HoopLove LLC
A basketball apparel and community brand I co-founded with my business partner.
The Situation
My business partner and I are launching a brand built on the idea that basketball uniquely connects people across age, geography, income, and race. Good idea, but we have to build a market position, audience, and go-to-market plan from scratch.
What I did
• Set up the LLC and necessary accounts.
• Worked to defined and clearly articulate the brand position and what separates it from every other basketball apparel label
• Built the go-to-market plan and launch sequence
• Drafted the email launch copy for a direct email campaign to a list we built ourselves
• Worked with legal counsel to create and file proper trademark applications
The result
The launch email went to 160 people — friends, family, and people we’d met through basketball over the years — and opened at 46%. We’re currently working on fulfilling orders to develop customized shirts (and socks) for men’s and women’s high school teams incorporating their school logo and the HoopLove logo.
That number is high because the list was warm, and it’s worth saying so. What it demonstrates is the part that transfers: a list built deliberately from real relationships, and a message written for people who actually knew us, will outperform a bigger list built on nothing. Most organizations have a version of that list and either under use it or never use it all.
