The «Picante» Way to Go Sold Out
Today we take a look at the tale of a young brand that went sold out due to some very clever marketing moves.
Hey my friend, is your coffee good?
Today is a rather dull day, grey clouds adorn the sky and are playing into the hands of my tiredness. The last few days have once again been a bit exhausting and sleep has definitely been lacking. However, none of this matters, because I have decided to devote my time to a topic I have wanted to write about for some time. While my Bialetti bubbles pleasantly next to me, I'll tell you the surprising story of the start-up brand Picante.
A Picture-Perfect Release Day
About seven months ago, an Instagram profile caught my eye, consistently popping up in my suggestions emblazoned with the bold Picante lettering. One day I noticed that Burberry alumni and HEAT creative director Jude Taylor, as well as his companion Saam Zonoozi, who has also worked for Burberry as well as Nike, had tagged the profile in their bio.
Without any further information, I pressed the follow button and waited quite a while for any further information.
From time to time, one could spot tiny previews of the project on their profiles and soon one realized that it must be about garments. But it was only when they published their first posts that the brand hit like a bolt of lightning. Barely had it become clear that two sets of hoodies and matching tracksuit bottoms were coming out, and the profile already counted over 10,000 followers. Note that at that moment, not a single piece of the brand – which was probably named after the legendary tequila cocktail of the iconic Soho House members' club – was on the market. As quickly as the followers rushed in, the pieces were sold out on the drop date – it took just a few hours and all the garms were gone. For many followers, including myself, it was a bitter disappointment to have been left without a Picante hoodie or trousers.
But now the question is: How did Jude and Saam manage such a picture-perfect launch of a brand? Well, there are a few levers that the social media experts pulled correctly.
Reels, You’ve Never Seen This Sharp Before
Surprisingly Picante's first posts were not pictures, they directly took advantage of Instagram's reels campaign and published the first three posts in the short video format.
However, the special thing about these videos was not their format. Exceptionally sharp filming, exciting angles, and a small but super simple storyline have freshened up the otherwise very low-quality Reels corner of Instagram in an unusual way. This has also been reflected in the numbers: The first video, in which influencer Parisa treats herself to a plate of pasta, generated more than 222,000 clicks.
This video was followed by three more reels with the same ductus – similar storyline, incredible quality, and voyeur-style angles. With three videos and the Instagram reels campaign, Picante was able to cleverly serve a large audience and gain a few new followers.
Sneaky Influencer Marketing
Yup, nowadays influencer marketing is a no-brainer when it comes to launching new clothes. However, you see brands screwing this up all the time. To all of these: Please take an influencer marketing crash course with Jude and Saam – it hurts to watch you.
Anyways, Picante has also mastered this aspect incredibly well. Their influencer campaign featured a number of creators such as Andrew Georgiades, Kesang, Olivia Neill and other well-known faces. What was special about it, however, was that they understood how to find a common customer group among their influencers. A tactic that has logically proven successful: If the influencers have similar followers, people will be confronted with the new Picante products not just once but several times. In other words, it seems as if the brand is omnipresent and there is greater pressure to follow the brand or even to buy a product.
Of course, in this example, one must also consider that the two founders were able to recruit influencers from their circles of friends and were thus probably able to work out some good deals. Nevertheless, a prime example in this discipline.
1 pm BST Today
In life, as we all know, there are some coincidences. One just happened to me about half an hour ago. As I was taking a little break from writing, sipping my freshly brewed espresso, and opening the Instagram app out of habit, refreshing news from Picante revealed to me: Today at 1 pm BST, the new shirts and caps will be released. So, if you're now also as excited as I am about the young British brand, you should pull out your speedy computer mouse today at noon. I, at least, will try my luck.
Until then, enjoy your weekend.
Love,
Pascal