Kylie Jenner wears it. So does Selena Gomez. And Gigi Hadid.
But this brand keeps that quiet. For good reason.
You won't find any of those ladies on its Instagram feed.
The brand I'm talking about is Alo, the yoga wear retailer that has exploded in popularity in spite of massive competition.
And they've done it in some not-so-obvious ways. Let me tell you about them.
1/ How it started
To understand Alo, lets rewind to 2007.
The company is co-founded by Danny Harris and Marco deGeorge. The two epitomize the brand ethos - practising yoga daily, eating organic, and loving the outdoors.
They call their company Alo - an acronym for air, land, ocean.
And they're about to build a cult following.
2/ Building a Community
Alo embraces its tribe from day 1. They build a group of 4,000 yoga pros, who they partner with to create the content you see across social.
Their IG feed oozes SoCal yoga vibes. Sun soaked beaches, poolside palm trees, and plenty of in-studio shots.
Coupled with the perfect poses. Handstand scorpion, Lotus Legs, and Bhairavasana. All the good ones.
But zero famous faces -- and that's on purpose.
3/ Counter-Intuitive Influencer Strategy
The most fascinating part of Alo's strategy is how much restraint they have when it comes to influencers.
And as an influencer marketing OG, I find it kinda ridiculous. But I get it.
Here's the deal.
Celebrities like Selena, Gigi and Kylie are regularly spotted in Alo gear. So wouldn't it make sense to post some of those pics on the Insta feed?
Nope. Alo wants to focus on one thing - authentic yoga. That's all you're going to see here.
Deviating into celebrity culture puts them on a collision course with mass retail. That's not where they want to be.
4/ Stiff Competition
Lets state the obvious - Lulu Lemon should have crushed Alo long ago.
Or at least bought them. But it never did.
Alo found a niche and stuck with it. They've never tried to go full mainstream. It's for yogis, by yogis.
It helps that the business is still owned and funded by its founders. No shareholders and no board gives you the luxury to grow at your own pace.
5/ My Take
Alo is a brand that exemplifies community. And community is your most powerful weapon today.
We spent the last century glorifying the power of "brand". And for good reason. It's your most valuable intangible asset.
But it's not limited to your brand anymore. It's about your community. What people say about you when you're not looking. That's what matters.
Social is the new storefront. How you appear on Instagram and TikTok is exactly how you appear. Period.
Triple down on your community. That's what Alo did. And they've done pretty well with it.
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#branding #marketing #apparel
P.S. I share stories like this because they epitomize what we do at Influicity - and why we do it. Building mega-communities that drive revenue. It's not just a nice to have. It's how business is done in 2023.
