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BEWARE: Your Consumer WILL CHANGE As You Scale... Prepare or DIE. Be like DASH Water.
Dan Pope
February 28, 2025
Oiii oiii you. Yes you, Ya little schmuck.
You’re probs reading this slurping your heinously overpriced coffee.
Look into my eyes
Look into my eyes, not around the eyes, look into my eyes
Jahhhhh bless.
Right, I’ve got two arrows.
you, founder, can choose between two arrows
the arrow you pick will change your future.
the arrow you pick today gives you the best chance of improving your tomorrow.
the arrows:
a blunt arrow
a sharp arrow
sharp arrows = knowing your consumer
blunt arrows = kinda knowing your consumer
sharp arrows = deeply pierce consumer souls
sharp arrows = increase consumers feeling of status and connection to the tribe.
sharp arrows = surprise & delight consumers with thrill and joy
sharp arrows = help consumers share your story far and wide
blunt arrows = miss or tepidly pierce consumer souls
blunt arrows = mehhhh don’t-really-give-a fuck, how does this give me status?
blunt arrows = who’s this actually for? Is it for me?
blunt arrows = what tribe is this from?
early stage challenger brands (£0-£5 million revenue) need sharp arrows.
sharp arrows is knowing your consumers inside-out, back-to-front.
The Adoption Curve, here’s one I spaffed out earlier a la’ Blue Peter Style.
**not a scoobies of where these brands actually sit on the curve, it’s illustrative
early stage challenger brands (£0-£5 million revenue)
biggest common mistake one:
Too many brands try to be too many things to too many people = meh = blunt arrows = race to the bottom on price
early stage challenger brands (£0-£5 million revenue)
biggest common mistake two:
founders and teams ALWAYS increase the number of “potential target consumers” to increase the size of the net.
I get it. Bigger the net, bigger the revenue opportunity, right?
BUTTTTT, mi amigas y amigos
what’s the fucking point in having a wide net if it can’t go deep enough to catch any fish?
early stage challenger brands (£0-£5 million revenue)
biggest mistake three:
founders spend ££FUCKLA&DS on a Blue-Chip-on-their-shoulder-Marketing-Bozza’s who use a Frame-Matrix and Yellow Post-It Notes to wipe their Blue Chip Botty.
so,
how to know your consumer?
how to sharpen your arrow?
just do this instead
ask this inversion question:
Who are the consumers you are going to say no to?
Who are the consumers you are going to recommend go to your competitors?
Write a list of 10.
Once you think you’re done.
Add another 5.
Sharpen, Baby, Sharpen.
easier to know who you ARE, by knowing what you’re NOT.
easier to know what you stand for, but what you stand against
easier to speak to YOUR consumer, by eliminating 10 other “potential” quasi consumers
Seth Godin:
Pick Your Customers. Pick Your Future.
Pick Your Competition. Pick Your Future.
Too many brands go too wide too quick.
What’s the point in having a wide net, if it can’t go deep enough to catch any fish?
the contradiction
Right, my friends, there is a contradiction to all this.
The contradiction hides in the weeds on the Highway to Household brand.
as you get bigger
YOUR CONSUMER WILL CHANGE.
YOUR CONSUMER WILL CHANGE.
YOUR CONSUMER WILL CHANGE.
as you get bigger, your consumer will change.
as you get bigger, you’ll hit a penetration limit.
as you get bigger, you’ll need to widen your net to widen the mass market appeal.
as you get bigger, you’ll need to move from narrow & deep sharp arrow to wide & blunt (er) for mass market
DASH Water:
Deliciously Wonky is a delicious example of a laser focused early stage SHARP NARROW ARROW.
BUT… here’s the naunce
As DASH move along the adoption curve, they change their messaging, they widen their net to catch more fish.
Finally a drink to feel food about = WIDE BLUNT ARROW for a mass market brand.
the lessons
£0 -5 million brands:: be laser focused, sharpen your arrows, pierce your consumers soul.
£6-20 million:: widen your net, increase net to increase mass market appeal
Move from challenger to household you must move from sharp to blunt, narrow to wide.
HUNGRY: THE BIG BANGING BRISTOL BASH
We’re hosting live poddy + panel at legendary restaurant Sonny Stores
On the Panel are three of my ABSOLUTE fave people
🥤Ben Vear, Living Things Soda
Ben knows FMCG like ABC.
Ex BEAR Snacks (Urban Fresh Foods Ltd) Minor Figures and killing it with Living Things
🍰 Cathy Moseley, Boundless Snacks
Unfiltered, unapologetically wonderful human who’s SMASHING it with Boundless
🌭 Olly Kohn, The Jolly Hog
South West’s most infamous Sausage Shotter is joining the party too!!
If you’re a food & drink founder in South West
DON’T MISS THIS MATE
25 tickets.
Once they’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gunna go quick.
TICKETS GO LIVE FRIDAY 7TH MARCH
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Please pre-register here
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