When I created Outdoor Voices in 2013 I knew that to build a loyal customer base, we couldn’t just sell products. We needed to create a movement, a community, a lifestyle. The “Doing Things” movement wasn’t just the blue hat you’d get if you came to an OV event, but the memories made, the community you built, and how it made you feel.
In the early days of OV, the impact of community on our business was clear. We didn’t have sophisticated measurements to prove LTV impact or the exact number of customers acquired from an event, but we could see the shares on social, the people coming back, and the crowds growing.
But as a CEO scaling a consumer business, it became harder to justify our community spend. Not because we didn’t believe in its impact, but because we couldn’t prove it. Investing in community that couldn’t be translated into metrics for my board was seen as irresponsible.
So against our instinct, we pulled back on community and poured money into customer acquisition channels. At times, we were spending nearly 40% of our revenue on paid ads. But these new customers didn’t stick. They bought once. They weren’t a part of the Doing Things movement. Most critically, these expensive ad platforms were keeping us from owning our customer relationships.
I knew there had to be a better model for community value creation.
That model is TYB. The future of brand building is community-generated, and it’s measurable. I’m excited to welcome you today into this new world of brand-to-fan engagement. A world where relationships matter, and contributions are rewarded - the world of TYB.
Over the last few years, myself and a team of fellow brand builders, community & gaming experts have been working to bring this vision to life. To date, we’ve helped over 50 brands enter the future of building with a better business model we like to call community-integrated-commerce.
As a play-to-earn community platform, TYB is where brands and fans build and win together. Through TYB, members earn collectibles from their favorite brands, unlocking personalized engagement, experiences, and more. Collectibles earned on TYB redeem directly on a brand site. Brands have full data ownership & a full picture into how the community is impacting their business.
TYB has turned community into an owned and measurable channel. A channel where connection, collaboration and incentives create better products, drive growth and create fulfilling brand experiences.
Welcome to the future. Welcome to TYB.
Best,
Ty Haney, CEO & Founder of TYB
