Brands Briefing: How brands like HexClad and Snif are stretching holiday marketing dollars

HexClad is one of a number of brands that’s deploying budget-conscious holiday promotional strategies this year. Thanks to increased competition from other brands, as well as political advertising, the fourth quarter is already an expensive time to play in traditional paid channels. But this year has the added challenge of marketing budgets compressed by tariff costs, leading some brands to lower their marketing spend or try to make the most of the same budget they worked with last year.

Polly Wong, president of DTC marketing agency Belardi Wong, said her team is seeing double-digit declines in marketing spending from brands. But that doesn’t mean the environment is less competitive, she said, and the focus has turned to capturing new audiences.

“In general, there are brands spending less this year during holiday than last year,” she said. “They’re being charged with spending less and doing more.”

At HexClad, high-impact photographer and celebrity endorsements like that of brand ambassador Gordon Ramsay play a leading role in the content strategy. Pine said the company is at the centerfold of a multi-brand catalog this year, which is being sent out by PostPilot and also includes food brands like olive oil brands. “We’re going to make it as HexClad-y as we can, but with the caveat that we know we need to play into the rest of the catalog,” he said.

Pine said direct mail, while not cheaper than email marketing, has a longer tail that can pay off in the long run. “If you send somebody an email, you have those first couple of days of attribution. After that, it’s getting buried in their inbox,” he said. “When it comes to direct mail, if they have any interest in what you’re sending them or if it’s a really beautiful catalog, that will sit on somebody’s coffee table or right by their door. Then we see people making purchases or coming to the website a week or two later after receiving the mail.”

Snif, a fragrance and candle brand, does about 90% of its candle business between August and December, said co-founder Bryan Edwards. It’s also the only time of year the company runs big promotional campaigns, with much of its focus going to brand collaborations and influencer campaigns.

Marilyn Olmstead, Snif’s vp of growth and partnerships, said the company has increased its gifting and seeding every year — and this year, it started the process earlier to get in customers’ minds.

 “When it comes to just holiday in general, there’s a ton of noise going on, and we see CPCs and customer acquisition costs go up,” she said. “So we are really leaning into our strengths within the influencer, creator and partnership space going into holiday for that reason.”

Overall, Snif’s influencer collaborations have amassed over 800 million impressions to date for the 5-year-old brand.

“Everyone loves a holiday candle and sharing it, because it’s very aesthetic,” Olmstead said. “And there is a direct correlation between the amount of product we’re sending out to different creators and the earned media value, impressions and halo effect we see in the sales of those products.”

This September, the company teamed up with New York City’s Levain Bakery for a special edition “Mornings at Levain” candle that evokes chopped walnuts, chocolate, and hints of butter and sea salt. Snif is selling 8.5-ounce and 50-ounce candles on its site, and the candle is available in a gift set with a four-pack of cookies through Levain. To help promote the drop, Snif has already gifted the product to 250 creators to help generate buzz and will have given out at least 400 ahead of the holidays.

Edwards from Snif said the company has learned that a new or limited-edition product rollout is a helpful sales driver that doesn’t eat into margins the way a promo deal might. Since 2022 it has had a partnership with culinary influencer Tieghan Gerard of “Half Baked Harvest.” Last year, Snif rolled out a fruitcake-inspired Naughty Nonna fragrance. Edwards said the cheeky drop helped up cart volumes during the Cyber Five weekend without any additional promos.

“If you can give them another reason to get excited and talk to them about something besides just the percentage off or the buy-one, get-one-free offer, it captures their attention,” Edwards said. “And so. there’s some newness going live on our site in November that we hope will help us cut through the noise this year.” –Melissa Daniels

Why Harry’s is getting into fragrance

This week, the grooming brand Harry’s announced its expansion into the fragrance category with its first-ever eau de parfum collection. Harry’s partnered with the French fragrance house Mane to create the line, which features three scents priced at $35 per bottle. The three scents are: Kin, described as clean, cool and laid-back; the rugged Classic Cowboy, featuring musk and leather notes; and Moonrise, featuring notes of saffron flower and ginger. Sadie Rutman, brand manager at Harry’s, spoke with Modern Retail about why the 12-year-old startup, known for its razors, is getting into fragrance. 

How did the idea of venturing into fragrance come about, and why are you entering the category at this time?
“Fragrance felt like a really natural next step for us. Over the past few years, we’ve built strong scent equity through our body wash line — our scents have even gone viral on TikTok as dupes for luxury fragrances. Guys love them, and we saw a real opportunity to bring that same approach into a premium line of colognes at an accessible price point. We leaned into our digital-first strengths during the pre-launch of Kin, using it as a testing ground to understand the consumer, validate the fit and refine our messaging. That launch validated a lot of our hypotheses around the ripeness of the cologne space.

Fragrance as a category is booming, but there are still unmet needs. We believe Harry’s has the right to play here by delivering uniquely crafted products and experiences at a price that feels more than worth it, just like we do across all our categories. At the end of the day, our customers trust us to elevate their everyday grooming routines. Entering fragrance expands on that promise, giving guys a sophisticated, memorable experience without the barrier of luxury pricing.”

Tell us about the inspiration for the line’s scents and working with Mane on developing them.
“We set out to create fragrances that are nuanced, long-lasting and elevated yet still accessible. Each scent was designed to evolve naturally throughout the day, built thoughtfully from the base notes up to ensure depth and complexity, rather than a quick flash. Partnering with Mane was a natural choice. They’ve been behind all of our scent-forward products, and as one of the most respected fragrance houses in the world, they brought extraordinary artistry and expertise to this collection.” 

As a brand ubiquitous in big-box and drugstore chains, what was the strategy behind the pricing?
“Accessibility was non-negotiable for us. Our customers expect Harry’s to deliver quality at a great value, so it was important to create something that felt elevated without being out of reach. At $35, our colognes strike the sweet spot: sophisticated, thoughtfully crafted and long-lasting but still attainable. By partnering with one of the world’s top fragrance houses and being intentional about every detail — scent complexity, bottle design, packaging — we were able to deliver a product that feels premium while staying within reach for more consumers. Where we landed with $35 reflects a balance of all of that: our brand promise, the competitive landscape and an ownable position that resonates with consumers.” –Gabriela Barkho

Tin Can goes on a hiring spree

Phone startup Tin Can is looking to expand its team after rapid growth in less than a year of operations. The company makes Wi-Fi-enabled phones targeted toward parents and their kids that can call each other for free, and they’ve gone viral thanks to demand for screen-free communication and the phones’ nostalgia-infused design. 

After selling out two pre-orders for its next model, and after raising $3.5 million in venture capital funding, the company is experiencing a growth spurt. 

Tin Can is currently hiring for six new roles: influencer marketing specialist, social media specialist, customer experience specialist; head of international expansion, security engineer and head of finance.
Co-founder Chet Kittleson told Modern Retail the company’s growth has been faster than it anticipated and it needs to scale across the board to meet its demand. He said the goal is to build a team that is aligned with helping families find real connection in a smartphone-saturated world. “We’re looking for people who share our belief that human connection is the foundation of a better future for every generation,” he said. –Melissa Daniels

What we’re reading

• The British toybrand Jellycat saw revenue rise to nearly $450 million, while its profits doubled, which the toymaker attributes in part to the ‘kidult’ craze.
• Gymshark’s first permanent store is opening this week at the Roosevelt Field Shopping Center in Garden City, New York while its U.S. flagship is set to open on Bond Street in Manhattan in December.
• Beauty conglomerates like Coty and L’Oreal are increasingly trimming their portfolios, Business of Fashion reports.

What we’ve covered

• Ninja is increasingly turning to baby and wedding registries to acquire customers.
• Why brands like Bubble and Panera Bread are increasingly tapping Y2K-era celebrities like Leighton Meester for campaigns.
• Influencer Bobby Parrish has launched his food and supplement brand FlavCity at Target.