Crumbl is our new marketing guru
Crumbl is an arguably delicious, multi-layered masterclass in highly effective marketing.
Have you heard of, or even better, tasted Crumbl cookies?
They’re a marketing phenom that catapulted from a family-founded business in Utah to the dessert darling of Millennials and Gen Zs thanks to their popularity on TikTok.
I’ve personally not indulged in a Crumbl myself (thanks, celiac), but word on the street is mixed.
Watch just a handful of review videos and you’ll get the idea—some people love them, and some people hate them with a ferocity so fierce it makes you forget they’re talking about cookies.
Which leads me to the first of 3 ways they undeniably rule the marketing game: controversy and FOMO.
Regardless of your stance, shouting your opinion about Crumbl can:
- Lead to tons of social media engagement thanks to people’s ultra-strong opinions and
- The undeniable desire to try one yourself to see what all the hype is about
The NYTs nailed it with this article headline (emphasis mine):
Are Crumbl Cookies the Best or the Worst? It Doesn’t Matter.
The fastest-growing dessert chain in the United States has divided sweet lovers. But the debate is great for business.
And that’s the bottom line.
It doesn’t matter if they’re good or not.
They get wild amounts of publicity thanks to the fan-base vs. hater controversy and the curious bystanders, like me, who’ve never tried one (or can’t…gluten-free options rarely make their way into Crumbl’s weekly flavor drops).
Which leads me to marketing emphasis number two: violent consistency paired with unique flavors.
Crumbl offers a new flavor each week.
In fact, this was the cookie brand’s baseline marketing technique that catapulted it to fame…each week, they release a novel flavor, like the patriotic M&M’s cookie they created for the 4th of July.
They pair these weekly updates with their #tasteweekly tag on TikTok, urging eaters to leave a review of that week’s cookie.
Voilà…social media success.
But Crumbl’s marketing lessons don’t end there.
The reason the brand caught my eye in the first place has nothing to do with controversy, FOMO, or a steady stream of new cookie flavors.
It’s because they’re collaborative geniuses.
Check out what I found in my sister-in-law’s bathroom this weekend:
In one of the most unexpected pairings of all time, Crumbl collaborated with Dove to make a cookie-flavored body scrub.
They’ve also tapped into the reach of celebrities like Bensen Boone and Kourtney Kardashian (who worked with Crumbl on their only gluten and refined-sugar-free dessert to date), but nothing tops the creativity of cookies plus soap.
How can Crumbl help your business?
Take a cue from Crumbl’s strategies and out-of-the-box thinking.
The truth is that the wellness industry tends to get stale.
Some of this is expected and even necessary—as a medical professional, you have to create trust with your clients in a way that’s deeper and more profound than a cookie company.
But fostering even the strongest know-like-trust doesn’t mean you have to stick with the same old same old.
This quarter, incorporate some of Crumbl’s marketing moves into your business:
- Create (ethical) controversy on social media and encourage people to share their opinions, maybe around a questioned supplement that you love but know other people have strong opinions about, like melatonin for kids, or carbs for endurance athletes.
- Get hyper-consistent with your marketing and offers. You don’t have to release a completely new, never-before-seen service every week, but show up reliably and stay top of mind with your customer base. Bonus points if you provide your audience with cool, research-based tips that haven’t been marketed to death by other wellness brands, like proteolytic enzymes for eye floaters, pomegranate peel for skin health, or flossing as an anti-inflammatory.
- Collaborate, and do it with businesses in different fields. Working with adjacent providers is great, but what if you launched a Crumbl-style collab with a favorite restaurant chain or body product brand? Love a clean skincare line? Contact them to ask about how you can work together.
Don’t forget, Crumbl didn’t do it alone.
You don’t have to come up with all of these strategies on your own—Crumbl got help with their marketing, and you can too.
Click here to schedule your free call with The LaFont Agency team.
