Blog Post: Capsule 4 – Brand Development and Product Strategy
- Dana Ammons
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
Welcome to 2025: The Year of Bold Brand Building
Happy New Year, Brand Builders! As we kick off a fresh year, The Brand Blueprint Podcast dives into Capsule 4: Brand Development and Product Strategy. This capsule is all about transforming your ideas into impactful products that resonate with your audience and drive your business forward.
Creating a product is more than just making something to sell—it’s about solving problems, meeting needs, and building trust with your customers. To illustrate this, we explore the incredible journey of Native Deodorant, a $100M brand that began in a kitchen. Founder Moiz Ali, a lawyer by trade, crafted a natural deodorant formula to fill a gap in the market. With no prior experience in personal care, Ali’s resourcefulness and vision turned Native into a standout brand in the natural products industry, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Procter & Gamble in 2017.
The Native Story: From Kitchen to $100M Acquisition
Native’s story is a testament to the power of simplicity, authenticity, and a deep understanding of consumer needs. Moiz Ali started Native in 2015, driven by a personal frustration with the lack of effective and clean deodorant options. Despite having no background in chemistry or consumer goods, Ali rolled up his sleeves and started experimenting with formulas in his kitchen.
Using everyday ingredients like coconut oil, baking soda, and shea butter, he created a product that prioritized health and efficacy without harmful chemicals. Ali began testing his formula on friends and family, gathering feedback to refine it. His early efforts were scrappy—packaging the deodorant in simple white tubes with straightforward branding.
Direct-to-Consumer Success
Native embraced a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, allowing the company to maintain a close relationship with its customers and gather invaluable feedback. Ali understood that consumers were craving transparency and authenticity, so he made these core tenets of the brand’s marketing strategy.
Through relatable, clean branding and targeted social media campaigns, Native quickly gained a loyal customer base. Ali kept overhead costs low, focusing on word-of-mouth marketing and leveraging platforms like Facebook and Instagram to connect with a growing audience.
Staying True to the Mission
One of Native’s defining strengths was its unwavering commitment to its mission: providing safe, effective deodorant that customers could trust. This mission resonated with consumers and created a strong emotional connection to the brand. Native’s commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable practices set it apart in the crowded personal care market.
Scaling and Acquisition
By 2017, Native had built a reputation as a trusted, consumer-focused brand with incredible growth potential. Procter & Gamble recognized this and acquired Native for $100 million in cash. Despite the acquisition, Native has maintained its DTC model and continued to innovate while staying true to its origins.
What to Expect in Capsule 4
In this episode, I’m joined by some of the sharpest minds in branding and product strategy:
Phil Irvine shares his expertise on navigating brand strategy in the cannabis space, offering insights into how businesses can adapt to a highly regulated and evolving market.
Prakash Nagpal and Trish Lindo take us on a deep dive into AI in branding, showing how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way brands develop, market, and connect with their audiences.
And as always, we continue our Build a Brand series, where we refine our hypothetical hair care product, Preserve the Curl. This segment offers a hands-on look at applying the principles of product development and brand strategy to create a product that solves real consumer problems.
Why Product Development is Crucial
The Native story illustrates that product development doesn’t require a huge budget or a fancy lab—it requires a clear understanding of your audience’s needs, a willingness to experiment, and the determination to iterate until you get it right. Product development is the bridge between your brand’s promise and the value you deliver to your customers.
In Capsule 4, our experts will teach you how to:
Use AI to streamline product development and create targeted strategies.
Understand market trends and consumer behavior in niche industries.
Adapt strategies for different markets, whether local or international.
Get Ready to Build
Capsule 4 is packed with actionable insights to help you turn your ideas into reality. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your brand, this episode has something for everyone.
💡 Here’s how to join the journey:
Subscribe to The Brand Blueprint Podcast on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcasts.
Follow along as we develop Preserve the Curl and share step-by-step strategies.
Engage with us at The Brand Blueprint Website for exclusive content and resources.
Let’s Make 2025 Your Best Year Yet
This year is all about action. Let’s roll up our sleeves, take those big ideas off the shelf, and start building something amazing. Tune in to The Brand Blueprint Podcast, and let’s make 2025 the year your brand takes off.
🎧 Listen now: [https://youtu.be/wxNjvfNJ6zU]
Comments