This is how Wild are crushing their competitors

What’s the magic formula for becoming a high growth brand?

When Wild kicked off its journey, they zeroed in on deodorant not just for its lucrative profit margins, but also because the market for deodorant was stale. Dominated by a handful of industry leaders, it was the perfect playground for a bold newcomer. But to make it big, simply launching a new product wasn’t enough – they had to think about the long game. They needed to be agile.

We spoke to Wild’s Co-founder Freddy Ward and got under the covers of their growth-driving approach.

Product as the Core Marketing Strategy

Customers aren’t just looking for functional products anymore. And with sustainability becoming more and more a baseline for brands, Wild resonate with a social media generation by making their products feel that extra bit special – something that can look sexy on an Instagram feed, while also signalling a shift towards greener values.

Freddy pointed to Tony’s Chocolonely as a prime example – while only 20% of consumers might grasp the brand’s ethical mission, the rest just enjoy the chocolate. Crucially, a product’s appeal can’t take a backseat to its brand mission.

The lesson: Standing out means creating products that consumers are excited to share. The easier you make it for consumers to advocate for your actual product, the better.

Influencer Marketing: Direct and Disciplined

Though Freddy quickly debunked the rumour that Wild have an influencer team of 70 people, he did admit that they have a sizeable crew on it. Wild manage their influencer marketing all in-house, meaning they’ve been able to negotiate better rates, treat influencer partnerships like any other performance channel and nurture real fans.

Not every collaboration yields results, he says, but Wild’s test-and-learn mindset means they can optimise and refine strategies as they go. The result? A scalable influencer model that fuels growth more efficiently than traditional channels.

The lesson: keep influencer relationships close to home. A hands-on approach lets you pivot quickly to what works, cut what doesn’t, and build loyalty beyond a single campaign.

Diversify the Channel Mix

Wild’s marketing strategy is built on a mix of Meta, TikTok, and referral programs. Their thinking is that over-reliance on a single platform can be risky. The goal for them is to have no more than 30% of marketing spend in any single channel to protect against sudden changes in platform performance.

The lesson: spreading across multiple channels isn’t just about reaching more people; it’s a strategic safeguard. It’s how you keep the baseline of performance consistent when algorithms change at whim.

Handle CAC Increases

Customer acquisition costs naturally increase as a business scales. But rather than expecting a decline in CAC over time, Wild are focused on improving product value and margins to offset rising costs. Freddy sees these “CAC jumps” as inevitable but manageable if addressed with strategic levers such as product upgrades and customer retention initiatives.

The lesson, in the words of Freddy: “What you need to fight really hard at is make your product better, make your margins better and drive up your AAV. So you're trying to build the engine to fund CACs rising and retention getting harder.”

Embrace Risk

For Wild, creativity means taking risks and giving the team permission to fail. When we spoke to Freddy he emphasised the importance of pushing boundaries, whether it’s with innovative product ideas or unconventional marketing campaigns (remember that dirty talking polar bear ad?!). He believes that the most successful brands are those that remain confident in their identity while staying close to their customers’ needs.

The lesson: Building ideas based on past data is important, but trying unconventional ideas and taking calculated risks can give you new, potentially breakthrough insights.

Build in different markets

From day one, Wild set its sights globally. They knew competition could heat up quickly in the UK, so took a strategic leap to establish itself across multiple markets. This multi-front approach isn't just about spreading risk – it’s about gaining flexibility and resilience. Expanding in different areas is how Wild have managed to sidestep market saturation, their growth less dependent on any single territory.

The lesson: Pre-empt competition, tap into untouched markets. Don’t rely on being a first-mover, but do move fast.