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What's Cooler Than Cool? ...YETI
How a cooler company built a globally-recognized, iconic brand
Ali Kaltman
September 22, 2024
Brand: YETI
Read time: 5 minutes
💬 Overview 💬
It’s a lifelong dream of many marketers to build and/or work on an iconic brand.
What a feat to say that you were part of the marketing behind the phenomenon that is _____.
And there can really only be one #1 brand in every category (duh).
For so long, heritage brands led the pack…
And then the challenger brands arrived.
Today, we’re going to talk about the rise of one of my favorite challenger brands… YETI.
YETI is a fascinating case study because it was one of the first brands to prove that commodity products can be COOL (pun very much intended).
Let’s get into it…
💙 The Branded Moment 💙
The story of YETI dates back to 2006.
Two brothers, Roy and Ryan, in Austin, TX were aspiring entrepreneurs.
Roy customized fishing boats, and for one client in particular, he was having a difficult time finding a cooler that fit the space he was working in that wasn’t cheap plastic.
A need in the market unfolded.
No one was making a solid, heavy-duty, top-of-the-line cooler.
The brothers got to work, and within a few months, they were prototyping the first ever YETI cooler.
It was obvious the brothers had product-market fit pretty early on…
But they leveraged unique marketing tactics to make the brand a true household name.
YETI wanted to make it clear that their brand was the BEST for the outdoorsman.
So, they became one of the first brands to use influencer marketing through their YETI Ambassador program.
The only difference between them and other companies?
Their influencers were hunters, fishermen, skiers, and cowboys, people who deeply resonate with their target audience.
The brand wasn’t trying to be another cooler brand; they aspired to represent the lifestyle of those who are chronically outdoors.
💡 Results 💡
YETI as a brand was obviously a smashing success.
A product that was once sold for $20 in a grocery store is comfortably being sold for hundreds of dollars, valued at billions.
The company went public in 2018 and is currently valued at $3.37B (a COOLER brand!).
The YETI brand is proof that commodities can be branded… and branded well.
The company has gone on to partner with some of the biggest celebrities, brands, and teams of all time, including the NFL, Liquid Death, and the WSL.
The company has shown what it means to build a lifestyle brand.
🎬 Take Action 🎬
Are you trying to build a lifestyle brand?
YETI made sure to rethink every phrase, every partner, every media channel and position themselves for the outdoorsman.
Are you using the language your customer uses? Are you paying attention to the details?
The more you speak your consumer’s language, the more you build trust as their brand of choice.
What’s New This Week
One new product I tried this week 👉 Lesser Evil Space Balls - This one is for my volume eaters out there. Delicious.
One new campaign I’m loving 👉 Duolingo crashes Charli XCX’s first concert. How brat.
One new show to watch 👉 The Perfect Couple - The show got mixed reviews, but I enjoyed the watch. Everyone loves a murder mystery.
Brandkeeping
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it on to 3 marketers you know!
And if you have a brand or campaign you want to spotlight, please reply directly to this newsletter.
Let’s chat!
See ya!
Ali
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