Jimmy KimCEO & Founder, Commerce Roundtable · Marketer of 17+ Years, 4x Founder. Former DTC/Retailer & SaaS Founder. Newsletter. Host of ASOM & Send it! Podcast. DTC Event: Commerce Roundtable

Why the Best Brands Sell Identity Before Product

31 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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In this interview excerpt, the host asks Chase what top brands do differently in the first 45 days of engaging new subscribers. Chase explains that leading brands focus on building an identity connection rather than immediately pitching products. They position the brand as a community that aligns with the subscriber’s self‑image, values, and lifestyle, essentially saying, “if you are this type of person and hold these beliefs, we are the brand for you.” The host requests an example, indicating the conversation will illustrate this identity‑first approach.

What do you think the top brands are doing the first 45 days that everyone else isn't?
Really overwhelming thing that they're doing across the board is they're building kind of like an identity connection. They're not just pitching products.
What does that mean, Chase?
What it means is they're helping subscribers see themselves as part of the brand's world, where they're basically saying, if you're this type of person, if you do this type of thing, if you want this type of thing, if you have these types of belief, we're that brand for you.
Okay, give me an example of this. This is interesting.
So I'd say like kind of probably one of the most commonly known and well-executed ones would be someone like a Patagonia, right? So I'd say like their emails really aren't focused about selling, let's say, jackets or kind of outdoor apparel necessarily. They're really more focused on like environmental kind of activism, you know, outdoor culture, and really around living kind of alignment with what you believe in your values.