When it comes to learning from leaders in the cosmetic industry, there are few stories more amazing than that of Dr. Squatch. It specializes in marketing cold-pressed, natural soaps to men, and quickly became a very popular brand. Grossing $100 million in profits during 2020, this small company tapped into a market typically uninterested in the purchase of natural cosmetics: men in middle America.
The Birth Of Dr. Squatch
After years of struggling with psoriasis, Jack Haldrup wanted to make a difference in the world of soap. After seeing that many generic supermarket brand soaps caused his skin to become dry and irritated, he decided that men like him needed better options. In 2013, he set out to launch his own natural soap company. That’s when Dr. Squatch was born.
“Our customer is not the guy who already shops at Whole Foods and uses Dr. Bronner’s soap,” Haldrup explained, “Our biggest audience turns out to be middle America. This is for the guy who would never normally consider buying natural products because he thinks they’re for hippies.”
So how did this small, boutique soap brand capture the attention of men across America? Well, it all started with tapping into the right marketing methods.
Knowing Your Audience
Dr. Squatch’s advertising was designed to capture the audience’s attention while entertaining and educating them about the product. Each ad makes an initial appeal to the target audience by incorporating exaggerated, humorous, masculine stereotypes. By using memorable slogans like, “You’re not a dish, you’re a man,” and “Real soap for real men,” the brand effectively differentiated itself from similar products while relating to its ideal customer.
Josh Friedman, chief marketing officer for Dr. Squatch, elaborated on the method, saying, “Our advertising strategy has and always will be to both entertain and educate men. We want our content to show guys that natural personal care products are the right choice — but in a fun and light-hearted way.”
This strategy has made it very easy for the company to effectively communicate and engage with its audience. By using humor, viewers kept paying attention, and as of right now, the initial YouTube ad posted has racked up over 100 million views.
Sudsing Up Social Media
The method for broadcasting Dr. Squatch’s ads was highly effective as well. By prioritizing the use of social media channels for advertising, the brand reached younger men who are not as active on traditional channels.
“We invest heavily in reaching new customers through social media advertising. Our advertising strategy is to balance investment in core advertising channels with experimentation on new high-growth, high-potential platforms,” stated Friedman.
While this effort started out by utilizing platforms like Facebook and YouTube, the company took a big step in 2021 when it invested $3.6 million into advertising on TikTok. This effort proved to be hugely successful, with 10%–15% of Dr. Squatch’s new customers coming from TikTok.
“TikTok is unique because it has grown significantly, especially among younger users, and we want to talk to that audience in the right place with the right content,” Friedman wrote by email.
This willingness to utilize social media channels, and the ability to adapt and shift when new channels become available, has allowed Dr. Squatch to stay relevant and continue growing its brand exponentially.
Shifting To Bigger, Better Ads
While the company was seeing consistent success with its marketing efforts, Friedman knew that the company could reach even greater heights.
In 2017, Dr. Squatch partnered with Raindrop Marketing. Together, they made some ads starring comedian James Schrader, which were hugely successful. The videos in question have more than 120 million views and 100,000 shares across social media and are widely credited with helping the company to increase its sales thirtyfold. This partnership would ultimately lead to Dr. Squatch featuring an ad during the 2021 Super Bowl.
“We are incredibly proud and humbled to see how fast our brand has grown over the past few years. Our goal is to inspire and educate men to be happier and healthier. We’re excited to reach a new audience and spread the word about the Dr. Squatch brand to millions of new consumers at the Big Game on Sunday,” stated CEO Jack Haldrup.
Dr. Squatch’s strategy has the potential to be highly effective for brands both inside and beyond the cosmetic industry. So, if you’re looking to improve your marketing strategy, take a page out of Dr. Squatch’s book and start tailoring your advertising today.
