Building a snack brand in a $140 billion chocolate industry sounds impossible - unless you’re Jake Karls, co-founder of Midday Squares. In this episode, Jake reveals how a condo-kitchen startup used a reality-show content strategy, broke Costco’s 10-year sales record, and turned shoppers into superfans. From leveraging LinkedIn for B2B wins to balancing creativity with data, Jake explains why unapologetic authenticity and community-first storytelling are the ultimate challenger advantages. If you’re curious about scaling media-first marketing - or just love a David-vs-Goliath story - press play.
Watch our documentary on the Future of the CMO from this link 📺: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXBKelmQomM
On this week’s episode of Scratch, Jake Karls, the energetic co-founder and Chief Rainmaker of Midday Squares, joins Eric to unpack the reality-show marketing strategy that’s rocketing their functional chocolate bars onto shelves across North America. From filming therapy sessions to smashing Costco road-show records, Jake explains why attention is today’s most valuable currency and how being unapologetically authentic turns casual shoppers into lifelong fans.
If you want a front-row seat to a modern challenger playbook - complete with community gamification, LinkedIn power moves, and a sneak peek at the next growth phase - this episode is for you!
Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/3I86AGZQRvY
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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 Jake Karls of Midday Squares in this episode.
Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, Twitter.
Find Eric on LinkedIn.
Find Jake on LinkedIn.
Say hi at media@wearerival.com, we’d love to hear from you.