One of the world’s leading direct-to-consumer apparel brands, True Classic, has become an institution in the US for selling top quality menswear you don’t need to remortgage your house to afford. After launching in 2019 they have dominated the US market and just 3 years later ventured internationally, capturing over 30% of their revenue from global markets. This is undoubtedly a feat that few are able to achieve in such a short period of time!

Positioned for what they envisaged to be an agile and dynamic expansion, they sought to fine-tune their brand and media presence across the international stage. Their objective was not just to scale rapidly but to build a globally resonant business that becomes a fashion staple for years to come. 

Challenges

As with all international expansions, True Classic faced an up-hill battle. Not only were they a relatively new business that had the majority of their team in the US, they wanted to make a noise in a different and more innovative way than their consumers had seen be done previously.

A lot of past techniques and strategies were outdated, highlighting the need for diversification of marketing channels, but their internal team needed support to truly scale the operation.

The challenges they knew they had to nail for global expansion to be successful were:

Global Brand Localization 

The success of the U.S. was hard to replicate on an international scale, largely due to a lack of market-specific strategies and content. Their consumer persona in the US had different buying processes, expectations and methods of consuming content to their other segments.

Single-Channel Dependence 

Initially, the brand had heavily relied on Meta. On a global level this limited their outreach and adaptability. Exploring new channels would be vital to reach the right audience in each geography.

Strategic Expertise 

Whilst the internal team had excelled in the U.S., the foundational knowledge of international growth was missing. This left an expertise gap within their marketing function which would mean a slower path to growth than they intended. 

Solutions

Through the Passionfruit platform True Classic was introduced to Tobias, a top-tier marketing specialist with experience working with DTC brands (eBay and Amazon) to architect and spearhead their international campaigns. 

Coming to True Classic with this depth of knowledge, allowed them to hit the ground running with a well-structured approach to market-specific challenges. As a first plan of attack, they implemented a new social strategy beyond Meta. Tobias diversified the advertising channels, embracing local preferences and media habits to widen reach and engagement.

A key part of this approach was dynamic content localization. Given his skill sets, Tobias built and implemented a robust strategy for each market, ensuring that all materials and assets, from ads to website content, resonated well with each target audience.

Results

Enhanced Market Penetration 

The localisation of the brand playbook and promotional guidelines took True Classic, a brand that is already scaling at unprecedented rates in the US, onto the global stage.

Increased Return on Ad Spend 

Through strategic and diversified channel usage, True Classic saw a double digit ROAS increase, highlighting the importance of tailored marketing approaches. 

Scalable and Sustainable Growth

The brand successfully transitioned from a single-channel, US centric approach to a multi-faceted, globally integrated marketing strategy, setting a sustainable path for future growth.

Key Learnings

Localization is Critical 

Foundational to True Classic’s international market expansion was adapting a global strategy to local market conditions, on the back of local knowledge & expertise.

Strategic Expertise Drives Growth 

Breadth of knowledge across multiple channels, allowed Tobias to transform True Classic’s international growth, ensuring rich strategic insights led to profitable outcomes. 

Mathematical Marketing

True Classic’s reliance on data to drive decisions proved crucial in quickly adapting and adjusting strategies to meet market demands.

Conclusion

True Classic's departure from the US into global markets, exemplifies the transformative power of targeted and localised marketing. Partnering with Passionfruit allowed for a speedy brand expansion but also set a benchmark for sustainable growth, using local insights and strategic agility.