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The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX
#773: Building loyalty and trust through focused innovation with Lindsey Kling, Coterie
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The agile brand.
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Welcome to Season seven of the Agile Brand where we discuss the trends and topics marketing leaders need to know. Stay curious, stay agile and join the top enterprise brands and martech platforms as we explore marketing, technology, AI, e commerce, and whatever's next for the omnichannel customer experience. Together we'll discover what it takes to create an agile brand built for today and tomorrow and built for customers, employees and continued business growth. I'm your host Greg Kilstrom, advising Fortune 1000 brands on martech, AI and marketing operations. The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by Tech Systems, an industry leader in full stack technology services, talent services and real world application. For more information, go to teksystems.com to make sure you always get the latest episodes, please hit subscribe on the app you listen to podcasts on and leave us a rating so others can find us as well. Now onto the show Is the future of marketing about predicting the next big thing or building the capacity to adapt to anything? Agility requires more than just quick reactions. It demands a fundamental shift in how we anticipate change, embrace experimentation and foster collaboration. It's about building brands that can not only weather the storm, but thrive in the unpredictable. Today we're going to talk about building lasting brand loyalty in a rapidly changing market, particularly in a category as personal and demanding as Baby Care. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Lindsay Kling, SVP Brand Marketing and Partnerships at Coterie. Lindsey, welcome to the show.
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Thank you for having me. It's great to be here.
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Yeah. Looking forward to talking about this with you. Before we dive in though, why don't you give a little background on yourself and your role at Coterie.
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Sure. You know, as as you said, I oversee our brand marketing and partnerships here. Just to give a quick background about Coterie, we are a modern baby care brand and we've really challenged the status quo and I'd say even transform the industry by creating and engineering high performing products that are certifiably safe, cleaner for babies and really thinking about offering concierge level services with the ultimate goal of making parents lives easier. In my role, I really am overseeing how we grow as a brand, how we are connecting with our customers, our community and that goes from everything to really our brand storytelling to building meaningful partnerships in the places and spaces where parents are showing up and discovering things, all the way through to our retail partners and really how we're thinking a lot about those as a marketing channel as well. And I'd say at the end of the day. Our big focus is very much about raising awareness and really deepening that connection and loyalty with our community. Prior to Coterie, I was at Away and Uber. I tend to go towards, I would say, disruptive brands. There's not really a linear connection between the categories of any of those brands, but they're all brands that have, I'd say, come into a category and really thought about different ways to innovate within that category. But also really creative ways, I'd say, to build affinity in spaces that maybe didn't have that in as strong as a way before.
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Yeah, yeah. I like that kind of horizontal way of tying those things together because, yeah, on the surface, you wouldn't think that there's a lot of relation, but hearing you say it that way makes sense. And I guess that's a great segue to really. The first thing I wanted to talk about with you, which is innovation and how Coterie has been approaching this. And Coterie's historically focused on its innovation on its core diaper product, but just launched into Skincare as of last month. So September 2025. What drove the decision to expand beyond diapers now and how does this strategic expansion align with your approach to building loyalty?
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Yeah, so when we first came out with our diaper, we really took our time creating it. It was something that we really looked for what is missing in the market? And. And that is very much been our strategy as we're thinking about expansion. Since we're predominantly a D2C brand, we have a very close relationship with our customers and we are always asking them, what do they need? What are they looking for? What is missing for them? And that constant feedback loop is really one of the ways we understand what does make sense for us to come out with what will our customers really want? Like, how can we find this gap and fill it? And that's how we came up with skincare. 94% of our customers told us that they were interested in a range of sort of hypoallergenic premium skincare products. And 8 out of 10 said that they would actually buy this product from Coterie. So a lot of it really came from listening to our community and listening to our parents and really understanding what felt connected. If you look on our site, you'll see we do not have a ton of SKUs. So we're very, very thoughtful about what we launch and how we launch it. And with Skincare, it was very much about creating something that is different than what's on the market. A lot of what's on the market is problem solution. And if you look at how I use skin care or you use skin care, a lot of it, it's a much more about prevention. It's about creating the things that are going to make sure your skin stays safe, stays soft, that stay, you know, anti aging for us. But for babies, their skin is so sensitive and so creating something that is really going to help protect that really, really delicate microbiome was, you know, a differentiation that we really were thinking about and how we were, I think, you know, coming up with how we expand this category. I see the other pieces. We also have always considered ourselves a skin health brand. Our diapers, because of the performance of them, they wick moisture away from a baby's skin super quickly, and so you have less rash because the baby stays drier. And so ultimately extending to skin care felt like this very natural extension of what we're already doing with our core products, with our diapers, with our wipes, with our pants, and just extending sort of what that routine and what the LTV of our customers can be as well.
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Yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, so that feedback loop from customers, you know, sounds like a critical piece here. And, and it's great when you get 80% of people saying anything, right? Anything good, let's just put it that way. Which is. Which is amazing. How do you, you know, collecting all those things, how do you kind of balance the. I would imagine there's also just a desire for innovation within the company as well. You know, you've done a lot of innovative things already, want to maintain that. You know, how do you kind of balance that with maintaining core functionality and why customers are there and loyal in the first place? Like, what's the thought process there?
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Yeah, I'll say just sort of as a quick backup that I think, you know, when, when we came out, one of our big things was being in service of the parent. And our products are really unique because they're a product that is made for the baby, but the parent is touching and feeling them all the time as well. And so there's really this dual relationship that the person has with the products. And so we, you know, the softness, the clean look of the products, the performance of it, the transparency that we have with the ingredients is something that, you know, is very, very important to our customers and remains very important as well. That said, innovation and making sure that we're always getting better and bettering ourselves is also something we're continually doing behind the scenes, but we're never doing that without again. That feedback loop from our customers, from our community and understanding, you know, what would they want and what they need. That said, because we are a D2C brand and we have these concierge services and we're really thinking about different ways we connect with our customer. We're not just innovating in our physical product, we are continually also innovating in our digital product and in our subscription services and really thinking about how we can find ways to continually connect with the parent. And that's through personalized messaging, text order management. As a parent, you can really control everything from your phone, which when you have a baby on your hip and you only have one hand is really essential. And, and we're also thinking about how we're optimizing through subscription perks, surprise and delight for our customers. And so I would say when we're thinking about innovation, it really goes across just our product through to our services. But at our core, we're never going to change a product, launch a product that doesn't demonstratively change or improve what's already out there. And that's something we promise.
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Yeah, yeah, well. And I wonder along those lines, just in taking perhaps a different and unique approach you mentioned at the top of the show, the retail strategy as well is an area where you've taken a notably selective approach to your partnerships. So, you know, what's the strategic rationale? You know, on the surface of it, it's like you want to get your product out and as many places as possible and all that. I know, but there's a strategic rationale behind this and can you talk a little bit about that and how it contributes to the brand identity?
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Of course. So from the beginning we have been incredibly selective about our approach to retail because for us it's so important that every touch point, whether it's on a shelf on registry, on Amazon, really can deliver sort of this same parent first premium experience that our customers expect from us and have come to love as part of our direct business. And so I think where a product is sold says just as much about your brand as the product itself. If you think about retailers out there and you just. I'm not going to name any, but certain retailers have their own brand identity. And so things like a messy shelf, a poor customer experience can really dilute your brand equity, especially as a new up and coming brand. And that has been really the rationale from day one of why we're selective. I think we really think about what is the perceived value to the customer that they are getting at a retailer. And I'm going to use Whole Foods as an example where they have incredibly high standards around clean and safe ingredients. And there's a level of trust that already exists there that really aligns with the level of trust that we have with our customers. And we know that when a parent might discover coterie there, it really is reinforcing all of the things that we already stand for. Performance, safety, comfort, clean. And so that is a really important part of how we select our retail partners. And I think that as we continue and as we expand, whatever that is, we want to meet parents where they are, but we want to make sure that we're doing it in a way that again, is always going to deliver on our brand promise and strengthen our identity.
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Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's. I think it's an underrated and maybe it, you know, it's counterintuitive again to initially think that, but it is, it's so important what your product is, how it's surrounded and just where it is and everything like that. I also wonder, you have a direct to consumer strategy as well. How do you think about the retail strategy and D2C, you know, and how one complements the other. Like what's, what are, what are some of the approaches there?
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Yeah, well, we are around like 88 to 90% D2C. So just to give you like that interplay of how much D2C to retail we are. And I think despite that, we really think of them as like working hand in hand because our DTC channel, we have that one on one relationship with our customers, with parents. It's how we build trust. It's how we understand needs and wants. But at the same time, we really think about retail as such an important part of this discovery flywheel. And we're really thinking about our retail channels not only as a way to meet parents where they are, but also to drive trial. You know, there are some parents who want to try before they subscribe and that is really a key part, especially with our brick and mortar partners, but also with registry where the parent is really making a decision about this product before they even purchase it, because they're adding it to their registry. So there's a lot of really interesting nuance that goes into how we show up in these different channels and sort of what the benefit to the customer is. I'd say the interesting part is we see about 10 to 12% of new customers come to DTC from retail. And so we really do look at that as a funnel to drive new customers to our D2C channel, show them the subscription benefits that we have. And I'd say like lastly, I think showing up where the customer is shopping is not only important for our brand awareness and our brand success, but by us showing up on shelf next to competitors where that's not how it works. With D2C, it's actually a really interesting way where we are able to take market share from other brands and really give us a glimpse in how we can measure up to them by sitting side by side on the shelf. And the last thing I'll say is we really do see retail as a marketing channel. If you think about a brand block at a Whole Foods or a Wegmans or you know, wherever it might be, it's like a out of home ad. It is really just like a giant billboard for your brand, which is also why the retailer is so important. But it's it's a way for somebody who's been kind of curious about your brand to maybe see it in real life and say, you know what, I'm going to try it and convert on shelf.
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Yeah, so when you become a parrot, you are making thousands of important decisions every day and the products you choose really do have to earn your confidence. I think we're a very unique category in that way and I think our goal has always been to create these products and services that people feel good about, but also to be really honest and upfront and transparent about what goes into them. Transparency is really a huge part of how we operate in our products and how we show up as a brand. We have incredibly rigorous testing standards and everything we make is hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, formulated without fragrance, parabens, phthalates, you name it. And so much of that, you know, that we're showing on our site and that parents are increasingly becoming more concerned about because a diaper is a product that's on your baby's skin 247 for almost up to three years. So having like certifications from places like EWG National Eczema association that are also known for their rigorous testing and standards and level of trust is so important for us as a brand, but not but also to our customers and our parents. And we are also the first brand to issue a safety report where we did independent lab analysis. You can access it if you're curious about every single ingredient. And you know this has had it's screened for over a thousand different harmful chemicals and because there's a lot of, I'd say, industry standards that are not up to the same standards that we have. We've really took it on upon ourselves to deliver to parents, like, sort of the transparency that they deserve. And that's, that's a lot of how we've built trust. And the, the last piece I'll say is in our communication with our parents, there's a lot of brands that greenwash and they talk about benefits that aren't necessarily accurate. And we really, in all of our communications, even about talking about the parenting experience, we show the high highs, the low lows, we're really talking about, like, the full gamut of what it's like. And so I think transparency really has been a key part of why we have the number one NPS in our category. And it's because that, that we're, we're open and we've created that level of trust with our customers.
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Yeah, yeah. And, you know, building on the, the loyalty angle as well, you know, a lot of brands focus on loyalty programs as a primary driver of retention. You know, how does, how does coterie view loyalty programs? And, and, you know, how does that play into building deeper connections?
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Yeah, for us, we actually don't have like a loyalty program quote, unquote, but we, you know, we have subscription. And for us, it's very much about sort of building the relationships across every single touch point that a customer in, where a customer interacts with us. It's the transparency in our products and a commitment to never compromising on quality. Sort of the, as I said, the text order management where we're putting the power in the hands of the parent. We're allowing them to have control over when your product is delivered, even easily size up, you know, change your address. We really create this concierge experience that creates this ease that takes the friction out of this, you know, out of diapering, out of, you know, thinking about the products that you need to buy for your child. And we're also continually surprising and delighting our community because we have this relationship with our customers. We know some of the things that are happening. So when, you know, some. A child's having a first birthday, we knew a mom was pregnant and we sent or was about to deliver her baby. We sent her flowers, we knew it was a girl. We made sure they were a pink flower. So a lot of it is about finding the moments really across the full customer experience to delight them and make sure they're really feeling heard, listened to, seen. And a lot of it is why we, we have 70% of our subscribers are active for 12 plus months and 40% of our new customers come from word of mouth because there's that sentiment and that affinity. I think that comes from that really, that close interaction that isn't just about a program, but it's truly about the collective experience. And that, that really speaks to sort of the power of the brand and how we're thinking about loyalty holistically.
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Yeah, yeah. Well, and then, you know, as we wrap up here, you just kind of. I know we talked about the, the innovation and the feedback loop. Just want to, you know, there's several things to kind of tie together as, you know, you're in a vastly evolving market, you know, the baby care market with a lot of things emerging all the time. How do you kind of tie it all together? You know, so we've talked about innovation, we've talked about being responsive, but also, you know, keep continuing to be transparent and, you know, focus on core values at the same time. You know, how do you, how do you make sure that all of those things are. Are. That's a lot, right? So how do you make sure that all of those things are. Are kept front and center?
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Listen, I think we are. We're always thinking about how we can iterate and be better. And I would just say as a brand, like, and internally, even as a culture and a company, we really do have this bar that everything has to meet and where we say no, we say no to things all the time. If something doesn't meet that bar, if something doesn't feel like it is in direct service to our customer, we won't do it. And that's a really, really hard thing to do. But it's also incredibly powerful because if it's not, as I said, demonstratively better, if it's not serving our customer, if it's not improving upon an experience that already exists or a product that exists, then we need to go back to the drawing board and rethink that, what that can look like and what that can be. Because there's like, you know, a lot of magic that's happening that has to work together. And I think being okay saying no is really a superpower that you have to have as a brand, especially when, you know, you have such a high expectation for yourself.
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Yeah, I mean, I love that you said that because. Yeah, I totally agree. You know, we get so kind of invested in. Well, but, you know, I've already. It. It's the sunk cost fallacy. Right. It's like, you know, you put stuff in and then if the product isn't up to those standards, then, you know, that's, I think that's why we have a lot of mediocre things out there in the world is that someone just put, you know, the right person, put a little too much effort into the wrong thing. Right. And it just gets rolled out because. Right. So that's, that's amazing to be able to do that and, and to be able to, you know, hold, hold all, you know, hold yourselves to that, that standard. So, yeah, great, great to hear that that's actually happening.
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So, yes, it's not always easy. But we, we, we are, we're every and everyone on the team from like I would say, even all up and down, we promote, you know, speaking up with something doesn't feel right. And, and that's such a phenomenal part of our culture too.
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Yeah, that's great. Well, Lindsey, thanks so much for joining today. One last question for you before we wrap up. What do you do to stay agile in your role and how do you find a way to do it consistently?
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Yes, it's not easy, but I think a lot of it is just curiosity, collaboration, being okay with somebody else teaching you something new. I think like this. As you said, the landscape is constantly changing, trends are shifting, expectations are evolving, and I'm not always the expert on something. And so I think like, I am very open. I have people on my team who know things that I don't. And so letting them teach or lead and being willing to pivot quickly and say no, as I said, is there are all such integral parts of staying agile.
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That's great. Well, again, I'd like to thank Lindsey Kling, SVP Brand Marketing and Partnerships at Coterie for joining the show. You can learn more about Lindsay and Coterie by following the links in the show notes. Thanks again for listening to the Agile brand brought to you by Tech Systems. If you enjoyed the show, please take a minute to subscribe and leave us a rating so that others can find the show as well. You can access more episodes of the show@theagilebrand.com that's theagile brand.com and contact me. If you're interested in consulting or advisory services or are looking for a speaker for your next event, go to www.gregkilstrom.com that's G R E G K-I H L S T R O M.com the Agile brand is produced by Missing Link, a Latina owned, strategy driven, creatively fueled production co op from ideation to creation. They craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. Until next time, stay curious and stay Agile.
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The Agile Brand.
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Before we continue, I wanted to share a key strategic resource that a majority of the Fortune 500 are already aware of. Finding the best technology, business and talent solutions is not easy. With business demands and competitive pressures mounting, you need to be able to design, deploy and optimize your technology to provide leading customer experiences while driving business growth. Those of you that have been listening to this show for a while know that this podcast is brought to you by Tech Systems, a global provider of technology, business and talent solutions for more than 80% of the Fortune 500. Tech Systems accelerates business transformation for their customers. Whether you're looking to maximize your technology ROI, drive business growth, or elevate customer experiences, TechSystems enables enterprises to capitalize on change. Learn more at techsystems.com that's T E K systems.com now let's get back to the show.