Your Brand’s Missing Link: Getting Noticed (and Bought)

☕ The Growth Espresso Edition #117

Jun 05, 2025

🗓️ Thursday, 5 Jun 2025

Hi, and welcome back to Growth Espresso - your one-stop destination for everything e-com.

Ever noticed that once you hear about something—like a brand of sneakers or a weird new supplement—suddenly it feels like it’s everywhere?

That’s the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, or “frequency illusion,” at play.

And guess what? For eCommerce brands, it’s marketing gold.

Imagine this: A shopper scrolls Instagram and sees your ad for the first time.

Later that day, a friend mentions your product at brunch. That night, they get a retargeting email. Boom—they’re convinced your brand is everywhere, and suddenly, you’re top of mind.

So, let’s talk about how you can make the Baader-Meinhof effect work for your brand—without feeling spammy or forced.

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Back to 5 steps to make the Baader-Meinhof effect work for your brand-

Step 1. Start with a Strategic First Impression

👉 Example: Imagine you’re launching a brand called ChillMate, which sells eco-friendly water bottles designed to keep drinks icy cold for 12 hours. Instead of going straight for the hard sell, you kick things off with a TikTok influencer who’s a known outdoor enthusiast—let’s call her Lexi Hikes—posting a casual video mid-trail, showing how her ChillMate bottle kept her water cool even after hours of hiking in the summer sun. She’s not just selling—she’s showing.

That one authentic, engaging video doesn’t just introduce your brand—it plants a seed of curiosity in the viewer’s mind. Suddenly, they’re noticing other people at the gym or the park carrying bottles that look suspiciously like yours. That’s the Baader-Meinhof effect working its magic.

👉 Tip: Pick a channel that’s actually relevant to your audience—Instagram Reels for Gen Z, Facebook Groups for busy moms, or even LinkedIn posts for fitness-focused professionals.

Make sure your first impression feels authentic and trustworthy.

Think: user-generated content, influencer mentions, or a highly targeted paid ad that feels native to the platform.

The goal? Make them feel like they discovered you, not like you’re forcing your way into their feed.

Step 2. Reinforce with Retargeting (Smartly)

👉 Example: Let’s say you sell premium skincare serums called GlowScience. A customer visits your site after seeing a beauty influencer rave about your product but doesn’t buy on the first visit. That’s okay! This is where smart retargeting steps in.

The next day, they see an Instagram Story ad—maybe featuring a quick testimonial from a real customer sharing how GlowScience helped them reduce acne scars. A few days later, they scroll through Facebook and spot a dynamic product ad with the exact serum they viewed. It’s personalized, relevant, and feels like a reminder from a friend, not a pushy sales pitch.

👉 Tip: Don’t bombard them with the same boring ad. Rotate your creative like you’re flipping through a marketing wardrobe: one day it’s a carousel highlighting product benefits, the next day it’s a short, snappy video from an influencer, and the next, it’s a single-image testimonial.

Keep things fresh so the Baader-Meinhof effect feels organic—not like you’re stalking them around the internet.

Step 3. Leverage Social Proof to Amplify Perception

👉 Example: You’re running a DTC home décor brand called CozyCasa. You just launched a new line of throw pillows that are chef’s kiss. You ask a few happy customers to post photos of their living rooms featuring those pillows, using a branded hashtag like #CozyCasaStyle. You also send free samples to a few micro-influencers who genuinely love your brand—people who have smaller, more engaged followings that feel authentic.

Now, potential customers are scrolling Instagram and see #CozyCasaStyle popping up in their feed from real people, not just ads. It’s that moment when they think, “Wow, everyone seems to be talking about this brand lately!”—exactly the Baader-Meinhof effect you’re aiming for.

👉 Tip: Don’t let this goldmine of organic content gather dust. Highlight these posts in your own channels—share them in Instagram Stories with a “Fan Feature” sticker, feature them on your homepage under “Real Homes, Real Love,” or include them in your email newsletters. The more channels they see it on, the stronger the frequency illusion becomes.

Step 4. Email Marketing—But Not the Annoying Kind

👉 Example: Let’s say a customer just bought your WildRoots organic granola. Instead of immediately hammering them with “BUY MORE!” emails, you send a warm thank-you message with a story from another customer who used the granola to make delicious breakfast parfaits. The email might include a recipe card, photos of the parfait, and even a quick video showing how to make it. This kind of helpful, user-driven content nurtures familiarity and trust—like you’re their cool foodie friend, not a cold sales machine.

👉 Tip: Personalize it! Use their first name. Reference their last purchase: “Hey Taylor, how’s the WildRoots granola treating you?”

Suggest a new product based on their previous buys or browsing. Make it feel like a helpful nudge from someone who knows them, not an anonymous marketing blast.

Step 5.Make Consistency Your Secret Weapon

👉 Example: Let’s say your Instagram feed for your NomadThreads travel apparel brand is full of adventurous, bright photos of hikers and explorers. But then your email copy sounds like it was written by a corporate lawyer—dry, formal, and totally disconnected from the fun vibe you’ve worked so hard to build. Customers will get whiplash. That inconsistency kills the Baader-Meinhof effect because it breaks the illusion that your brand is everywhere and always the same.

👉 Tip: Create brand guidelines that go beyond just colors and logos. Include voice and tone, preferred language, emojis, and even photography style. Then, stick to them religiously across every channel—social, email, website, even customer support. When your audience sees a consistent vibe and tone, it reinforces the idea that your brand is always there—and that’s what makes the Baader-Meinhof effect stick.

A Quick Recap:

✅ Craft a strong first impression on the right channels.

✅ Use retargeting ads to stay top of mind—without annoying them.

✅ Leverage social proof to create “everywhere” vibes.

✅ Use email marketing as a gentle nudge.

✅ Keep your brand consistent, always.

Real Talk: Brands That Nail It

Allbirds — Mastered sustainable visibility by showing up in multiple places: social, influencers, and even podcasts. Once you see them, you keep seeing them.

👉 How Allbirds does it

Glossier — Community-powered brand: encourages user-generated content so fans see it everywhere.

👉 How Glossier does it

Brooklinen — Luxury bedding brand leverages influencer collabs and retargeting so you notice them again and again.

👉 How Brooklinen does it

Want to learn more? Here are the killer reads I referred to:

👉 The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon and Its Impact on Marketing – Hype Insight

👉 Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon and Marketing – Techint Labs

👉 How the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon Secretly Influences Your Decisions – HubSpot

👉 Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon: Making Your Brand Omnipresent – eCommerce Psychology

👉 Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon — 4 Ways To Make Your Brand Stick – Josiah Roche

Now go make them see you everywhere. 😉