Cash In On The Craze: 5 Subscription Box Brands Investing in Marketing

Updated: July 15, 2019

In the past five years, the subscription e-commerce market has absolutely exploded, growing as much as 100% by some estimates. As competition intensifies, players in the space are willing to pay a premium to marketing partners who can get their offerings into the right hands.

Have you been interested in getting your company in the door with some emerging subscription box brands? Well, now’s your chance.

We’ve uncovered five brands who have made some significant investments in their marketing efforts, telling us spend is increasing, expansion is on the horizon and agency, media, martech and sponsorship services are required. Check out  where you can secure revenue dollars with these emerging subscription box companies:

1. StitchFix

In February, Stitch Fix launched a new campaign focused on building brand awareness and highlighting its diverse offerings. In its Q2 earnings call, executive team members reported the campaign did extremely well, so we’re likely to see similar initiatives in the near future.

To remain top of mind for those campaigns, we encourage sellers to reach out sooner rather than later. Advertising spend has increased month over month, and we don’t predict that trend to slow down with continued success.

Request a Trial for StichFix’s Decision-Maker Contact Info

2. WineSociety

In August 2018, WineSociety named Lisa Perlmutter Kueffel its first CMO in an effort to fuel revenue growth, support its wholesale channel, and bring a bigger focus to events and brand marketing. Kueffel’s hire confirms that WineSociety is looking to expand its reach and also signals an agency review is likely. Emerging companies tend to consider PR agencies first in order to spread brand awareness before focusing on creative and media, but this wine subscription service is certainly one to keep on your radar as they expand their marketing initiatives across other disciplines.

Keep in mind that direct-to-consumer wine companies are heating up, and its market is expected to continue growing. From 2012 to 2017, the percentage of sales represented by DTC revenue for wineries jumped from 49% to 61%.

Request a Trial for WineSociety’s Decision-Maker Contact Info

3. PetPlate

Who doesn’t love to pamper their pets? PetPlate is delivering fresh-cooked, nutritious pet meals. The startup closed a $4 million seed funding round in June 2018 led by Dane Creek Capital in order to support their expansion efforts. PetPlate strives to become the market leader in the DTC fresh food category.

Mark Warren, Dane Creek Capital CEO, said “Demand for a healthy alternative to kibble will grow exponentially in the next few years. Given the superior quality of PetPlate and the emotional connection that consumers have with the brand, we are confident in the team’s ability to lead this next generation of pet food.”

Budgets are likely to increase as the service continues to expand, and agency and martech readers are encouraged to reach out in order to remain top-of-mind for potential agency reviews in the upcoming months.

Request a Trial for PetPlate’s Decision-Maker Contact Info

4. Curology

Skincare startup Curology enables one-on-one conversations with dermatology providers, offers a digital prescription program, and prescribes anti-acne and anti-aging medications that can be shipped directly to consumers.

In order to support expansion, the brand named Jadey Chow as VP of Marketing in May 2018. Chow brings marketing experience from Juice Beauty, Estee Lauder, and Bumble and will work to lead Curology to even larger growth.

In 2018, 98% of digital display ads were placed site direct with top destinations including youtube.com, aol.com, slashedbeauty.com, and various YouTube channels. Other main channels of investment include social channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Pinterest in order to appeal to their demographic made up largely of women.

Request a Trial for Curology’s Decision-Maker Contact Info

5. Dropcar

Valet parking and vehicle care subscription Dropcar is continuing to build its brand and develop new markets since its start in 2015. According to CEO Spencer Richardson, their mission is to “power the next generation of mobility” by taking care of chores such as parking, oil changes, state inspections, repairs, and gas. This way, the only thing the customer has to do is simply drive their car, and Dropcar takes care of the rest.

Main channels of investment up to this point have included social media advertising through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. However, chances are high that the startup will be open to agency work as it ramps up expansion and advertising efforts within the coming months.

Request a Trial for Dropcar’s Decision-Maker Contact Info

6. Knotel 

Flexible office space solution startup Knotel has seen a number of personnel changes since its $70 million Series B round last April. These changes include the departure of CMO Rachel Meranus after only seven months. While a replacement CMO has not been named, Knotel did hire two marketing directors in an effort to bolster the team, as well as a slew of lower-level personnel to support them.

In order to fuel rapid growth and increase brand awareness, Knotel just tapped Marino as its PR AOR. Additional agency shifts are likely under the new leadership, so agency and martech readers with B2B experience in particular are encouraged to reach out. There are currently no agencies on file for media, digital or creative. Focus pitches on helping Knotel differentiate itself from competitors such as WeWork, LiquidSpace, and Industrious.

Knotel just launched a subscription furniture service called geometry, which is a huge differentiator. The service will help companies meet their needs, remain stylish, and not have to throw out unneeded furniture, and is currently only available to tenants. Knotel will likely release a campaign to get the offering on people’s radars, so sellers are encouraged to reach out with spend increases predicted in the future.

Request a Trial for Knotel’s Decision-Maker Contact Info 

Ready for more? Download our latest eBook for ten more marketing opportunities with emerging subscription box brands plus each brand’s verified decision-maker contact information.