Dude Wipes' Biggest Gamble

Author

Carlo Palomino
November 22, 2024

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune, where we’re here with your weekly dose of impossible-to-ignore marketing insights—something a little fresher than the usual inbox fare.

Each Friday, we bring you the latest wisdom from top CMOs, marketing pros, and a few other genius-level minds.

From bold brand moves to practical, actionable tips, we’re here to show you how to make your marketing a little more memorable—and yes, we keep it fun because good humor goes hand-in-hand with great ROI.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A sit down with Dude Wipes CMO, Ryan Meegan

  • Jaguar’s bold & controversial rebrand

  • A hilarious Hulu x ‘Interior Chinatown’ fortune cookie moment

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone who knows how to disrupt an industry and turn a bold idea into a household name, it’s Dude Products Co-Founder and CMO, Ryan Meegan.

In 2012, Ryan Meegan and his three childhood friends turned a back-of-the-napkin idea into a household name in men’s hygiene. From their humble beginnings in a tiny Chicago apartment, the group launched Dude Wipes with one goal: to rethink hygiene for men with a product as unapologetically bold as the guys behind it. What started as a side hustle with a single product has grown into Dude Wipes, the number two flushable wipe in the U.S., stocked in over 20,000 stores nationwide.

Dude Wipes didn’t just have to create a new product—they had to change habits in a market where traditional toilet paper was the norm. For Meegan, that meant embracing their scrappy, irreverent personality while leveraging marketing that cut through the noise.

In 2014, they made a bold $10,000 gamble to put the Dude Wipes logo on UFC fighter Tyron Woodley’s shorts during a pay-per-view fight. It was a risky move, but one that paid off—big. The campaign trended worldwide as the #3 topic on Twitter, generating millions of impressions and putting the brand on the map. That success solidified their approach: take calculated risks, lean into their authentic brand voice, and focus on brand-building alongside performance marketing.

Since then, Ryan has spearheaded partnerships with the NFL, MLS, NASCAR, WWE, and even executed Dude Wipes’ first national ad campaign, "Best Clean, Pants Down." These campaigns don’t just drive sales—they build lasting connections with the brand’s audience by staying true to its bold and humorous roots.

Ryan’s Takeaway:

“We’re not afraid to invest in brand-building, even when the ROI isn’t immediate. Changing hygiene habits is a sensitive process—it takes time, repetition, and bold, creative plays to build trust and loyalty. It’s about long-term brand equity, not just short-term clicks.”

By focusing on creating memorable, buzz-worthy moments and combining them with a strong retail strategy, Dude Wipes has disrupted the hygiene market while staying true to its fun and irreverent identity.

Action Step:

To apply Ryan’s approach to your brand:

  1. Take bold risks where your audience lives. Dude Wipes found success by “showing up in unexpected places” like UFC fights or fortune cookies. Identify where your audience spends their time and create moments that will surprise and engage them.

  2. Balance brand and performance marketing. Meegan stresses the importance of brand-building alongside measurable performance. Think long-term: how can you create campaigns that strengthen emotional connections with your audience while supporting immediate sales goals?

  3. Listen to your customers. Dude Wipes thrived by using Amazon to test new products before scaling to retail. Use direct channels like D2C platforms or social media to gather real-time feedback and proof of concept before making bigger investments.

To hear more about how Ryan and his team turned a simple idea into a nationwide phenomenon, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team