Square strategically shifted its core customer definition from the generic 'small business' to the more specific 'local business.' This subtle change allows the brand to anchor its identity in the community fabric its customers create, moving beyond simple company size to a shared ethos.

Instead of giving limited product to trend-setters who wouldn't repeat outfits, FUBU gave high-quality shirts to musicians' large bodyguards. These 'influencer-adjacent' brand ambassadors had fewer clothing options and wore the shirts repeatedly, creating a constant "billboard" effect around the actual target artists.

Gymshark's initial influencer success wasn't a calculated campaign. It was born from genuine fandom; they sent products to YouTubers they personally admired. This authentic, non-transactional approach built real community trust long before influencer marketing became a formalized, paid industry.

To create the illusion of a large, popular brand with minimal inventory, FUBU's founders acted as stylists on music video sets. They would put one of their 10 high-quality shirts on an artist for a shoot, then take it back to be used on another artist, repeating this frugal process for two years.

Rapper LL Cool J, a FUBU partner, wore a FUBU hat in a Gap ad and slyly inserted the brand's slogan—"For us, by us"—into his rap. The Gap's marketing team, lacking cultural context, didn't notice and spent millions airing the ad, giving FUBU massive, free exposure that a typical endorsement deal could never achieve.

Instead of competing with Nike on performance, Outdoor Voices intentionally created an aesthetic that was the complete opposite: simple, muted, and focused on recreation. The goal was a four-piece "uniform for doing things" that contrasted with Nike's shiny, black-and-neon intensity.

Unable to get a loan to fill $300,000 in orders, FUBU's founder and his mother placed a newspaper ad reading, "million dollars in orders need financing." This unconventional tactic attracted 33 responses and ultimately led to a critical production and financing partnership with Samsung's textile division, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.

Gymshark's key product differentiator wasn't just performance, but aesthetics. They obsessed over creating 'physique accentuating' fits that made customers look and feel better. This tapped into the core emotional motivation of their gym-going audience, creating a stronger brand connection than purely functional apparel.

With no ad budget, FUBU offered to paint its logo on the security gates of local businesses—from bodegas to repair shops—in exchange for keeping them graffiti-free. Labeling them all as an "authorized FUBU dealer," regardless of what they sold, created a massive, free advertising network and the perception of a large retail presence.