Oren here. Below you’ll find info from my Paris trip, details on my next trip to China (if you want to meet up during Canton Fair), and a straightforward playbook with some rough volumes to follow for using your product development as content marketing. The lasts few emails have been big conceptual deep dives, this time I’m just going right to tactics… help keep everyone on their toes ;)

Back later this week with a full HYPER!

Product Development is Marketing

When brands want to update their creative, my first recommendation is to look at their product development calendar. What are you releasing? What variants, editions, new colorways? Do you do collections, regular upgrades, capsules, collabs?

This isn’t about saying you need to develop more (we’ll get to that later), this is about making the most of what you already create.

See, every development can lead to a content cycle, and a content cycle gives the team something to energize and organize themselves around versus wondering how they get out of their current production rut. Before anything else, dial in the product coordination.

Here’s how to look at a release and tie it into marketing

A. It starts with development. Shoot for 4-8 videos or carousels in this stage, plus 2-3 emails or dedicated email sections.

• documenting the process

• soliciting community input on features, colors, release location, campaign ideas and more

B. Then comes teasing - 2-5 pieces, 1 email

• trailer and teaser for the final product

• pre-release info and first look

C. Followed by the meat, the release, 2-4 emails

Campaign - what is the art directed, intentional release content. Stack a main video, with 3-5 supporting pieces, plus 2-3 carousels of stills and product info.

BTS - run at least two behind the scenes posts of the campaign itself

Unveil - even if its small, debut the product at a physical location. Office tour for your top customers, small event with influencers, big even at one of your stores, whatever it is. Double this up as content as well.

D. Then we settle into post-release.

Enablement - Multiple videos per product on its use - styling it, tips and tricks etc.

Ad, influencer and social rerun - Every great piece of creative you’ve ever had in your ad account… every winning influencer video or social post from your history. Run an updated version centered on the new product. Don’t be afraid to play the hits.

Your first task is to optimize your releases to match this, once you have that flow dialed… the releases become your marketing. With this process locked, collaborations, licensing and new product dev begin to have stronger and stronger business use cases.

That’s it. Run the playbook, repeat.

Related, getting ready to release these here in the next week and change, early access signup here.

Practicing what I preach, as they say.

Luxury Fabrics & Suppliers

Following up from my video last week, in the below guide we go through some of the fabric providers, trim providers, and manufacturers I met at Premiere Vision in Paris.

As anyone whose tried producing product knows, finding suppliers in Europe is far more of a challenge than finding them in Asia. We went to Premiere Vision to meet a number in person, and share their info below to help you on your journey

For those still learning in their brands, the reason we separate fabric and trim providers here, even though manufacturers often help with this, is that you will very frequently be able to access better, more interesting materials and trims directly than relying on what your manufacturers can hunt down. You can learn more in the video below!

In this guide we review

• Fabric providers of the highest caliber from leather to denim to activewear

• Coordinating fabric between suppliers and your factory (like I do with Crease Group)

• European manufacturing options for traditional menswear, luxury trims and more

GUIDE: https://hyper-studios.notion.site/paris

China Trip in Early May

We are going back to China and hosting events likely May 1st and May 3rd during phase 3 of Canton Fair to help connect suppliers and entrepreneurs, and have a bit more community during the trip to Guangzhou! If you’re going to attend the show let us know below, theres a few groups putting events together so will connect you based on the form info.

Interested? Get notified with more info here.

The Unverified Ad Awards

My friends at Foreplay are holding a live judging finale for The Unverified Ad Awards ends on Thursday - and I’ll be part of the teaming helping decide whose creative is going to win $10,000! Get free tickets to the finals and learn more at foreplay.co/contest.

From our Bookmarks

The History of the North Face Putter

In person product unveils as launch content (I love this)

Massive streamer and creator collaboration event… smaller versions of this have so much potential as brand or creator supported community building.

Hyper Reports

Check out our market reports. We spend many hours researching markets, categories, and brands & products within the consumer space so you don’t have to.

• The Guide to Making Great merchandise — HERE — a guide to finding and producing your own merch

• Reports on Running, Golf, and Tennis — HERE — a guide to each sport, the market opportunities, and how to launch your own brand

Inquiries? Shoot us a note here: [email protected]

We’d love to chat!

Oren & Clayton ❤️ you