Experts Over Paid Ads

Rob Dyrdek shares his experience with Momentous, a premium supplement company, highlighting how authentic marketing through genuine expert endorsement was crucial for success, particularly after years of struggling with traditional marketing approaches.

Key Points:

• Initial Business Challenges:

  • Premium pricing (35% above market) made sales difficult
  • Traditional marketing and partnerships with sports teams didn't drive sales
  • Company struggled for years despite high-quality product

• Breakthrough via Authentic Marketing:

  • Success came through Andrew Huberman's endorsement
  • Product resonated with Huberman's audience due to:
    • His authenticity in the science/human optimization space
    • Natural alignment with the product's premium quality
  • Business grew "20 times" after Huberman's endorsement

• Marketing Lesson:

  • One-to-one media-to-consumer match is crucial
  • Authenticity of the promoter matters more than paid partnerships
  • Expert validation more valuable than traditional advertising

• Business Evolution:

  • Started in 2016 as "Project 1"
  • Rebranded to Momentous to represent premium positioning
  • Initially did few million in sales, losing money
  • Now approaching $40 million in sales after authentic endorsement

• Key Learning:

  • Premium products need authentic validators
  • Right messenger matters more than message
  • Product quality alone doesn't guarantee success
  • Market fit requires alignment between product, promoter, and audience

This perspective emphasizes the importance of finding authentic promotional channels over paid advertising, especially for premium products requiring expert validation.