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- Girl math marketing, Calvin Klein's new ads, and Thrasio’s bankruptcy | D2C Digest
Girl math marketing, Calvin Klein's new ads, and Thrasio’s bankruptcy | D2C Digest
Weekly D2C News
Berkay Erol
September 11, 2024
Hey there, great people of the D2C community who are building fantastic things! This is your host Berkay writing.
Take a 5-minute break and dive into D2C Digest for a quick overview of what’s happening in the D2C market worldwide!
🤑 Calvin Klein hit the jackpot with Jeremy Allen White Ads
This is not directly related to D2C, but still worth sharing for some inspiration.
As many of you have probably already seen, Calvin Klein has teamed up again with The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, and it’s already making waves.
The first time they worked together, even Calvin Klein didn’t expect the hype. The campaign went viral, pulling in $74 million in media impressions and boosting underwear sales by 30% in just a week.
Photo Credit: Mert Alas/ for Calvin Klein
Now, they’re back at it, this time with White casually hanging out poolside with a dog for their Fall collection. The vibe? Relaxed, effortless, and totally in sync with White’s simple style from The Bear—which just happens to be a perfect match for Calvin Klein’s timeless look.
With over 5.2 million Instagram followers and fans who can’t get enough of him, this campaign is bound to go viral again. It’s a clear reminder that when the right celebrity comes on board, it’s not just about buzz—it leads to real results.
🧮 Genius “Girl Math” marketing
Dagsmejan, a Swiss sleepwear brand, came up with a clever approach to converting customers on their product pages.
Instead of just showing the price, they’ve added a "daily cost per night" breakdown—simply dividing the product’s price by 365 days and displaying it right below the actual price.
For example, "This one only costs €0.34 per night 🙂."
It’s a smart way to make the purchase feel more affordable on a daily basis. While we’re not sure how much it’s boosting their conversions, it’s definitely a creative and engaging idea!
🥊 D2C brands Thrasio’s bankruptcy leads to private equity dispute
The collapse of eCommerce startup Thrasio has sparked a rare public dispute between its former private equity backers.
Oaktree Capital Management sent a letter to fellow investors, Silver Lake and Advent, expressing frustration over their handling of Thrasio, as reported by the Financial Times. All three firms had backed Thrasio, which declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
In the letter, Oaktree stated their trust in Silver Lake and Advent was “misplaced,” noting that they had expected these experienced PE firms to "professionalize the business" and exercise more caution in deploying capital. Oaktree admitted that relying on their alignment with Silver Lake and Advent without stronger controls was a mistake.
Such public criticism between prominent PE firms is unusual, as they often collaborate on various investments and prioritize maintaining positive relationships.
Once valued at $6 billion, Thrasio faced financial trouble due to a drop in online spending post-pandemic. Although the company emerged from bankruptcy in June with a new CEO, Stephanie Fox, and a restructured balance sheet, its future remains uncertain. A report from S&P Global Ratings warned that Thrasio's capital structure was "unsustainable" and flagged a possible default within 12 months due to liquidity challenges.
Thrasio’s bankruptcy is part of a broader struggle among Amazon product aggregators, with other players like Benitago Group and Perch also facing financial difficulties in the sector.
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