Born from a surfer’s epiphany in the cold, gritty waters of Cornwall, Finisterre set out to challenge glossy surf tropes by building an ocean-first outdoor brand rooted in place and purpose. In this episode, Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO of Finisterre, joins Eric to unpack how a niche, cold-water surf brand, can scale when you “create through community, not for it.” Drawing on her time at Lululemon’s turnaround (“one customer at a time”), Bronwen breaks down the challenger playbook: show up where communities already gather (from Kendal Mountain Festival to film circuits), treat stores and ambassadors as your listening engine, and protect top-of-funnel even when budgets are tight. The result is stronger acquisition and a higher customer lifetime value from purpose-led programming. Bronwen shows how place, purpose, and disciplined community become a profitable growth system, proving you can scale a challenger brand without sanding off what makes it special.
In this episode of Scratch, Eric chats with Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO of Finisterre, the cold-water surf brand from Cornwall proving that purpose and performance can coexist. Bronwen shares how community became Finisterre’s real growth engine, from “creating through community, not for it,” to rethinking top-of-funnel marketing and focusing on relationships over reach. She shows how listening to your customers can lower CAC, build loyalty, and create true advocates.
Finisterre began with a simple insight: the surf industry’s glossy, tropical image that didn’t reflect the real, rugged world of UK surfers. Today, it’s a B Corp and leading challenger brand proving that you can grow profitably without losing your soul.
And finally, she dives into how a strong sense of place in Cornwall’s coastline and the shipping forecast origins of the Finisterre name and thus gives the brand its distinct voice. Ultimately, the takeaway for marketers is clear: scaling through a niche isn’t limiting but it is the future. Staying true to who you are as a brand, and give a platform to your community to carry the story forward.
Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: HERE
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Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO of Finisterre in this episode.
Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Find Eric on LinkedIn and tweet him @efulwiler.
Find Bronwyn on LinkedIn.
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