MANSCAPED bypasses expensive influencers by building a "Makers Network." They find hungry creators, like film students, and provide a small budget and creative freedom. This approach values strong creative points of view over follower counts, resulting in more authentic and successful organic content.

Instead of viewing a small budget as a limitation, MANSCAPED's organic social team sees it as a strength. This scarcity forces them to be scrappy, find unconventional solutions like working with film students, and avoid the over-produced feel of big-budget influencer marketing.

During the Super Bowl pitching process, MANSCAPED made a conscious decision to avoid an AI-generated commercial. This was a strategic move to stand out in a potentially AI-saturated ad landscape and to reinforce their brand's commitment to supporting young, human creators.

After a viral campaign created by two film students, MANSCAPED is developing a formal feeder program with film schools. The program offers students compensation and school credit, providing them with valuable portfolio experience while giving the brand a continuous pipeline of fresh, motivated creative talent.

The Give Hugs co-founders still shoot much of their own content. These 'scrappy' photoshoots frequently outperform professionally produced ones because the founders have an innate understanding of the brand's vision, which resonates more authentically with their audience.

MANSCAPED's viral hit succeeded because they empowered creators. Instead of a typical agency process with 15-20 decision-makers, they limited the core team to five people and gave the creators (two film students) final discretion. This "less cooks in the kitchen" approach preserved the creative vision and led to better work.

Instead of pursuing established influencers, ClickUp's social team actively seeks out creators with just a few thousand followers but at least one viral video. This signals raw talent. These creators are often affordable, eager for brand partnerships, and provide an authentic, unpolished style.

Facing network TV restrictions for its Super Bowl ad, MANSCAPED couldn't use its typical humor. To bridge this gap, their organic social campaign became a meta-commentary on the challenge of making a commercial without mentioning "balls." This engaged their core audience while setting expectations for the mainstream ad.

Don't assume TV advertising requires expensive, high-production creative. Brands can de-risk their TV investment by using lo-fi, UGC-style creative that has already proven effective on social media. This approach lowers the barrier to entry, allowing for faster testing and learning.