Poches & Fils: Path to Success of a Born-Digital Brand

Description

Poches & Fils: Path to Success of a Born-Digital Brand: Abstract

Founded in Montreal in 2015 by three friends, Poches & Fils enjoyed huge success from the beginning, fuelled largely by its quirky and humorous positioning in the highly competitive fashion industry. Initially marketed directly on the Web, the brand has been on the shelves of Quebec retailers since 2016. Its distribution partnerships generated sustained revenue growth until 2017, prompting the company to diversify its offering and attempt internationalization. However, eroding margins and declining sales in 2018 and 2019 imposed some tough decisions. The following year would be pivotal: Poches & Fils had to strengthen its profitability and increase its online sales. Questions arose: How could the partners jumpstart the growth of this DNVB? How could P&F do better? Which performance indicators should it use?

Teaching objectives

• Enable students to do the following: identify the characteristics of digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs).
• Use a business model canvas to understand how an organization makes money and delivers value to customers.
• Apply the principles of digital marketing; describe the RACE framework (Reach-Act-Convert-Engage) for managing a digital marketing strategy in a more structured way.
• Explain the growth hacking process.

Additional information

Also available in French.

Teachers’ notes are available for university teachers only. Please contact the HEC Montréal Case Centre.