This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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Brian Berger founded the men’s basics brand Mack Weldon over a decade ago just as the DTC boom was about to begin. Mack Weldon rode that wave to success, but the landscape for DTC brands has changed significantly since then. On this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, we talk with Berger about the importance of flexibility, the ways he’s navigated Mack Weldon through a challenging few years and the brand’s first big TV marketing spot.
Below are excerpts from the episode, lightly edited for clarity.
On the value of longevity
“Longevity is something we often overlook. we’re more focused on vanity business metrics. But in the consumer world, having the opportunity to be around for a long time and be relevant to your customer base brings new people to the brand. That’s a huge thing. Since the beginning we were not focused on chasing any specific trend. We were trying to solve problems for guys in the category we’re focused on, and that’s resulted in a lot of customer loyalty.”
Planning for the future
“You kind of go back and forth. You live in a tactical environment when you’re starting a business. Often, what’s top of mind are things that are near term. But sure, there are opportunities to think about what we’re building and whether we’re headed there. The environment has changed so much. In the early days, it was all DTC, building up the e-comm business. We had no aversion to wholesale, but it wasn’t a major priority for us — now it is. Part of that is maturity and part of that is how the market has evolved. It’s incumbent on consumer brands to have multiple pathways to market.”
Digital marketing is harder than ever
“It’s really challenging right now to rely on digital marketing as your primary means of growth. So many things make it hard to do. That is why, in addition to whatever you’re doing on these platforms, there needs to be other things happening. [That could be] an innovative strategy, partnerships with like-minded brands, things that enhance your brand promise or other types of marketing. It could just be bottling lightning on a singular product and using that to grow. But relying on growth marketing through Google and Meta as your entire reason for being is really challenging to do these days. We’re able to do it because we have 12 years of incumbency and a customer base. We are smart enough to know our tolerance for spending on these platforms and not go beyond that. There was a time when people suspended reality on profitability when it came to spending on growth marketing.”
