Have kids? Pets? A messy spouse? Simply don’t trust yourself around nice things? Not to worry—Ruggable has your back.
In Ep. 139 of Earned, our own Conor Begley sits down with Jenna Habayeb, CMO of Ruggable—the company behind the groundbreaking two-piece washable rug system that's taking social media by storm. Bringing in over $30M EMV alone in 2023, these rugs mean business!
To start, Jenna unpacks how she transitioned from a career in the beauty industry with Ipsy to the innovative world of home decor at Ruggable. We discuss the complexities and differences when it comes to marketing home decor compared to beauty products, including the role of creators and the logistical challenges of photo shoots. Jenna then emphasizes the importance of blending performance marketing with brand building, and shares her favorite strategies for driving community engagement and growth through PR, social media, influencers, and experiential marketing Next, we explore Ruggable's strategic collaborations with popular brands like Bridgerton and Pantone, and hear how the company swiftly responds to cultural trends (like launching products inspired by Beyonce's album release). To close the show, Jenna shares her take on the evolving role of a CMO, highlighting the importance of a full-funnel marketing approach, diversification of channels, and potential retail expansions.
We’ve included a couple of highlights from the episode below, but be sure to check out the full video above, or tune into the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
The following interview has been lightly edited for concision.
Conor Begley: So you've been in a Chief Marketing Officer or Chief Brand Officer role for almost a decade across Seven Jeans and Ipsy and now Ruggable. When you're coming in as a fresh-faced CMO versus the grizzled veteran that you are today, how have you changed? How has your approach changed from then till now?
Jenna Habayeb: I think the biggest thing that I've learned and what's made me a stronger marketer is that I really started out more on the brand/creative side of the fence. A lot of that has to do with when I was in fashion. Our business model was 50% wholesale, 50% direct-to-consumer, and even within direct-to-consumer, I'd say about10% of that was ecomm, the rest was our own brick-and-mortar consumer. Brand plays a huge role there because you have to get your brand out there, get the awareness, get the recognition for people to go to Bloomingdale's or go to your physical store. That side of the fence really taught me about building these beloved brands. How do you create something that's unique, distinct, that people can fall in love with, and create that consistency? Ideally you're creating this emotional connection with your customers.
In the second half of my career, especially as I pivoted into Ipsy, which is a very data-driven organization, it was really about understanding the performance side of the fence. Performance is how do you get those clicks? I need something so thumb-stopping that you're going to stop in your tracks and click into it. And then, once I get you to click into it, how fast can I get you through that funnel to convert?
And those two things separately can kind of be like oil and vinegar, but the beauty of bringing those things together is where the magic actually happens. What I really feel like I'm able to bring to the table and the biggest things that I've learned now is how can I preserve the integrity of the brand? How can I make sure that we are doing things that have that emotive connection to our customers so they do come back and repeat? And then, how do I take that performance lens of, what are the mechanics that make things work, whether it's the design and the layout, or whether it's the architecture of the content?
I will say, one can't live without the other, and I think so many companies are trying to figure out, do I hire a growth-led marketer or do I hire a brand-led marketer? And like no one really has the right answer yet. But they can't live without each other, because if you just do performance marketing, the well will dry up. You will just keep hitting all these people until there's no one left and they have no reason to come back and fall in love with your brand. And if you just do brand marketing, you're going to kind of miss the mark in terms of what it is that's getting people to click and engage. You do really need both sides of the fence to make it work.
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