Breaking Down Bogg's Success
Bogg Brand Study + Comic #1 + New Format and Referral Bonus
I am rolling out a new format and strategy. I’ll be publishing more often now. You can expect my newsletter every other Tuesday morning. You’ll see some new sections rolling out as well. Let me know what you like as you see it!
Maybe more exciting for you, there is a new referral bonus.
Refer a friend and get a $5 audio or ebook credit!
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Use the “Share” button on any post to be automatically credited. Send the post via text, email, or social media.
I still love to read comics in the newspaper. Why not create a comic for my publication. Hopefully my readers will look forward to my comic strip!
Comic #1
I know, it’s stupid.
Time for the meat and potatoes:
Bogg Need Not Describe Their Target Audience
Going viral was only a matter of time for the Croc looking beach bag. Bogg took advantage of existing customer archetypes to build their audience.
They didn’t need to spend money world-building, running ads that showed a young mom getting in the car with a yoga mat sticking out of a Bogg bag. The audience was obvious.
The bag is a great example of solving a problem your customers don’t know they have. Everyone has more totes than they can count on their hands, but the Bogg bags design makes it more useful than its counterparts.
Kim Vaccarella, Bogg founder and mom, built the bag out of a genuine need for a more durable daily bag.
How did Bogg go viral?
By turning lemons into lemonade.
In 2012, only 4 years after opening, Bogg received a 45 foot storage container of functional but visually damaged bags. This was their first viral moment.
Instead of discarding the bags they decided to donate the bags to Jersey Shore residents after Hurricane Sandy. The waterproof bags were helpful during the tragedy. Rumblings of who provided the bags and where to get them began on Facebook.
Vaccarella was building their social media presence and growing their retail base alone until they crossed $1M of revenue in 2018.
In 2020 we all know what happened. Covid hit.
Bogg was able to stay open as a manufacturing company.
At the wrong time Bogg was in the right place.
Nurses and moms started to endorse the bags for their washability. They started to explode on Tik Tok and Instagram.
Then, “Peleton moms” picked up the bags. From there Bogg had a 2 year backlog.
Bogg was becoming a viral sensation and a “must own” for busy moms and young women.
Going viral does not mean going national.
Bogg was ready to take the step from viral new kid on the block to a national brand in 2024.
The Bogg founder had this to say about advertising: “Before now, it just wasn’t something we did because it was easier to take the free and organic path.”
In mid- late 2024 Bogg landed major retail deals with giants like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target.
Slim Marketing Budget
Bogg increased their marketing budget by $4M in 2024, bringing their total budget to $4M.
Yes you read that right. Bogg did not spend any money on paid advertising until late 2023.
Bogg looked to grow as a national brand in 2025 with an $8M marketing budget.
They increased their usage of tactics like email marketing and true social media buys. They did make sure to set aside 5% of the budget for influencer marketing.
Thick Profit
Even with the increased marketing spend Bogg is spending less than 5% of their 2025 revenue on marketing.
Bogg is projecting a 2025 revenue of $175M.
Bogg turned down an offer to be bought out by a publicly traded company in 2023. Instead inking a deal with Electric Feel at a valuation less than $50M!
Vaccarella has an NDA prohibiting her from sharing what the public offer looked like, but I have a feeling she offered a HUGE discount to maintain majority stake of the company.
How can Bogg expand into the “Not so obvious” market?
I think a great place to start would be athletes. Moms will be excited to buy their kid a matching Bogg bag to bring to practice. All the hockey player needs is a little push (and maybe a bigger bag?)
This is where college athletes come into play. Sponsor a few colleges and have players get off the bus with a Bogg bag.
Bogg has already landed licensing deals with pro leagues to begin growing into the sports market.
Another place Bogg can look to grow is globally.
I think the European market would love the small size of the bag.
TLDR: Bogg went viral by remaining optimistic during tough times and focussing on their minimum viable audience until they were ready to scale nationally.
My favorite ad this week:
Progressive: Improv Night at The Laugh Box
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
BOOK CLUB
I will be launching a book club this year. Please shoot me an email if you’re interested! (David@pothosadvertising.com)
For now I will just share what I’m reading, what I want to read, and I’ll highlight one of my favorite books of all time.
CURRENTLY READING
Permission Marketing - Seth Godin (1999)
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (2021)
READING NEXT
Purple Cow - Seth Godin (2002)
The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman (1988)
Stories That Stick - Kindra Hall (2019)
HIGHLIGHT
The Search - John Battelle (2005)
This book is written by tech journalist John Battelle. It tells the story of Google’s IPO and its impact on marketing and society.
As someone born in 2000 this book was doubly insightful.
It helped me understand what Google went through to become a verb in the dictionary by the time I was 6. Before I read this book I would have guessed that “Alta Vista” was a vacation destination in California. Speaking of California, this book helped me understand the conception of Silicone Valley as we know it today.
The book also has some incredible business and marketing advice that holds strong more than 20 years later.
The cadence and perspective John uses to tell the story make this an easy read.
Other Substack articles I liked this month:
Logo Histories: Sildamin Logo, 1981
Embedded Brand Strategy: Where does Lululemon go from here?
What I’m watching:
Avatar 3: I am getting sick of the explosions and gun combat. What I really liked about Avatar were the fantasy cultures and creatures. The story that is being told is powerful but I’d like to learn more about the culture that is being ripped apart by missiles and assault riffles.
Australian Open: I’m starting to understand how old people can watch golf.
Other Topics:
ICE OUT OF MN
Random Picture(s) from this month:
P.S. Thank you for reading. Seriously please let me know what new sections you like and dislike.