Lou&Lixi was a European pet care brand with serious design credentials and a clear vision: premium, playful products for pet owners who see their animals as family. The brand identity was locked in. The product line was ready. What was missing was everything between "great brand" and "customers buying products."

They needed a growth strategy that could launch them into multiple European markets simultaneously, establish positioning against both legacy pet brands and emerging D2C competitors, and build the commercial infrastructure to scale beyond launch. I came in as the strategic lead for GTM, owning positioning, customer acquisition, and channel strategy across brand, marketing, and commercial functions.

The first priority was positioning. The European pet care market is crowded at both ends—cheap commodity products and ultra-premium organic plays. Lou&Lixi needed to carve out the middle-premium space: design-forward, quality-driven, but accessible. I developed messaging frameworks and product storytelling that leaned into their distinctive visual identity, differentiating them from competitors who either looked clinical or overly cutesy.

From there, I built a comprehensive growth roadmap that integrated three acquisition engines: digital performance marketing, e-commerce optimization, and influencer/partnership outreach. Rather than betting everything on paid acquisition, the strategy distributed risk and created multiple paths to early traction.

On the partnership side, I established foundational relationships with local EU suppliers and premium retailers—critical for a brand entering markets where trust and local presence matter. These partnerships expanded reach and strengthened positioning within the high-quality pet products segment.

A launch strategy without operational infrastructure is just a document. I led the setup of scalable marketing and commercial systems: Shopify configuration, Klaviyo for lifecycle marketing, and analytics dashboards for conversion tracking and campaign measurement. The goal was ensuring the brand could actually execute on the strategy and, more importantly, scale efficiently post-launch without sacrificing customer experience.

Marketing automation was integrated from day one—not as an afterthought, but as a core part of how the brand would operate and learn from customer behavior.

Lou&Lixi launched successfully across multiple European markets, with the GTM strategy positioning them as a stylish, design-driven option for premium EU consumers. The integrated approach drove strong early traction in both customer acquisition and sales, while the foundational partnerships expanded the brand's reach within the high-quality pet products market.

Beyond the numbers, the cross-functional alignment between brand, creative, and commercial teams meant the launch wasn't a one-time event—it was the beginning of a growth system that could compound.

Pet care is an emotional category, but most brands either lean too hard into sentiment or ignore it entirely for functional messaging. Lou&Lixi's success came from respecting both: a clear strategic growth plan paired with brand storytelling that actually resonated. The scalable systems ensured early momentum could translate into long-term growth in a competitive market.

Developed and executed the GTM strategy, positioning Lou&Lixi as a stylish, design-driven pet care brand targeting premium EU consumers, resulting in a successful launch across multiple European markets.

Built a comprehensive growth roadmap, integrating digital performance marketing, e-commerce optimization, and influencer/partnership outreach, which drove strong early traction in customer acquisition and sales.

Led the setup of scalable marketing and commercial systems, including Shopify, Klaviyo, and analytics dashboards, to ensure seamless operations, conversion tracking, and campaign measurement.

Enhanced brand visibility and resonance by creating messaging frameworks, product storytelling, and co-branded content that aligned with Lou&Lixi’s design ethos and differentiated it from competitors.

Established foundational partnerships with local EU suppliers and premium retailers, expanding the brand’s reach and strengthening positioning within the high-quality pet products market.

Fostered a collaborative launch team culture, aligning brand, creative, and commercial stakeholders around a unified GTM plan, which empowered team members to innovate and contribute to a successful rollout.

Drove operational efficiency by integrating marketing automation and performance reporting, ensuring the brand could scale efficiently post-launch without sacrificing customer experience.