A pre-launch plan built around one cohort, one object, and one category thesis. From first exposure to founding advocate, every touchpoint is mapped to See · Think · Do · Care.
Design- and skincare-conscious adults who treat deodorant as a daily scent ritual, not a commodity. They value aluminium-free, microbiome-conscious formulations, luxury fragrance credibility, and the scarcity of being among the first.
They already buy Byredo, Le Labo, Aesop, Necessaire, and Chanel — and they are currently unsatisfied by the pharmacy aisle.
No agency, no media buyer, no retail team. The plan leans on owned media and founder-led outreach, with paid and community layers added only once the first signals are working.
A focused weekly rhythm that balances content creation, direct outreach, and light community care. Batch the creative work where you can; keep the conversations personal.
| Day | Earned | Owned | Paid | Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Draft 3 press seeding emails to micro-creators | Write the weekly long-form piece (Journal) | — | Reply to weekend DMs and comments |
| Tuesday | Send seeding emails; follow up 1 warm lead | Film 2 short-form clips from Monday's piece | Check last week's ad spend | Welcome 3 new waitlist members by name |
| Wednesday | Reply to press/creator inbound | Edit and schedule Wednesday's owned post | — | Post a poll or question in the waitlist group |
| Thursday | Personal outreach to 5 potential advocates | Prepare Friday's newsletter email | Boost the best-performing organic post (small budget) | Acknowledge 1 super-fan publicly |
| Friday | Capture any press wins or testimonials | Send newsletter; recap the week | — | Read feedback and reply to every message |
Balance the week across creative batches, outreach, and community care. Shift focus when a press hit or paid ad needs extra attention.
Show up in the world the buyer already inhabits.
Educate the category into existence.
Convert intent into a Founding 500 seat.
Turn first bottles into permanent rituals.
| Stage | Customer mindset | VAEV objective | Touchpoints | Messaging | CTA | Success metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 · Discovery SEE | Not searching. Encounters VAEV inside a considered feed and pauses on the object. | Introduce a new category with a single distinctive image and one line — earn the pause, not the click. | Editorial press, considered social, Pinterest, referred discovery. | “Deodorant, evolved.” | Discover VAEV | Reach · qualified sessions · branded search lift. |
02 · Consideration THINK | Curious and evaluating. Wants to understand why the category needs reinventing and whether the object is real. | Communicate the thesis — microbiome-conscious, aluminium-free, heat-activated fragrance arc — and reduce perceived risk through formulation transparency, wear notes, and the founder letter. | Product page, journal entries, wear notes, founder letter, private preview. | “Luxury fragrance meets intelligent deodorant technology.” | Read the ritual | Journal read-through · time on product · email opt-in · return sessions. |
03 · Founding 500 DO | Ready to commit to something worth committing to. Wants to be early, not last. | Convert intent into a numbered Founding 500 position — the first cohort to receive VAEV. | Waitlist form, confirmation, founding invitation. | “Join the Founding 500.” | Reserve your position | Signups · confirmed positions · position-to-signup rate. |
04 · Founding relationship CARE | Reserved. Wants proof the wait is worth it and to feel remembered between now and launch. | Hold the cohort warm to launch, then convert to first-run purchase, review, and referral — turn buyers into named advocates. | Field Notes newsletter, numbered invitation object, launch-day drop, named referral link, review request, refill nudge. | “You were here first.” | Read this month's Field Note | Waitlist → launch purchase · repeat purchase · referral rate · verified reviews. |
Fig. 1 — Founding 500 journey, mapped to See · Think · Do · Care.
The weekly cadence above becomes a 90-day sprint. Each month has a single North Star milestone so you know what to prioritise when time is scarce.