How To Create $100M Categories with Category Pirate Eddie Yoon

If you've ever heard me talk about Superconsumers, SuperGeos, or why you should Name, Frame, and Claim your new category - all of that thinking comes from today's guest, one of my heroes: Eddie Yoon.

Eddie is one of the world's leading thinkers on category design. He's a longtime Harvard Business Review contributor, co-founder of Category Pirates (a top Substack you must subscribe to), and has spent decades advising Fortune 100 companies on how to create new categories instead of just fighting for scraps of market share.

I've studied Eddie's work obsessively for years because he doesn't just teach marketing - he teaches thinking. AND in this conversation, we jam together (riffing on ideas, building on each other's thoughts) about why everything you've learned in marketing strategy is likely wrong.

We talk about K-pop Demon Hunters, how Nespresso and Gillette grew massive categories, and why breakthrough categories don't come from better features or nicer packaging - they come from deeply understanding what outcomes your super consumers are looking for.

This episode is PACKED with real-life brand examples: Velveeta, Keurig, Tesla, Spam Musubi, frozen peas, and more. Eddie brings category design to life with stories that will completely change how you think about growing your business.

Next Steps: Go find your K-pop moment, your Velveeta insight, your frozen peas problem - that's where exponential growth lives!

In This Episode You'll Learn:

Why 99% of CPG brands are playing the wrong game - stealing market share vs. growing categories, and why the biggest companies are least likely to create new categories

Benefits are dead, outcomes are everything - The Velveeta $100M growth story: how solving one super consumer outcome (getting kids to eat greens) unlocked massive growth

The power of super consumers & super geos - Why you should hire your super consumers, and the shocking Cherry Garcia data: 3,000 of 30,000 stores drove 80% of sales

Lightning strike marketing - How to turn a £60K budget into £600K of impact (the Dude Wipes strategy of keeping 75% of marketing unplanned)

Don't be afraid to niche down - Why 99% of experts are wrong when they say you're leaving people behind

Useful links

Connect with Eddie Yoon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-yoon-ewg/

Connect with Category Pirates on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/category-pirates/

https://www.categorypirates.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@categorypirates

Mentioned in This Episode: Books & Frameworks:

• Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
• Superconsumers by Eddie Yoon
• Clayton Christensen's "Jobs to Be Done" (milkshake example)
• Byron Sharp (mentioned as conventional wisdom)

Mentioned in This Episode: Brands & Case Studies:

• Gillette (China market expansion)
• Keurig vs. Starbucks Verismo
• Nespresso
• Velveeta
• Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
• Spam & Spam Musubi (Hawaii)
• Tesla
• Nvidia
• K-pop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• Dude Wipes
• Rogaine
• Royal Canin
• Anheuser-Busch

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Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

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If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce you to Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board for the second year running.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com

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Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.