Identity: The mesmerizing, logo-shaped roof—also the world’s tallest space-frame structure, exclusively placed away on an island, its all speaks brand’s essence of exclusivity.

👉 Storytelling at Its Best: There was a ride that takes you through Ferrari’s making—what better way to connect consumers with the brand’s soul?

When you have such an experience, you realize how each of those identity docs: brand keys or brand stands come alive!

Any indian examples of a living & breathing brand experience?

#Brandstrategy
#Marketing #Ferrari #Brand

Viral Content playbook - Tanmay & Co.

Playbook on viral films courtesy Tanmay Bhat & Co.

👉30 sec or less.
👉Less or no dialogues.
👉Phone watchable on mute.
👉Build intrigue in the first 3-5 sec.
Works better with a known celebrity.

-Juhi chawla comes at 3. (swiggy ad)
-Vishy's sweat at 5. (subway ad)
-Madhuri dance audition at 3. (cred ad)

👉Add product insight in the middle.

-Swiggy delivers everything so fast.
-Answering 10 Qs for a subway is a task.
-Lenskart is D2C & delivers lowest price.

👉Keep creative execution twisted.

-Juhi taken away, rolling delivery boys.
-Dravid breaking cars
-Vishy sweating buckets
-Karan Johar bargaining for higher price

----+

They are just killing it with every piece.

What would you add?

#advertising #digital #content #marketing

Boost product stickiness & engagement without much spends?

How to boost product stickiness and engagement without much business changes or spends?

"Add user journey/usage milestones."

👉Creating user experience milestones is a great playbook for boosting product stickiness, engagement and shareability.

👉Products like Runkeeper or audible for example keep me engaged with their milestone badges that help me as well as the product:

1. Product finds right associations

Dopamine boost with a meaningful badge unlocked.

2. Higher shareability

Make me want to share them on my social network and get more people to try the product (natural acquisition vs incentive based forced acquisition)

3. Higher engagement

With such badges at times consumers also stretch thier product usage to unlock one more badge! Helpful both ways!!

4. Higher trust

Brands earn more trust with such tactics to build engagement vs forced UI behaviour or incentive led referrals.

Thoughts?

#marketing
#product

PS - Here are my Runkeeper and Audible milestones!

I hope to add more records on running and reading this year!!

Social Media Ads 101 in 2025!

Social Media Ads in 2025?

Short form videos rule the roost but cumulative sum of others still high!

Here is a recipe to leverage content formats on Social inn2025:

Short form Videos
Use them to entertain/shock & awe to stop that vertical thumb swipe:
- Magical capabilities of your product
- Flip existing narrative on category
- Unexpected collabs

Statics
A picture is worth 1000 words, create beautiful thumb-stoppers:
- Less text, Punchy copy
- Grand announcements
- Product romancing
- Consumer slice of life

Carousal Ads
Episodic stories/Expansive showcase
- Curiosity in 1, 2 and culmination on 3rd
- Product range showcase - colour 1, 2..
- Customer testimonials

Stories
Temporary Reminders
- Countdowns to an event
- Contest alerts
- Did you miss this post?

Long form Videos
Education
- Product/Category explainers
- Demonstrations
- Testimonials
- Event streams

Which format do you think works best?

#socialmedia #content
#marketing

Marketing is about simplicity

Marketing is about simplicity!

Loved this simple venn diagram to define the charter for any marketing & growth team.

The 3 circles or sub-functions actually work together to have that always on marketing & growth engines -

Growing the brand:
- Culture that users share, with a defined mission, values & purpose
- Reason why people believe in u
- Creation of demand for future
- Nurturing people till they actually have a need to buy ur category

Growing the user base:
- Acquiring an effective userbase
- Optimising for CAC
- Referral programs
- Growth loops
- Capturing demand effectively

Growing the user value:
- Retaining demand effectively
- Deliver delight & drive more value (LTV)
- Upsell/Cross sell

#marketing
#growth
#brand

Book Review - Checkout

Book Review - Checkout: The step by step, 7C method to build a dominant ecommerce brand. By Neil Verma & Ren Moulton.

A great book which lays down steps on how to build an ecommerce brand.

7C 

Core

Customer

Community

Competition

Creative

Content

Channels

While all this aligns to classical models of:

 -STP (Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning), 

-Consumer Behaviour (Maslow's theory), 

-Porter's 5 Foces Model

-Branding (purpose- concentric circles to persona)

-Content ( storybrand model)

-IMC (amplification across 360 touch points)

....and so on; it seems like a great summarized playbook for online first marketers.

#books

#marketing