MILESTONE CASE #1: JORDAN DICKS

MADHAPPY’S BRAND CONVICTION

THE TRUTHS THEY HOLD ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH MESSAGING

“We hope to serve as optimistic guides: cultivating

community, elevating connection, and nurturing a world
linked by shared experience.”
(Madhappy, n.d.))
MADHAPPY’S BRAND CONVICTION
THE TRUTHS THEY HOLD ABOUT THE WORLD

Madhappy is a streetwear brand founded to create an “optimistic outlet for

people to engage with on in any capacity”

Believe in living life through its ups and downs

Mad and Happy

The founders recognized the long standing issue of mental health in our society
and created a digital and physical platform of positivity by embracing
optimism in all of its efforts

Seek to uplift people and spreading optimism locally and globally by creating
products and experiences focusing on mental health
(Madhappy, n.d.; Campbell, 2019; DeAcetis, 2019)
MADHAPPY’S BRAND CONVICTION
THE TRUTHS THEY HOLD ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH BEHAVIOR

To connect people, Madhappy has numerous touchpoints in which consumers

can interact with the brand and other consumers
Clothing
Fun, colorful streetwear
Pop-up locations in big cities
“Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd”
Blog
Podcast
Local Optimist
Publication centered on “community, collaboration, and mindful conversation”

(Collins, 2023; Campbell, 2019)

IDEAL TARGET CONGREGATION
CONSUMPTION IS A CULTURAL ACT

Grew up in the era of social media

Congregation including psychographics:

“Optimists”
“High-minded people”
Mental health advocates
Lovers of streetwear
Believe in supporting mission-driven companies

Asking: Who believes in combatting mental health? Who is an optimist

looking to create community and share positive experiences with others like
them/in their tribe?

(DeAcetis, 2019; Campbell, 2019)

IDEAL TARGET CONGREGATION
WHY TARGET CONGREGATION?

“We are not independent agents[...] we’ve built trust within our networks and rely on them to help inform
decisions”

To get consumers to move, Madhappy needs to ask:

“Who holds the same truths about the world?”
“Who has the same narratives about the world?”

People move in concert with those “who are like us”

members of their tribe
promote social solidarity

(Collins, 2023; Collins, n.d.)

IDEAL TARGET CONGREGATION
WHY TARGET CONGREGATION?

With the rise of crowdculture, collaboration and interaction between

seemingly “separate” communities are “densely networked”
find this subculture of “mental health advocate, fun streetwear lovers” and infiltrate the
network

This social group is Madhappy’s target congregation

they share the same worldview and the group influences collective consumption

Madhappy “preaches the gospel” to people who view the world like them
and speak their ideological truths
ideology-> identity-> culture
network effect gets them to move

Ask: “Do people like them engage with a brand like this?”
(Collins, 2023; Holt, 2016)
MADHAPPY’S CONTRIBUTION TO ITS COMMUNITY
WAYS THEY GIVE BACK

Madhappy created a community with the people who want to fill

their life with optimism and “experiences that uplift people physically,
mentally and spiritually”
(Campbell, 2019)
MADHAPPY’S CONTRIBUTION TO ITS COMMUNITY
WAYS THEY GIVE BACK & UTILIZE NETWORK CONNECTIONS

Research Grants Madhappy Foundation Madhappy Podcast

2021: Positive Psychology @ A non-profit organization Weekly open conversations

University of Pennsylvania
2022: Adolescent Anxiety @
Vanderbilt University
globally improving mental about mental health
health
Special guests to remind
1% of proceeds from every listeners of what we all have
Madhappy sale benefit in common
foundation’s awareness and
research efforts

(Madhappy, n.d.; Madhappy, 2021)

MADHAPPY’S CONTRIBUTION TO ITS COMMUNITY
UTILIZE NETWORK CONNECTIONS

Collaborations with local businesses

Jon & Vinny’s, Courage Bagels, Pencils of Promise, and Alfred Coffee

Bigger “brand partnerships”

Lululemon, UGG, Columbia, L.A. Lakers, and Dodgers, N.Y. Yankees, etc.

City branded apparel

Pop-up locations: Chicago, L.A., NYC, etc.

(Campbell, 2019; Mau, 2019)

NETWORK INFLUENCE
HOW MADHAPPY HAS BENEFITTED FROM INFLUENCE OF THEIR NETWORK

Streetwear is a visible product

perceive the artifact as “acceptable” as it aligns with the shared ideologies and truths
represents “who I am” -> mental health advocate, optimist

Quickly developed a strong Instagram following after pop-up events

Celebrities wearing Madhappy products
high-esteem fashioning system -> new meaning

People have “resonated with [Madhappy’s] message and are eager to be

involved in launch parties, panels, and pop-ups”
increasing event attendance and brand awareness

(Collins, 2023; Campbell, 2019; Mau, 2019)

NETWORK INFLUENCE
WHY MADHAPPY BENEFITS FROM INFLUENCE OF THEIR NETWORK

Celebrities wearing the brand

Reinforcing Madhappy and its beliefs
Their followers “cast their vote about the evaluation and legitimation of the brand”

BUT celebrities are only references

mere “signals” when making meaning about Madhappy
“our people make it stick”

Events cultivate community and connection

behavioral change is a complex contagion

Targeting the right congregation will “move” the network of their believers
“Wearing Madhappy is something that someone like me does”

(Collins, 2023)
RECOMMENDATIONS
LEVERAGING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social is the network of people

Culture of Madhappy’s network demarcates “who we are”

Social media involves people as means of communication

A behavior

Madhappy needs to leverage the media of people to get them to move

 RECOMMENDATIONS
PRODUCT LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET PEOPLE TO MOVE
Develop university-branded products:

Part of college students’ identity is the school they attend

the pride they feel about their school
cultural pride of saying “Go Blue”

Universities are their own congregations with tribes that have their own ideologies
and truths about the world
they care about the mental well-being of students

By co-branding Madhappy products, members of the university congregation with

aligning ideologies will move
Merging mental health advocacy and optimism in streetwear with the college they identify
with will spread through social connections
 RECOMMENDATIONS
PROMOTION LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET PEOPLE TO MOVE

Create a college student ambassador program:

College students wear streetwear items (hoodies, sweatpants, hats, etc.) on campus
Around 36% of college students have diagnosed anxiety disorders and 30% with depression or
other mood disorders
__
Find college students whose identity and ideologies align with Madhappy’s brand conviction
Their potential groups of reach (people like them)
Athletic teams
Clubs
Major programs
Greek life
Roommates
To get people to move and want Madhappy products, promoting through social media efforts
would get “people like them” (the ambassadors) to move
(Elflein, 2023)
People do their own segmentation within their social connections
THANK YOU
 REFERENCES
Campbell, N. (2019, March 15). Madhappy Is the Label Bringing Optimism to Fashion. CFDA.
https://cfda.com/news/madhappy-is-the-youth-label-bringing-optimism-to-the-fashion-
industry#:~:text=For%20us%2C%20Madhappy%20started%20as,the%20rise%20of%20social%20media.

Collins, M. (2023). For the culture: The power behind what we buy, what we do, and who we
want to be. PublicAffairs.

Collins, M. (n.d.). Unlocking networks: Want to truly understand people and make accurate
predictions? Look at their networks. White Paper.

DeAcetis, J. (2019, February 5). Madhappy, an optimistic approach to the Millennial

Generation. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephdeacetis/2019/01/16/madhappy-an-optimistic-
approach-to-the-millennial-generation/?sh=36048adb72ec
Elflein, J. (2023, August 30). Percentage of college students with mental disorders U.S. 2022-2023. Statista.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1126287/percentage-of-college-students-with-mental-disorders-
us/#:~:text=A%20survey%20from%202022%2D2023,depression%20or%20other%20mood%20disorders.

Madhappy. (n.d.). https://www.madhappy.com/

Madhappy. (2021, May). The Madhappy Podcast. Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/show/4S7lnGMD71YK0tE9X37eb3
Mau, D. (2019, March 14). Madhappy is building a brand around hoodies and mental health. Fashionista.
https://fashionista.com/2019/03/madhappy-streetwear-brand-mental-health

Raf, P. (2017, August 18). Madhappy beginnings. Medium.

https://medium.com/@peimanraf/madhappy-beginnings-d3847a259271