Oatly went from

@curatedfarah

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Oatlyseen in 2 videos →

Why it worked

Oatly's success stemmed from a counter-intuitive marketing strategy that focused on cultural relevance and authenticity rather than traditional advertising. By engaging with baristas and coffee shops, they tapped into a community of influencers and early adopters, creating organic demand and a unique brand identity that resonated with consumers.

Summary

This video explains how Oatly achieved massive growth by focusing on a unique marketing strategy. Instead of traditional advertising, they targeted baristas and coffee shops, leveraging cultural trends and word-of-mouth to build brand awareness and demand.

Structure

1Oatly's rapid revenue growth
2Initial strategy: targeting baristas, not supermarkets
3Leveraging coffee shops as cultural taste-makers
4The 'demand outpaced supply' phenomenon
5Unconventional advertising and brand messaging
6The success of their 'barista strategy' and cultural seeding

Product placement

Original caption

OATLY: a case study on modern marketing #ecom #founder #businessgrowth @Oatly How to acquire customers How to grow a business offline How to reach your target audience

More from @curatedfarah

Their other posts in the index, biggest breakout first.

Oatly: ACTS - it is a brand of oat milk that is being discussed and shown throughout the video. Its presence is central to the narrative and its success is the subject of the video. Removing it would fundamentally change the video's content and purpose. The video also shows various Oatly advertisements (billboards, posters, a Super Bowl ad, t-shirts) which are part of the marketing strategy being discussed.

On-screen text

Oatly went from in revenue to over 100 million in just two years no advertising budget that didn't really to anyone in 2016 they arrived and didn't actually go straight for the supermarkets to baristas coffee shops in New York and Portland the third wave coffee shops that functioned as cultural taste makers for exactly the kind of customer that they wanted very simple recommending something to especially if that customer already lands so much differently ever could if enough of those baristas their coffees Oatly milk the customers asking for it and by 2018 outpaced supply so dramatically that cases over $100 on Amazon it was called Oat Milk Shortage so interesting because that category didn't actually exist two years prior then actually came the advertising nothing like they had billboards something like "we made this poster so that you would put us in your coffee" Super Bowl ad with clearly a low budget which just had singing a jingle and Oatly premade t-shirts that read "I totally hated that Oatly commercial" before the backlash they were sarcastic and self-aware but they understood this one thing now respond to brands that acknowledge the transaction people have been sold through so many times that they can see smell an ad from miles away their customer intelligently enough to know that on the joke the barista strategy seeded the culture and the advertising to keep it and both worked for the same reason the only move stop pretending that there was a trick at all

Transcript

Oatly went from $6 million in revenue in the US to over 100 million in just two years with almost no advertising budget and a strategy that didn't really make sense to anyone at the time. In 2016 they arrived in the US and didn't actually go straight for the supermarket. They went to Baristas, independent coffee shops in New York, San Francisco and Portland. The third wave coffee shops that functioned as cultural taste makers. For exactly the kind of customer that they wanted. The logic was very simple. Abaristas recommended something to a customer, especially if that customer already and so much differently than an ad ever could. If enough of those are making their coffie with this milk, the customer will start asking for it everywhere else. And by 2018 demand actually outpaid supply so dramatically that cases were selling over $100 on Amazon. It was called the great outpaid hardship, which is so interesting because that category didn't actually exist two years prior. Then actually came to advertising which looked nothing like advertising. They had bills that read something like we made this poster so that you would find and put us in your coffee. Next was a Super Bowl ad with clearly a low budget. We just had the CEO signing in the jingle and premade t-shirts that read. I totally hated atly commercial before the backlash even arrived. They were sarcastic and self-aware, but they understood this one thing. That people now respond to brands that acknowledge the transaction. People have been sold through so many times that they can see an ad or smell an ad from miles away. So they treated their customer intelligently enough to know that they were in on the joke. The strategy the culture and the advertising was strange enough to keep it interested and both worked for the same reason. The only move left was to stop pretending that there was a trick at all.