New York or Nowhere's Quincy Moore and Liz Eswein on strategizing around big-name collaborations
The Glossy Podcast · with Quincy Moore and Liz Eswein · April 12, 2023 · 35 min
Summary
New York or Nowhere (NYON) founders Liz Eswein and Quincy Moore discuss their strategy for building a community-first brand that successfully leverages high-profile collaborations for customer acquisition and market expansion. They share insights into evolving from digital content to physical products and scaling a brand with a focus on quality and strategic partnerships, offering valuable lessons for DTC operators looking to grow their reach without massive marketing budgets.
Key takeaways
Prioritize community building before product launches to foster a loyal audience, as NYON did by starting with the @newyorkcity Instagram account's followers.
Strategically choose collaboration partners that align with your brand identity and offer access to new, relevant audiences, using these partnerships as a primary customer acquisition tactic over large marketing spends.
Expand into physical retail, like NYON's Nolita flagship, to create immersive brand experiences and reach customers beyond digital channels, driving omnichannel growth.
Focus on a "level up" strategy for new product development, ensuring each new offering (e.g., knitwear, home goods) boasts high-quality materials and design to maintain brand prestige and customer satisfaction.
Leverage existing digital platforms and influencer presence (e.g., Liz Eswein's @newyorkcity account) to organically launch and scale direct-to-consumer brands, minimizing initial marketing overhead.
When Liz Eswein and Quincy Moore launched New York or Nowhere (NYON) in 2020, they were intentional about focusing on community first, then a product after. NYON, birthed from Eswein's @newyorkcity Instagram account (currently at 1.5 million followers), first hit the scene with digital downloads such as phone backgrounds and a coloring book. Now, the 3-year-old company has become best known for its apparel and art prints featuring its brand name. Since its inception, NYON has entered physical retail, opening its first flagship store in NYC's Nolita neighborhood in October 2022. The brand has also forayed into product collaborations, including with the New York Knicks, Rimowa and American Express. "We're thoughtful and careful with who we collaborate with. Our biggest and most ongoing partnership is with the Knicks, and it's hard to get bigger than that, especially for a New York brand," Moore said on the latest episode of The Glossy Podcast. "Slowly but surely, we will continue to do smaller collaborations as a customer acquisition tactic. We don't have massive budgets for marketing, but it does work to align yourself with like-minded entities and feed off of each other's audience." As the brand expands, exploring new categories is at the top of the priority list. NYON launched its first knit crewneck over the holiday, which performed extremely well, according to Eswein. At the end of last year, the brand also expanded into more home goods products and released a candle and a blanket. Above all, Moore and Eswein said they are now focused on ensuring that all future products and assortment are a "level up" from previous items by producing them with high-quality materials.
Prioritize community building before product launches to foster a loyal audience, as NYON did by starting with the @newyorkcity Instagram account's followers.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Strategically choose collaboration partners that align with your brand identity and offer access to new, relevant audiences, using these partnerships as a primary customer acquisition tactic over large marketing spends.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Expand into physical retail, like NYON's Nolita flagship, to create immersive brand experiences and reach customers beyond digital channels, driving omnichannel growth.
What does this episode say about customer retention?
Focus on a "level up" strategy for new product development, ensuring each new offering (e.g., knitwear, home goods) boasts high-quality materials and design to maintain brand prestige and customer satisfaction.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Leverage existing digital platforms and influencer presence (e.g., Liz Eswein's @newyorkcity account) to organically launch and scale direct-to-consumer brands, minimizing initial marketing overhead.
