Think Influencer Marketing can’t drive sales?

A company that grew sales almost 21,000% (close to $50,000,000) last year begs to differ.

Inc. recently released their annual ranking of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America.

Halo Top Creamery came in at Number 5.

For those not familiar with Halo Top, it sells today’s hottest brand of low-sugar ice cream.

It started in 2011 when Justin Woolverton (a lawyer at the time) started playing around to find a lower-calorie ice cream substitute.

After toying with Greek Yogurt and fruit, he decided to experiment further with sugar substitutes to set his brand apart.

Once he perfected his product, he launched in 2012 in a single grocery store in LA.

Halo Top’s story might have ended like many competitors that have come along in the past few years into the crowded frozen treat category.

But it didn’t.

Influencer Marketing helps Halo Top drive sales

ENTER THE INFLUENCER

Halo Top started blowing the lid off their business (pardon the pun) in January 2016.

However, it wasn’t just that it was time for New Year’s Resolutions and Diets that helped.

In 2015 Shane Snow visited a friend in LA who turned him on to Halo Top – and revealed he ate it by the pint-full.

Oh, and this friend is a Health Trainer.

Shane was hooked.

And, Shane is no mere mortal.

He is a a journalist, bestselling author, and entrepreneur who blogs about data and other experiments. He has, in his words, “donated my body to personal scientific exploration” on several occasions.

Mixing his love for a challenge with love for food, Shane decided to eat ONLY Halo Top for 10 days.

Shane chronicled his experiement on GQ.

The story went viral on the Internet…and Justin’s Halo Top did the same at retail.

Halo Top is now found in most major grocery stores, and thousands of other retail outlets.

2016 sales were more than $49,000,000.  

To date in 2017, Halo Top has sold some 50 million pints which makes it the best selling brand of ice cream sold in pints.

Influencer Marketing is Only Part of the Story

This story is not just about the power of an Influencer.

It’s also about the power to listen to the #1 Influencers in Marketing.

The Shopper and Consumer.

Across Social Media channels, Halo Top has over 1.1 million fans.

Halo Top listens and engages with this audience.

Influencer Marketing – especially for retail-focused brands – is not just working with ‘Influencers’ on a brand’s behalf and hoping to go viral.

Influencer Marketing must be a two-way street.

Being a brand smart enough to listen is a smart brand indeed.

And, clearly, it can help a brand topple an industry.

 

Editors Note: Mid-way through writing this article, the author simply had to make a grocery store run to buy a pint of Mint Chip Halo Top.

It was on sale…and delicious.

It also means that Halo Top has now sold at least 50,000,001 pints this year.