There is no doubt that 2020 will go down in history
as the worst year ever.
One that, sadly, has forced many businesses
to close their doors.
Yet, despite the economic crisis, social unrest,
a global pandemic and massive travel restrictions,
some brands have managed to not only stay alive but thrive.
How'd they do it?
Keep watching to discover five businesses
that are booming right now.
(cheerful music)
All right, you guys, now I am super excited
about this week's video because it is proof
that despite the chaos that is coronavirus,
there are actually some brands and businesses out there
that are thriving right now.
Now, when most people think of 2020,
they think of the global pandemic,
working from home, social isolation,
a crashed global economy and sold out toilet paper.
Seriously, who is doing that?
But let's not forget about all the other major events
that made a splash in 2020.
Like, oh, I don't know, the fact that society at-large
demanded change.
The Black Lives Matter movement
and a record-breaking number of US voters
in the recent election were just a couple of the major ways
that people started showing up, speaking up
and demanding that the businesses they support
do the same thing.
To say that the world was forced to pivot
would be a massive understatement
and while there were many businesses
that were forced to close their doors forever
including many small businesses,
which is why, guys, it is so important to support
your local and small businesses.
Other businesses were, in fact, able to find success
despite and in some cases, because of the global pandemic
and powerful social activism.
So what sets these successful companies apart
from the ones that were less than lucky?
Well, that is exactly what we're gonna talk about today.
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So what is it that keeps the brand hot
when the rest of the world is a hot mess?
Well, I'll give you a hint.
Innovation, prioritizing your customer wants,
delivering mad value and cutting through the BS
has a little something to do with it.
So here they are, five brands that killed it in 2020
and why they were able to not only survive
but thrive during the global pandemic.
All right, number one on my list,
Rihanna's Savage X Fenty.
Yes, topping the list is my girl RiRi.
She has been slaying the lingerie game since 2018
and let's be honest here, lingerie and intimate wear
is not an easy market to break into
especially when companies like Victoria's Secret
have been dominating the space for decades.
But despite having launched only two years ago,
Savage X Fenty receives more public praise
than almost all other lingerie retailers out there.
And sure, while it helps to be a celebrity
with a loyal fan base, the success of Savage X Fenty
goes way beyond the A-lister status of its owner.
Since it started, this lingerie brand
has been passionate about inclusivity
with pieces that have been designed
to eliminate all boundaries
and broaden the definition of beauty
in an industry that has traditionally
had a more narrow definition.
Rihanna is humanizing the lingerie industry
by showcasing a diverse range of models wearing her pieces.
Models of all sizes, shapes, colors, ethnicities and genders
were represented in her 2020 fashion show.
And speaking of her fashion show,
she single-handedly proved that lingerie fashion shows
can be bold, dynamic, diverse and empowering AF.
The massive success and popularity of her 2019 fashion show
really helped put the final nail in this thinking coffin
that is the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Oh, and if you wanna talk about pivoting,
2020 was notorious for canceling
a lot of highly anticipated shows and events.
And most of the events that weren't canceled
got a lot of public backlash
because of their blatant irresponsibility for public health.
Rihanna, on the other hand did have her fashion show
but also stayed socially responsible.
How? She innovated.
She opted not to host a live show
but instead, prerecorded a bad-ass lingerie performance
and then streamed it on Amazon
for everyone's viewing pleasure.
Genius.
And number two on my list, Canva.
So what's something that just about everyone
started doing in 2020?
Well, aside from working at home in their sweatpants,
they started looking for unique ways
to take their jobs, products and services online
whether it be creating a new logo, social media posts
or branded documents and slide decks,
graphic design is an absolutely necessary part
of going digital.
Well, Canva disrupted the graphic design industry
in a big way by making it highly accessible
to literally everyone.
It's a female-owned software company
that makes creating graphics and digital design
super user-friendly.
Now, it is one of our favorite tools here at the posse
and it's what we use to create all of the amazing posts
that you see over on our Instagram page.
Canva makes its users feel empowered to design
and create beautiful visual images, logos and graphics
without taking hours to learn how it works.
In fact, their app provides hundreds of templates
ready to use and edit for your specific needs.
Everything from menus and flyers
to Instagram and Facebook posts
to birthday invitations or business cards.
So what was it that set Canva apart
from other digital design apps out there?
Well, they developed a great product
that is actually pretty user-friendly.
They are great at listening to user feedback,
innovating, refining, improving
and testing their software constantly
and they offer it all for free.
I'm sorry, what?
I love it When I see a brand lead
with such insane value.
They slid into the market when we needed them the most
and they showed in a big, big way.
So Canva was there when more and more small businesses
turn to social media to reach new and existing customers
during the pandemic.
In fact, design creation and sharing on Canva
is up more than 50% this year.
And guess what, these free fans
are now fans for life and are way more likely
to upgrade to the paid version.
I did and it's all because of the attitude
and values of the brand itself.
So here's a direct statement from Canva's co-founder.
"We never feel like we're where we need to be.
Achievement unlocks ambition
and then there's always so much more you can do.
I don't think we'll ever stop trying to deliver
the most value we possibly can to our customers."
So you can tell that they completely prioritize
their customer's needs and are constantly innovating
and listening to feedback.
Like when they created their blog called Design School
where they post design tips, inspiration
and how-tos for people who wanna design a great brand,
to be more creative or learn how to slay
a great social media post or unique resume.
This next level of value is the secret sauce
to any brand's success.
All right, number three, Milk Makeup.
Milk Makeup is an edgy and gender-neutral makeup company
that was started back in 2016.
And just six months after they launched,
they tripled the number of locations
that their products were being sold at
and they've been taking Gen Z by storm ever since.
From the beginning, it was pretty apparent
that Milk Makeup would be successful.
They created this makeup brand
by building off of photo studio,
an already existing and wildly successful brand
that they've been cultivating and nurturing for years.
Their existing following included a ton of young creatives
and artists who are definitely not interested
in following the latest trend
or being confined by traditional beauty standards.
The milk brands spent 20 years
getting to know their audience
so it goes without saying
that they really knew what their customers wanted
and then they simply created it.
I know, crazy, right?
But they didn't just replicate
what was already successful
in the already oversaturated beauty industry.
If they had done that,
they wouldn't be nearly as successful.
After talking with their customers
and actually asking them to test some of the products,
they were able to find out a few key innovations
that really shaped the products Milk Makeup
would ultimately create.
For starters, their customers preferred
applying their makeup on the fly
so no fancy application tools or trinkets.
They also tended to throw their products haphazardly
into their bags and quite often dropped them
on the bathroom floor, I'm so guilty of that,
so they need a durable and high quality packaging.
To put it simple, their people were busy people
who didn't have a lot of time for application
but they did care about one thing
and that was the ingredients in their products.
They wanted products that were cruelty-free,
good for the environment and good for their skin.
So Milk Makeup created bold, high quality
and natural makeup products that could be applied on the go
making all genders feel confident, expressive
and able to live your look.
So it's really no surprise that their fan base
continued to support them with unwavering loyalty
throughout the pandemic.
And as the founder of Milk Makeup would say,
"When you listen good, it doesn't matter
if you're listening to a CMO of a major company
or a girl in Ohio."
Well said.
All right, now, number four, Oatly.
Oatly is a plant-based milk product
that's made out of, yep, you guessed it, oats.
Now, this is not an overnight success story.
In fact, Oatly has been around since 1994
and they spent the last 20 or so years
really pounding the pavement
to get their product established in the industry.
But unlike other brands out there today,
Oatly had a very unique problem on their hands.
How do you get people to choose oat milk
in the grocery store when they don't even know
that oats could be milked?
How do you turn a completely unaware audience
into loyal and raving fans?
If you guessed crank out some killer marketing
and blast ads all over the internet,
you are totally, completely and utterly, get it?
Wrong.
When you're dealing with a completely unaware audience,
the very first thing you have to focus on
is getting super specific on who your customer avatar is
and then educating them. And is exactly what Oatly did.
But instead of targeting their ideal customers directly
and then trying to stand out
in front of a dozen other lactose-free milk out there,
they decided to wiggle their way into the hearts and minds
of their ideal customers in a really unconventional way.
They went straight to the middleman
and then had them sell the product for them.
Yes, they went to the local baristas
at your trendy neighborhood coffee shop
and I'll admit, I had my very first oat latte
at a disgustingly hip cafe in East London
and now, I am hooked and I feel pretty cool drinking it.
So, Oatly created a barista blend specifically for cafes
and it was thicker than most plant-based milks
which made it a really great dairy-free alternative
for baristas to create those cool designs
on the tops of your lattes and cappuccinos.
So have you ever walked into a coffee shop
and you're ordering your coffee and you ask the barista,
so what kind of milk options do you have?
And the barista list off like 16 different types of milk
And it just makes you super confused
So then you're like okay, well, which one is best?
And then your barista says,
"Well, oat milk works really well because it's thicker
and it feels more like regular milk."
So you're like, okay, great, I will try that
and then presto, you have just become an Oatly customer.
So now, you've at least tried oat milk and probably liked it
and it's something you would never have tried on your own
if you went to the grocery store
and because it was made by your local cafe,
you had it really great experience enjoying their product
and you feel super trendy like I did,
which yes makes you more likely to order it
but then also buy it when you see it on the shelf
during your next grocery store run.
Okay, so then once Oatly your attention,
that's when they really started slaying the marketing game
and essentially taking over the plant-based milk world.
Oatly is fierce and fearless and it's marketing
and they know exactly what to do to capture the attention,
engagement and loyalty of their audience.
And this is more than just a marketing stunt, guys.
They actually back up their talk with big action.
In fact, in Germany, Oatly petitioned
that all food and retail
should be labeled with the greenhouse gases emitted
during production.
And in Sweden, the company is literally at a milk war
with the dairy lobby.
They are persistent in their fight
for a more sustainable world and in the meantime,
their customers are resonating
with their mission and brilliant marketing
turning them into loyal and lifelong fans.
Oat milk is now widely referred to
as the king of plant-based milk
which is a pretty boss title if you ask me.
And last on my list is Dove.
Now, this is a brand that has been around for a while
and pretty much everyone has heard of it.
Dove is a beauty brand that has been a long time trendsetter
in inclusive branding.
They were promoting inclusivity and real beauty
before it was cool but with more and more brands
adopting this trendy commitment to diversity,
how has Dove managed to stay ahead as the forerunner?
Well, it helps that they were one of the first major brands
to normalize representing real women
in their advertising campaigns which by the way,
started back in 2004 with their campaign for real beauty
but they're continuing to make waves
and set trends in the beauty industry even today.
In fact, in 2020, they made a pledge
that their advertising will always feature real women
and not models and that they will never digitally alter
the images or videos that are used
to promote their products.
Now, that definitely speaks to the growing demand
for brands to feature real humans looking, well, human.
I know, crazy, right?
But in today's world where more and more brands
are becoming cause-driven,
Dove has to do more than just keep up
with the latest trends and market demands
although that's obviously super important.
What really sets one inclusive beauty brand
apart from another inclusive beauty brand
is how they make their customers feel.
And in an oversaturated market,
that is what keeps customers coming back
again and again and again as loyal and raving fans.
In 2019, Dove's brand relevance score
was a staggering 35% higher than the category average,
which speaks volumes to the emotional connection
that its customers feel towards the brand.
So to put it bluntly, Dove knows and understands
the pain points of its target audience
and they continue to boldly address those issues.
By showcasing inclusivity, diversity
and the representation of all humanity,
Dove is a brand that is truly timeless
and they have yet to let us down.
Now, it goes without saying that there are a lot more brands
that saw success in 2020
and while the brands I featured in this video
saw most of their success due to brilliant branding
and spectacular innovating,
there were also a lot of other brands that thrive this year
because they were simply able to identify
and address market demands and needs.
All right, guys, that's it for today.
I'll see you next week with a brand new video.
Until then, I'm Alex. Ciao for now.
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