You’ve probably noticed the recent buzz around CBD, and in particular, a certain pastel-coloured can at the till of your local cafe. If you have, it's probably Trip CBD. So who are they, and why are we talking about them?

‍

Trip is a young UK brand championing CBD wellness one product at a time. They started with CBD oils, but it’s their CBD infused drinks that have really put them in the spotlight. They’ve quickly made their way to 11,000 retailers, including the likes of Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barrett, Boots, Ocado, Selfridges and Harrods, as well as chains like Brewdog, Leon and Benugo.

‍

Although they only launched in 2019, they’re already one of the leading CBD brands in the UK, and they recently secured a £10m investment to fuel their growth.

‍

So what can we learn from Trip’s meteoric rise?

‍

‍

An idea with a strong sense of purpose…

‍

The idea for Trip was born out of CEO Olivia Ferdi’s struggle with anxiety and partner Dan Khoury needing a source of pain relief to walk down the aisle.

‍

What does this tell us? There’s a deep personal connection to their business’s purpose. They had a distinct reason for creating Trip: “to share a bit of calm in the everyday chaos through CBD experiences that are just as enjoyable to taste as the feeling after” .

‍

As their mission statement shows, their personal stake in their brand has a strong effect on their brand purpose, which is communicated with clarity and transparency in their messaging.

‍

‍

A solid understanding of their audience’s Jobs-to-be-done

‍

Trip saw a unique opportunity in a developing market and stated their territory.

‍

A year after their launch, Olivia shared that many of their customers are new to CBD, with Trip being their introduction to this method of stress relief.

‍

Trip was launched in the height of the pandemic, a period of time with a huge focus on mental health. With so many people looking for ways to deal with stress, worry and anxiety and with CBD slowly making its foray into the UK, Trip showed up just in time with a quick fire solution - a range of CBD oils created for stress relief, launched and operated from the comfort of their own home.

‍

Even with the pandemic behind us, the focus on mental health remains, and so does the demand for alcohol alternatives like CBD.

‍

With many now aiming to ward off hangover anxiety, CBD is steadily becoming the ideal substitute. Studies show that over 60% of Gen Zers are leaning on alcohol-substitutes this dry January, with cannabis and CBD products making up 21%.

‍

As one of the go-to brands for CBD in the UK, it's no surprise their consistent trajectory is on the up and up.

‍

On the surface this might seem like the perfect storm, but their longevity beyond the pandemic clearly suggests that Trip have a really solid understanding of their audience's jobs to be done which allows them to deliver powerfully on both how they communicate with that audience, and how they deliver value through their product offering

‍

Strong focus on quality…

‍

Shortly after being recommended CBD by Dan’s brother, Olivia and Dan struggled to find a go-to CBD product in the UK that met their price and quality standards, so they began experimenting with recipes in their home kitchen. And they turned to family and friends for feedback on their idea

‍

They also focused on building an online community on Instagram and Facebook which they then used as a test market, using feedback as their source of inspiration for their product model.

‍

With a focus on taste quality (they pride themselves on great flavours with no added sugar) and feel of the product, it’s no wonder that five years after their product launch, with many brands adding CBD elements to their product ranges, Trip remains a key market leader in the UK CBD world.

‍

The influencer factor…

‍

Like with most new brands, Trip adopted the influencer strategy to spread the gospel of their arrival. With a string of influencer campaigns to pair with their launch, they soon began shipping out their products in droves.

‍

BUT, one thing to take into account here is that this was not the be all and end all of their strategy. They first developed their product and core audience as the framework, got their messaging and proposition spot on - which they then used in their search for the right range of both local and global influencers to effectively reach and engage their audience.

‍

‍

A key takeaway here is to really focus on working out why your audience needs your product. How will it improve their lives or help them achieve their goals? With an increasing demand for stress relievers, Trip has found an easily accessible solution in their product.

‍

What bits of Trip’s success formula will you be adopting? I’d love to know!

#startuptips#growthmarketing#founderstories#startupfounders#startuplessons

‍