5 Businesses That Are BOOMING In The Middle of A Global Pandemic

There is no doubt that 2020 will go down in history as the worst year ever. One that sadly has forced many businesses to close their doors. Yet despite the economic crisis, social unrest, a global pandemic, and massive travel restrictions, some brands have managed to not only stay alive, but thrive. How'd they do it? Keep watching to discover five businesses that are booming. All right, you guys, now I am super excited about this week's video because it is proof that despite the chaos that is coronavirus, there are actually some brands and businesses out there that are thriving right now. Now, when most people think of 2020, they think of the global pandemic. Working from home, social isolation, a crash, global economy, and sold out toilet paper. Seriously, who is doing that? But let's not forget about all the other major events that made a splash in 2020, like, oh, I don't know, the fact that society at large demanded change. The Black Lives Matter movement and a record breaking number of US Voters in the recent election were just a couple of the major ways that people started showing up, speaking up, and demanding that the businesses they support do the same thing. To say that the world was forced to pivot would be a massive understatement. And while there were many businesses that were forced to close their doors forever, including many small businesses. Which is why, guys, it is so important to support your local and small businesses, other businesses were in fact able to find success despite, and in some cases because of the global pandemic and powerful social activism. So what sets these successful companies apart from the ones that were less than lucky? Well, that is exactly what we're gonna talk about today. Give me a thumbs up below to let me know you're here. And if you're new to the crew, welcome to the Copy posse. I put out a new copywriting and marketing tutorial every single week. So if you wanna learn about the hottest conversion trends and business tactics that are working today, go ahead and hit subscribe below. And don't forget to ring that bell to be notified when my next tutorial goes live. Don't forget. So what is it that keeps a brand hot when the rest of the world is a hot mess? Well, I'll give you a hint. Innovation. Prioritizing your customer wants, delivering mad value and cutting through the BS has a little something to do with it. So here they are, five brands that killed it in 2020 and why they were able to not only survive, but thrive during the global pandemic. All right, number one on my list, Rihanna's Savage X Fenty. Yes. Topping the list is my girl, Riri. She has been slaying the lingerie game since 2018. And let's be honest here, lingerie and intimate wear is not an easy market to break into, especially when companies like Victoria's Secret have been dominating the space for decades. But despite having launched only two years ago, Savage x Fenty receives more public praise than almost all other lingerie retailers out there. And sure, while it helps to be a celebrity with a loyal fan base, the success of Savage x Fenty goes way beyond the a lister skill status of its owner. Since it started, this lingerie brand has been passionate about inclusivity with pieces that have been designed to eliminate all boundaries and broaden the definition of beauty. In an industry that has traditionally had a more narrow definition, Rihanna is humanizing the lingerie industry by showcasing a diverse range of models wearing her pieces. Models of all sizes, shapes, colors, ethnicities and genders were represented in her 2020 fashion show. And speaking of her fashion show, she single handedly proved that lingerie fashion shows can be bold and dynamic, diverse and empowering. AF the massive success and popularity of her 2019 fashion show really helped put the final nail in the sinking coffin that is the Victoria's Secret fashion show. Oh, and if you want to talk about pivoting, 2020 was notorious for canceling a lot of highly anticipated shows and events. And most of the events that weren't canceled got a lot of public backlash because of their blatant irresponsibility for public health. Rihanna, on the other hand, did have her fashion show, but also stayed socially responsible. How she innovated. She opted not to host a live show, but instead pre recorded a badass lingerie performance and then streamed it on Amazon for everyone's viewing pleasure. Genius and number two on my list, Canva. So what's something that just about everyone started doing in 2020? Well, aside from working at home in their sweatpants, they started looking for unique ways to take their jobs, products and services online. Whether it be creating a new logo, social media posts, or branded documents and slide decks, graphic design is an absolutely necessary part of going digital. Well, Canva disrupted the graphic design industry in a big way by making it highly accessible to literally everyone. It's a female owned software company that makes creating graphics and digital design super user friendly. Now it is one of our favorite tools here at the Posse and it's what we use to create all of the amazing posts that you see over on our Instagram page. Canva makes its users feel empowered to design and create beautiful Visual images, logos and graphics without taking hours to learn how it works. In fact, their app provides hundreds of templates ready to use and edit for your specific needs. Everything from menus and flyers to Instagram and Facebook posts to birthday invitations or business cards. So what was it that set Canva apart from other digital design apps out there? Well, they developed a great product that is actually pretty user friendly. They are great at listening to user feedback, innovating, refining, improving and testing their software constantly. And they offer it all for free. I'm sorry, what? I love it when I see a brand lead with such insane value. They slid into the market when we needed them the most and and they show in a big, big way. So Canva was there when more and more small businesses turned to social media to reach new and existing customers during the pandemic. In fact, design creation and sharing on Canva is up more than 50% this year. And guess what? These free fans are now fans for life and are way more likely to upgrade to the paid version I did. And it's all because of the attitude and values of the brand itself. So here's a direct statement from Canva's co founder. We never feel like we're where we need to be. Achievement unlocks ambition and then there's always so much more you can do. I don't think we'll ever stop trying trying to deliver the most value we possibly can to our customers. So you can tell that they completely prioritize their customers needs and are constantly innovating and listening to feedback. Like when they created their blog called Design School where they post design tips, inspiration and how to's. For people who want to design a great brand, be more creative, or learn how to slay a great social media post or unique resume, this next level value is the secret sauce to any brand's success. All right. Number three Milk Makeup. Milk Makeup is an edgy and gender neutral makeup company that was started back in 2016 and just six months after they launched, they tripled the number of locations that their products were being sold at and they've been taking Gen Z by storm ever since. From the beginning it was pretty apparent that Milk Makeup would be successful. They created this makeup brand by building off of Photo Studio, an already existing and wildly successful brand that they've been cultivating and nurturing for years. Their existing following included a ton of young creatives and artists who were definitely not interested in following the latest trend or being confined by traditional beauty standards. The milk brand spent 20 years getting to know their audience so it goes without saying that they really knew what their customers wanted and then they simply created it. I know, crazy, right? But they didn't just replicate what was already successful in the already oversaturated beauty industry. If they had done that, they wouldn't be nearly as successful. After talking with their customers and actually asking them to test some of the products, they were able to find out a few key innovations that really shaped the products Milk Makeup would ultimately create. For starters, their customers preferred applying their makeup on the fly, so no fancy application tools or trinkets. They also tended to throw their products haphazardly into their bags and quite often dropped them on the bathroom floor. I am so guilty of that. So they needed durable and high quality packaging. To put it simple, their people were busy people who didn't have a lot of time for application. But they did care about one thing and that was the ingredients in their products. They wanted products that were cruelty free, good for the environment and good for their skin. So Milk Makeup created bold, high quality and natural makeup products that could be applied on the go, making all genders feel confident, expressive and able to live your look. So it's really no surprise that their fan base continued to support them with unwavering loyalty throughout the pandemic. And as the founder of Milk Makeup would say, when you listen good, it doesn't matter if you're listening to a CMO of a major company or a girl in Ohio. Well said. Alright now number four, Oatly. Oatly is a plant based milk product that's made out of, yep, you guessed it, oats. Now this is not an overnight success story. In fact, Oatly has been around since 1994 and they spent the last 20 or so years really pounding the pavement to get their product established. Established in the industry. But unlike other brands out there today, Oatly had a very unique problem on their hands. How do you get people to choose oat milk in the grocery store when they don't even know that oats could be milked? How do you turn a completely unaware audience into loyal and raving fans? If you guessed, crank out some killer marketing and blast ads all over the Internet, you are totally, completely and utterly get it wrong. When you're dealing with a completely unaware audience, the very first thing you have to focus on is getting super specific on who your customer avatar is and then educating them. And that is exactly what Oatly did. But instead of targeting their ideal customers directly and then trying to stand out in front of a dozen other lactose free milks out there. They decided to wiggle their way into the hearts and minds of their ideal customers in a really unconventional way. They went straight to the middleman and then had them sell the product for them. Yes, they went to the local baristas at your trendy neighborhood coffee shop. And I'll admit I had my very first oat latte at a disgustingly hip cafe in East London and now I am hooked and I feel pretty cool drinking it. So Oatly created a barista blend specifically for cafes and it was thicker than most plant based milks, which made it a really great dairy free alternative for baristas to create those cool designs on the tops of your lattes and cappuccinos. So have you ever walked into a coffee shop and you're ordering your coffee and you ask the barista, um, so what kind of milk options do you have? And the barista lists off like 16 different types of milk and it just makes you super confused. So then you're like, um, okay, well which one is best? And then your barista says, well, oat milk works really well because it's thicker and it feels more like regular milk. And so you're like, okay, great, I will try that. And then presto, you have just become an Oatly customer. So now you've at least tried oat milk and probably liked it. And it's something you would never have tried on your own if you went to the grocery store and because it was made by your local cafe, you had a really great experience enjoying their product and you feel super trendy like I did. Which, yes, makes you more likely to order it, but then also buy it when you see it on the shelf during your next grocery store run. Okay, so then once oatly had your attention, that's when they really started slaying the marketing game and essentially taking over the plant based milk world. Oatly is fierce and fearless in its marketing and they know exactly what to do to capture the attention, engagement and loyalty of their audience. And this is more than just a marketing stunt, guys. They actually back up their talk with big action. In fact, in Germany, Oatly petitioned that all food and retail should be labeled with the greenhouse gases emitted during production. And in Sweden, the company is literally at a milk war with the dairy lobby. They are persistent in their fight for a more sustainable world, and in the meantime, their customers are resonating with their mission and brilliant marketing to turning them into loyal and lifelong fans. Oat milk is now widely referred to as the King of plant based milk, which is a pretty boss title if you ask me. And last on my list is Dove. Now this is a brand that has been around for a while and pretty much everyone has heard of it. Dove is a beauty brand that has been a longtime trendsetter in inclusive branding. They were promoting inclusivity and real beauty before it was cool. But with more and more brands adopting this trendy commitment to diversity, how has Dove managed to stay ahead as the forerunner? Well, it helps that they were one of the first major brands to normalize representing real women in their advertising campaigns, which by the way, started back in 2004 with their campaign for real beauty. But they are continuing to make waves and set trends in the beauty industry even today. In fact, in 2020, they made a pledge that their advertising will always feature real women and not models, and that they will never digitally alter the images or videos that are used to promote their products. Now that definitely speaks to the growing demand for brands to feature real humans. Looking, well, human. I know, crazy, right? But in today's world where more and more brands are becoming cause driven, Dove has to do more than just keep up with the latest trends and market demands. Although that's obviously super important. What really sets one inclusive beauty brand apart from another inclusive beauty brand is how they make their customers feel. And in an oversaturated market, that is what keeps customers coming back again and again and again as loyal and raving fans. In 2019, Dove's brand relevance score was a staggering 35% higher than the category average, which speaks volumes to the emotional connection that its customers feel feel towards the brand. So to put it bluntly, Dove knows and understands the pain points of its target audience. And they continue to boldly address those issues by showcasing inclusivity, diversity and the representation of all humanity. Dove is a brand that is truly timeless and they have yet to let us down. Now, it goes without saying that there are a lot more brands that saw success in 2020. And while the brands I featured in this video saw most of their success due to brilliant branding and spectacular innovating, there were also a lot of other brands that thrived this year because they were simply able to identify and address market demands and needs. Alright guys, that's it for today. I'll see you next week with a brand new video. Until then, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. 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