With the wellness and wellbeing industry continuing to rise, and the wellness market estimated at a whopping $12.5 billion in 2020 (Statistia, 2022), how can you become a disruptor in this area and make a successful business in an already saturated market? That’s exactly what Heights have done.

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I can make you feel good:

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Heights aren’t just your average supplement brand. They started out with a £1.7 million crowdfunding round on Seedrs, amassing 696 investors, and are now running another Seedr campaign to hopefully gain 1,000 new investors. The aim with the new funds is to develop a Smart Probiotic, as well as expansion in the US (Seedrs).

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“We, the founders, recognise the value of crowdfunding and having more voices in the company supporting us, helping us reach our Heights, overcoming challenges together, and of course, being motivated to make the switch from your existing supplement stack to Heights (and telling your friends), and how that can all positively impact our journey.” (Dan Murray, Co-Founder, Co-CEO at Heights)

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Making science sexy

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By researching academic journals, Co-CEO Dan Murray-Serter was able to take the information he’d learned and translate this into newsletters which included emojis and ‘some lols’ (his words, not ours!), to make it more ‘Millennial and fun’. Because there is so much content out there from journals to repurpose, he found that they never ran out of content with this strategy (they linked to the journals from the newsletter, but reported little to no click throughs to these). By doing this they’ve made science more accessible to the masses (YouTube).

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Heights know the difference between ‘knowing your s**t, and knowing you’re s**t’. In a market saturated with Insta health gurus (that clearly haven’t done thorough research into their niche) Dan felt frustrated. By utilising scientific knowledge as a dynamic marketing tool plus a unique tone of voice, Heights were able to cut through the noise as a reputable challenger in the market (YouTube). Dan really values brain care, which is where this all stemmed from, so being able to communicate this in a more fun and attention grabbing way for products that are scientifically backed was a win win.

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As well as doing their own extensive research, they enlisted the help of Dr Tara Swart (neuroscientist, senior lecturer at MIT, and the award-winning author of The Source) as their Chief Science officer to help create their smart supplement (Heights blog).

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The power of communication and brand

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Human connection and community are really important to Heights. “The way you express what you do and why you do it is the thing that has the power to change” (YouTube). With their direct to consumer approach, and sleek product design, Heights combine the power of communication with on-point branding that stands out from its competitors, and include this as an integral part of their own marketing strategy.

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As part of their marketing comms, their popular podcast had over 100 episodes and features the likes of Jay shetty, stephen Fry, James Clear, their very own Dr. Tara Swart, and many more. This adds to the trust and value that the brand brings to the table.

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What can we learn from them?

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• Know your niche inside and out - By seeing gaps in the market through competitor analysis, Heights were able to find an opportunity for their unique offering. Other ways to explore your niche could be from surveys and interviews with people who buy from competitors, as well as your existing customers, to understand the reasons and forces driving people to buy from your brand vs competitors.
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• Newsletters are integral to your marketing strategy -  Their newsletter has been very popular with their readership, specifically around cognitive performance, amassing around 60,000 followers. And this was all BEFORE they launched the tangible product  (TechCrunch). Building a community is important, and sometimes, building one where people don’t have to directly talk to each other works just as well (or better!) than social media. Heights built a community by giving people the knowledge they need in more colloquial and easily digestible language via their newsletters.
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• To boot, they have 130k+ Email subscribers, 46K Insta Followers, 130+ pod episodes!
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• Storytelling is important - By taking something academically in depth, Heights made a tone of voice that would work best with their target market, making important information palatable and relevant to the user and their needs.
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Next: Nike’s brand strategy: using NFTs to build communities.

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Case StudyStart up

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