Case Study: How HubSpot Turned Inbound Into a Category
In 2006, two founders started a software company with an unusual plan: instead of selling software first, they would sell an idea. That idea was "inbound …
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Case Study
Case Study: Patagonia's "Don't Buy This Jacket" Black Friday Ad
On the biggest shopping day of 2011, an outdoor clothing company ran a full-page newspaper ad telling people not to buy its jacket. It became one of the most …
Case Study: How REI's #OptOutside Turned Closing on Black Friday Into a Brand Moment
In 2015, outdoor retailer REI did something that sounded like commercial suicide: it announced it would close its stores on Black Friday, pay its employees …
Case Study: How Spanx Grew From $5,000 in Savings
Sara Blakely started Spanx with about $5,000 of her own savings, no background in fashion and no outside investors. Two decades later, a majority investment …
Case Study: How Zappos Built a Business on Customer Service
Zappos sold shoes online at a time when many people thought nobody would buy shoes without trying them on. Its answer was to make service the product: free …
Case Study: How Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" Videos Turned a Blender Into a Brand
In 2006, a blender company in Utah started filming its founder grinding marbles, rake handles and gadgets into dust. The videos became one of the best-known …
Case Study: How Dropbox Grew With a Two-Sided Referral Program
In its early years, Dropbox found that paying for search ads was too expensive for a low-priced product. So it gave customers a reason to bring their friends, …