If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm no longer at Elliot.

A lot has happened in the last two weeks. I'm disappointed and sad and embarrassed after tying my personal brand and reputation to Elliot. I also feel deeply for our customers, the team, and our investors. There are a lot of questions around what happened, and though I'd love to clear the air, I can only share what is mine to share.

This was an unexpected and heartbreaking outcome, to say the least.

Consumer perception of brand value *will* shift in the coming months, as we spend more time at home than ever.

What is luxury in a world of isolation? The brands that draw the most attention get their allure from direct comparison to adjacent brands.

https://twitter.com/allthingsmarco/status/1247631153705730049?s=20

Here's my hierarchy of brand viability:

✨Luxury✨
🥇 Quality 🥇
🔧 Functionality 🔧

Everything better than being reliably functional is only known to be better through comparison. A clear example ...👇

🚨DTC Twitter 🙌
We’ve made an online mall with some of our favorite DTC brands!

This is open... so everyone in our network can add, edit, and vandalize to their heart's delight. Happy iso-weekend!

RT to share!

https://twitter.com/hello_iamelliot/status/1241119133376405506

Here are my additions:
@getmaude @RIMOWA @getequalparts @MELODYEHSANI @aimeleon @buckmasonusa & Madhappy (@PeimanRaf )

Y'all got any to add?

Thoughts on this Outdoor Voices article by Buzzfeed:
1⃣ Comes off as more of a take down than Verge/Away/Korey
2⃣ It's a compilation of quotes and events that cut down Ty
3⃣ They know Ty Haney can't defend herself

buzzfeednews.com/article/briann… Having personal relationships with people that were/are present during multiple rounds of OV leadership, I take issue with the "Ty is a bad leader" narrative.

Aime Leon Dore is a brand that uses only 3 channels to build its significant cultural relevance:

1⃣Instagram
2⃣Influencer
3⃣IRL

Omnichannel is out. High leverage channels are the future.

thread 👇 Aime Leon Dore is a stellar streetwear & lifestyle brand that I *only* interact with on Instagram.

They build mood boards and drop products with very little notice to keep their audience engaged.

The photography is intentional, making the brand imagery instantly recognizable.

The internet and, by association, technological innovation is continuously destabilizing business models.

Let's consider actors. Prior to the internet, a leading actor wanted a large paycheck and a few points per movie. The movie's success got the actor his/her next gig... Now with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime video, actors are no longer *just* actors, but instead "in demand" influencers.

Many of the top actors are moving to high budget TV shows that get 10x consumer exposure, entering homes way more often than we'd go see them at the theater.

In April I had about 600 followers - now I’m up to 4800 👀🚀

Y’all really showed that there’s room for discussion and growth in DTC digital brand experience. I really appreciate all of you.

Below is a recap thread of my favorite threads that you showed love on! 👇🏾 Away! Thanks @jennifer for juicing it up a bit ☺️

@away

https://twitter.com/allthingsmarco/status/1150507292510568448

What makes a signature eCom experience for a brand? The details.

Look what @Glossier does. On the homepage *alone*, the attention to detail says so much about the high standards of quality for the product and customer experience.

It starts with a short "unboxing" in the hero. It's subtle, but connecting to the customer's unboxing experience as the first thing they see on your site creates a sense of trust (nothing to hide) and excitement.

The Skincare Edit is the pinnacle of what we all wish our unboxing experiences felt like. Why not show out?!

Ahhh, the Gin Lane / Pattern Brands team came up with a great name for a brand focused on finding some balance in our modern lives: Equal Parts.

Thread 1/x The product and site design are incredibly well thought out, paired with a stylistically eclectic site. It has an aesthetically pleasing and intriguing sense that really shines through on social.

We're fast approaching the point where entrepreneurs will engage with eCommerce platforms as fluidly as they do video games or Instagram. You’ll be able to launch products globally as easily as you sell to your neighbor.

It's happening right now with Elliot.

@hello_iamelliot Elliot is a singularly unified experience that is fully integrated with international shipping providers, multiple currencies, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Zapier for automating all of your workflows.

Most of the advice asked for by founders I meet are about DTC strategies, specifically relating to brand, but that’s rarely the limiting factor for growth.

There’s a big difference between building brand and running the business.

h/t @TaylorHoliday for inspiring this thread. VC backed DNVBs can bypass basic fundamentals to growing a business.

Cashflow management realities are floated by venture funding for accelerated growth, allowing companies to dominate a vertical very quickly, expected to get paid back in 90-120 days.

Despite the origins of your family tradition, the Golden Rule applies. Without exception. "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
- Buddhism

Incentives shape markets.

If you haven’t heard 🙉, CAC is rising.

Yes, VC money plays a part in this outcome, but we should also talk about the mechanisms at the execution level that impacts almost all online businesses. The first culprits are the long tail of mediocre to bad ad agencies. I personally know a few great ones, but they’re generally maxed for capacity because of their good reputation and bias for partnerships - and they are very picky about their clientele.

https://twitter.com/allthingsmarco/status/1164547217232994304?s=20

Healthcare should be human at its core. The convenience of the rising star DTC healthcare products is attractive, but far from comprehensive.

Here’s what I’ve been wrestling with lately. A thread...
💊👩🏾‍⚕️🏥 I've been calling this new paradigm "Patchwork healthcare".

Multiple companies focusing on single problems does not qualify as a valid substitute for a good relationship with a physician.

I look at a bunch of DTC brands everyday, and I’m starting to realize that:

1/ The best categories are flexible
2/ The best founders are solution agnostic
3/ The best companies are ambitious beyond their vertical

A thread… VC backed DNVB staying power has a pretty clear requirement: category ownership and founder ability to expand beyond physical goods (i.e. tech, insurance, hospitality, etc.)

There are many motivators, but the most critical one is financial.

Away is owning the door-to-door travel experience, not the destination.

👩‍✈️At this time, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position as we prepare for takeoff. We’ll be flying through @Away’s content, product, messaging, and brand positioning 🧳🛫 The desire to see the world is as old as time. But our ability to see it, relative to human history, has only emerged in the last few moments. Away isn’t about cheap hotels or convenient cabs.

"The Bible is better than Pinterest" - Yeezy

What a way to kick off this interview 😯

"There's a little bit of Lamborghini in everything I do. Yeezy is the Lamborghini of shoes."