The strategy of building a following through Instagram has been paying off handsomely for one new LGBTQ brand. Daddy Couture sells clothing branded with slogans “designed to unleash the extra inside all of us”.
The Daddy Couture Instagram page has gained 12,600 followers since launching in May and the growth has been accelerating, with over 5000 of those fans joining in the last 2 months. The primary target market for the brand is LGBTQ buyers, and given that this is a relatively small demographic they have done very well (in marketing terms) to establish a substantial community already.
They have also continually extended their range in the time they have been operating, expanding from just t-shirts and underwear to jumpers, hoodies and hats, as well as releasing new shirts. Gay icon Tiffany Pollard has collaborated with the brand as well, as has Chris Crocker. The growing business is likely to continue trying to work with LGBTQ celebrities.
Social media has clearly been a blessing for the new business, which is headquartered in New York, but ships all over the world.
What has Daddy Couture done right?
The company has managed to grow so fast for a number of reasons. First and foremost, and perhaps slightly counter-intuitively, they have not tried to appeal to everyone. Daddy Couture is not a brand for the mainstream, and it never will be. The business makes clothes for the LGBTQ community, and only the most “extra” members of it at that.
This works because very few other brands (and no major ones) target this demographic to the same degree. Any number of clothing lines try to appeal to everyone – very few directly compete with Daddy Couture. The lack of competition both makes it easier to attract customers in the niche and serves to highlight that the company is different to other clothing lines.
This is a very clever way to gain an audience, even when that audience is a small proportion of the population. By positioning themselves in this way Daddy Couture align themselves with their market, and make themselves a part of the community. Even if the range only appeals to 1% of people, worldwide that is still a lot of potential customers!
The brand has also built quite an Instagram community, with their artsy, kitsch page being complemented by a large number of posts by customers tagging the company in photos where they are wearing the clothes. This allows people to connect with each other over their appreciation of Daddy Couture, and helps to build a loyal following for the business.
The online retailer has also very carefully crafted a brand persona that fits in with their target market. The clothes are out, proud and loud – like the young, gay demographic that is buying them. This makes the line fun, and not only appeals to the people most likely to buy the clothes but also inspires them to feel a connection to Daddy Couture.
Where to go next
While the Instagram marketing campaign is paying huge dividends, and the growth of the brand looks unlikely to slow down soon, Daddy Couture won’t be able to rely on it forever – at least, not if they want to keep expanding.
The brand could also associate itself with gay rights causes around the world. This would not only position them as a brand that cares about the community they are a part of, it will also raise awareness of their existence, and most importantly it might do some good in the world.
It will be fascinating to keep an eye on what comes next for Daddy Couture, and see if they can keep their phenomenal growth going!