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Hey, good marketer!

 

This weekend, our entire remote team is coming together for a “team retreat” in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

 

Don't ask how, but Monday I accidentally sent A COSTCO ORDER OF GROCERIES to the Airbnb (we can't check in til Friday lol). 

 

The host said they secured them inside. TBD if the cheese sticks, chicken sausage, pop corners & chomps will survive the week. 

 

One can hope.

 

 

 

Soooooo one of last week’s second bests is going to actually come into the spotlight this week. It’s soooooo worthy of a deep dive for so many reasons. 

 

But the biggest one:

 

 

Bobbie is a brand that took one of the most EMOTIONALLY CHARGED, legacy-ruled industries out there (baby formula) and managed to make paid leave policy part of their marketing strategy.  

 

Lately, I’ve been big on helping brands NAME what they sell (not just the thing). For Bobbie, it’s very clear that it’s these three things: 

 

 

They spent eight whole years doing one thing most brands are too impatient to do: build belief before selling product.

 

This ye ol story here is not about ONE ad. 

 

We’re digging into compounding conviction: from two moms with an FDA rejection to a $100M+ movement that changed how parents talk about feeding their babies. 

 

Let’s break down how they did this, and what you can steal. 

 

 

Bobbie started in 2018 as a DTC formula brand founded by two moms, Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy, who couldn’t find clean, European-style formula in the U.S.

They launched—and within months, got hit with an FDA recall. Most startups would’ve folded.

 

Instead, they pulled the product, rebuilt their entire manufacturing process, and came back stronger.

 

By early 2021, they became the first new U.S.-based formula company to get FDA approval in decades.

 

That resilience became their differentiator.

 

Bobbie wasn’t just selling formula anymore—they were rebuilding trust in an industry dominated by three legacy players.

 

 

From there, they didn’t try to out-market Enfamil or Similac.

 

!!!!!!!They out-messaged them!!!!!!!!!

Bobbie understood that formula was an emotional choice tangled in guilt, judgment, and cultural pressure.

 

So instead of fighting for market share, they fought for moms’ dignity.

 

They built a grassroots community—from “take what you need” flyers in playgrounds to parent-to-parent advocacy campaigns—and raised $70M+ in funding by leading with empathy, not performance.

 

Momentum wasn’t the goal. It was the byproduct.

 

 

By the time 2024 rolled around, Bobbie had already built credibility.

 

Now, they built cultural capital.

 

 

Six months postpartum, she returned to the Australian Open, bottle in hand—launching the N.O. Support Grant with Bobbie: $580 for 50 families.

 

“There’s No Scoreboard in Motherhood.”

 

She retired, combo-feeding baby Enzo, and shattered the myth of the “perfect mom.” Bobbie hosted game-day events, donated formula to local orgs, and reframed motherhood as teamwork, not competition.

 

The year just kept compounding wins with Bobbie breaking into Costco (without losing premium positioning), expanding its National Women’s Soccer League partnership, and landing on TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies list.

 

 

Chief Confidence Officer. Call a real hotline. Leave a message for lawmakers. Get three months of paid leave if you’re one of eight lucky callers.

 

The campaign launched alongside the reintroduction of The Family Act—showing that this brand doesn’t “support moms,” it lobbies for them.

 

 

Bobbie doesn’t chase trends. They chase change. Policy, paid leave, parental support—it’s all baked into their business model.

 

They don’t flood feeds—they find moments that matter (retirements, shortages, legislative windows) and show up there.

 

Even at $100M+, they still hand out flyers, DM customers, and respond like founders. It’s what keeps the brand human, even as it scales.

 

They don’t just say what they believe —they act on it. And that’s what builds trust faster than any ad budget.

 

 

Years of patient foundation made their explosive year possible.

 

Every campaign built off the last — nothing standalone, everything interconnected.

 

If it’s not stretching your resources, it’s not stretching culture.

 

Automation can’t replace conviction.

 

 

Map your last three campaigns or launches.

 

Do they ladder up to the same mission — or are they fighting for attention in different directions?

 

If it’s the latter, Bobbie would tell you: simplify your story before you amplify it.

 

 

→ Garage Beer Ad — so dumb it looped back around to being genius. Truly peak “what if we didn’t try” energy. Watch it here.

 

→ Walmart’s Whoville-inspired Holiday Ads — holiday madness, cheer, and perfect tone. See the campaign here. You know it’s good marketing when I suddenly want to shop at Walmart.

 

→ Honorable mention: Target resurrecting Hot Santa in an effort to survive the holiday wars (y’all they’re purchasing 7 AD SPOTS FOR THIS LOL). Bold. Watch it here.

 

🧠 The Genius Brand Podcast: Deep Dive on a $200K/yr Local Newsletter — My husband has reaaallllllyy been enjoying this guy’s podcast; he also is just full of great “side hustle” ideas. I’m inspired.

 

🎟️ The GURU Conference (next week!) — Signed up and very ready to geek out over email marketing’s Super Bowl. Grab a ticket here.

 

💅 The Toast Podcast — for when need to remember there’s more to life than marketing KPIs and mission statements. Pop culture and sister energy at its finest.

 

✈️ Our two latest episodes of MAPPED OUT™ (I have to re-listen and take notes, too!)