April 24, 2015
Frank & Oak has managed to break out of the crowded online fashion industry and establish themselves as one of the most exciting lifestyle brands on the scene. With more and more brands chasing the elusive and hard to understand male demographic, Frank & Oak has ensured their business is crafted to fit their consumers, which it deems “the internet generation”, in order to create a simple and easy shopping experience.
Frank & Oak has ensured their business is crafted to fit their consumers, which it deems “the internet generation”, in order to create a simple and easy shopping experience.
Their in-house design, highly accessible digital platform, wide distribution in both the U.S. and Canada, and unique features like their “Hunt Club”, which allows member to try on items at home with no obligation to buy, makes them a sleek, and intuitive one-stop-shop for men. In just two years they have grown to a 100 plus person operation with more than 1.1 million members, and ship more than 35,000 orders a month.
Frank & Oak demonstrates that through true reflection and a deep understanding of your audience you can achieve huge success and cult status in a short amount of time. With new collections released every month the brand ensures that they always have something new and exciting to offer, inspiring frequent repeat visits and purchases.
I had the chance to talk with co-founder Ethan Song in February and got some insights on how he and his partner Hicham Ratnani have managed such a feat. Check out the full interview below.
Ryan began his professional life in digital marketing. His first company, Suitcase Interactive, was a consistent best-digital-agency award winner. And his tenacity and forward thinking also led him, personally, to being awarded a coveted place on the auspicious 40 under 40 list. (Notice that we're not telling you how many years ago that was, we're kinda attached to our kneecaps ; ) Those seminal years also led Ryan to the enlightenment that the whole concept of advertising and digital agencies was dead. From there it was a short putt to the birth of Cult, one of North America's first true engagement agencies. As Cult's President, his legacy as a pioneering thinker has blossomed from pushing pixels, to pushing forward what marketing actually means. Ryan then founded The Gathering in 2012, an annual international event to honor cult-like brands that put the generation of movements before the creation of ad campaigns. The Gathering is now widely acknowledged to be one of North America's premier annual marketing conferences. And it's an idea that has introduced Cult to brands like Keurig, Converse, Airbnb, UFC, Las Vegas Tourism and Red Bull, among many others… hey, there's only so many names you can drop in one bio. Never one to whine about the status quo, but rather put his energy into finding a better way, Ryan’s latest innovation is the founding of a whole new operating model for marketers, both on the client side and in the industry that serves them. Called Communo, this tech-enabled work model is an incomparable brain trust of talent for brands, a human resources platform for marketing professionals, and an unprecedented business development engine for both. In his "spare time" Ryan continues his strong commitment to giving back, both at home in Calgary, and around the world. He spearheads Cult's ongoing monthly commitment to Ronald McDonald House and continues to lead Project Smile, the international relief organization he founded over a decade ago. He even managed to find some spare, spare time to co-author three editions of Fix: Break The Addictions That Are Killing Brands, Cult's thought leadership book that's changing the way CEOs and CMOs see the marketing function. 
