Ep 436: The Role of Brand in Scaling a Premium DTC Pet Food Company: Insights from Ollie

Sep 2, 2024

Nicole Sumner, Brand Director at Ollie, a premium pet food company, shares insights on balancing customer acquisition with brand identity. She discusses the evolution of Ollie's brand positioning in a competitive market and the importance of integrating brand and performance marketing. Nicole highlights innovative strategies for maintaining a premium image while scaling, the significance of SEO in organic growth, and how AI can support creative processes. These takeaways offer valuable lessons for DTC brand owners looking to enhance their marketing efforts.

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ANECDOTE

Ollie's COVID Growth

Ollie experienced dramatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The premium pet food category has continued to grow since then.

INSIGHT

Brand Director Role

Initially, Ollie focused on customer acquisition.
Nicole Sumner's brand director role was created later to address a gap between growth and retention.

ADVICE

Starting a New Role

When starting a new role, take time to understand existing team operations and processes before implementing changes.
Improve communication and develop clear briefing processes to align creative and growth teams.

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast! Today, we're thrilled to have Nicole Sumner, Brand Director at Ollie, joining us. Founded in 2016, Ollie is a leading player in the premium pet food industry, specializing in fresh, high-quality meals for dogs. In this episode, Nicole dives into Ollie’s growth journey, particularly how the company navigated the challenges of balancing customer acquisition with a strong brand identity.

Nicole shares her insights on how brand and performance marketing can no longer operate in silos, and how Ollie has successfully integrated these aspects to fuel their continued growth. She also discusses the importance of partnerships, SEO strategies, and the future role of AI in creative processes.

Key takeaways include:

The evolution of Ollie's brand positioning to better differentiate itself in a crowded market.

Strategies for maintaining a premium brand image while scaling.

How Ollie leverages SEO and organic growth channels to reduce dependence on paid advertising.

If you’re a DTC brand owner or marketer, this episode is packed with actionable insights on how to scale your business by integrating brand and performance marketing.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction: Overview of Ollie’s Growth Since 2016

4:50 - The Role of a Brand Director in a DTC’s Growth Journey

10:45 - Creative Strategy and the Intersection of Brand and Performance Marketing

17:30 - Collaborations: Ollie’s Partnership with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

23:00 - SEO and Content Strategy: Driving Organic Growth at Ollie

28:45 - Customer Experience: Integrating Brand and Fulfillment at Ollie

Hashtags:

#DTCpodcast #PetFoodIndustry #BrandStrategy #DigitalMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #PartnershipMarketing #OlliePetFood #SEOstrategy #CustomerExperience #DirectToConsumer

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