Ethan Song, CEO of RareCircles and host of The Pop Up Report discusses his experience building Frank and Oak into a multi-million dollar brand by harnessing the power of digital communities. In the early 2010s, as the online shopping landscape evolved, DTC businesses emerged as a new, high growth strategy. Ethan shares his insights and experiences riding the the early DTC wave, and contrasts that experience with what he would do if he were starting a brand today. This episode also explores how to build your own community, drive retention and bolster organic growth.
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Links Discussed
RareCircle’s Community Membership Platform
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Show Notes:
4:10 - Launching a brand
5:45 - Brand memberships
6:50 - Word of mouth marketing
8:00 - Community led growth
12:50 - Loyalty and retention
16:55 Measuring retention
18:50 Paid customer acquisition
23:15 Brand differentiation
26:55 - Profitability and community
28:15 - Measuring engagement
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Past guests on the Pop Up Report include Stephen Kuhl (Burrow), Jake Karls (Mid-Day Squares), Alan Wood (Rally Beer Company).
Stay tuned for new episodes from upcoming guests including Lanny Smith (Actively Black), Aubrie Pagano (AlpacaVC), J.P. Robert (Quartz Co., Want les Essentiels) and many more.
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Additional Episodes You Might Enjoy:
Turning Mid-Day Squares Customers into a Community of 450K+ Die-Hard Fans
Scaling Blume to $10m through Omnichannel and Community Building
How Burrow Turned Customer Obsession into a Competitive Advantage
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The Pop Up Report interviews DTC and CPG founders to uncover how they fostered and scaled their communities to create profitable businesses. Gain a deeper understanding of the tools, tactics and retention strategies that build true customer loyalty.
Subscribe to the Pop Up Report on Substack or YouTube for more.
E1 Pop Up Report: Building the Frank and Oak Community into a Multi-Million Dollar Brand