Stop Chasing Virality: Brand Strategy Insights from ALLBIRDS Case Study

Brand strategy for retail brands

I get asked this question, on stages, on client calls, on podcasts about BRAND STRAETGY: what do I post that will get me “viral” or like “ MAX views” or “crazy engagement” 

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My immediate next question is : What is your goal? Virality can bring you thousands of new eyes to your work in 48 hours. But here’s what virality actually gives you: traffic. 

And here’s what it doesn’t give you: trust, loyalty, or compound sales. 

Then I ask again, what is your goal for brand strategy- the answer now changes to a more real conversation - we talk about acquiring clients. Content that speaks to the right audience. Depth is when someone reads your newsletter for six weeks and thinks “she gets me.”

Depth is when a client refers to you before they’ve even finished working with you. Depth is when your audience already knows what you stand for before they’ve ever spoken to you.

The brand ALLBIRDS exploded in 2022 as the “Silicon Valley uniform” + sustainability darling (mass hype, IPO buzz, DTC fame).By 2024 , the brand fizzled out . Reasons were plenty - Built on trend  + “greenwashing” , no deep brand evolution, expanded too fast into categories that did not make sense this early.

 The outcome was such that the valuation of the company dropped from -$4B and early 2026 shut shop after selling it for $39M. Decline in sales due to declining quality and lack of brand relevance - were few of the many things that made such a popular brand shut shop.

Virality is random. Depth is designed.

Brand strategy for female founders

You can take these as your north star for your brand' depth :

• Are you creating a brand that’s optimized for “popularity” - or a brand that’s optimized for resonance ( that is based on fundamental human needs) ? Because one of those builds an audience, and the other builds a business.

• When you remove social media from your business - what is it about you business that will keep the same intensity going ? Because that intensity is the core of your communication and messaging strategy

• How are you social listening to your actual customer , not your aspirational audience. What are those monthly tracker looking like ?

The brands that LAST aren’t the ones that were seen the most. They’re the ones that are understood the most.