Advertising on Instagram is paying off for Daddy Couture, an LGBTQ targeted brand which ships clothes around the world from their base in the US. The clothing start-up has headquarters in New York and Melbourne, and has experienced huge growth since they opened in May 2018.
The brand reaches customers exclusively through their Instagram account @daddycouture, where it has amassed over seven and a half thousand followers in just 3 months. They post regular images and videos featuring their clothing line, which includes t-shirts, caps and underwear emblazoned with slogans such as “Daddy” and “Extra”. Their range also features collaborations with Tiffany Pollard, and they hope to work with other LGBTQ celebrities.
The level of Instagram engagement for Daddy Couture is phenomenal for such a new brand, especially one which markets itself so heavily towards the relatively small demographic of young gay men. The strategy of creating clothing and branded content that is as “extra” as possible is clearly working.
The company took a risk by choosing a small target market and leaning into it so heavily, since it will be very difficult for the Daddy Couture brand to become mainstream and there is a ceiling on the potential market. However, for now the risk is paying off in the form of sales and brand engagement.
With Daddy Couture having proven that their strategy can work, it will be interesting to see if other brands follow suit in their marketing. The new brand could soon face more competition than it has bargained for, especially if their sales figures continue to grow.
Other brands have also used Instagram to grow, and not just in the clothing sector. Lego, for example, has nearly three million followers at the time of writing, and uses the platform to both showcase its products and engage with fans.
Finfolk Productions, who create mermaid tails that people can wear to swim, are another example of a small business with a very niche product using Instagram to become successful. Although the demographic of people who want to buy mermaid tails is (presumably) quite small, they have used similar tactics to Daddy Couture to engage with their fans, such as posting regular pictures and videos.
The strategy is working so far, but it will be interesting to see what happens to Daddy Couture in the future, and how far their Instagram-only marketing will get them.