7 Lessons From Magic Spoon, Dark Horse, and Other Challenger Brands with Louis Grenier, Founder of Stand the F*ck Out | Ep. 346

In the second part of a two-part episode of The Marketing Millennials, guest host Tamara Grominsky interviews Louis Grenier, author of "Stand the F Out," about real-world marketing strategies. Grenier shares examples of brands that effectively stand out, such as Dark Horse, a marketing agency, and Magic Spoon, a cereal company. They discuss the concept of category creation, with Grenier arguing that brands typically create subcategories rather than entirely new ones. The conversation explores the importance of continuous reach, triggers, and associating a brand with core triggers to increase mental availability. Grenier emphasizes that DTC brands need to move into physical retail to avoid hitting a growth ceiling and that marketers should focus on reducing risk for customers rather than solely focusing on desired outcomes. Grenier shares his marketing "hill to die on," which is the overemphasis on direct response marketing at the expense of broader branding and positioning strategies.