#36. What Zepto Knows About Virality That Most Marketers Don’t 🧠
This Week: Brand Hacks, Bold Calls, and Tweets That Hit Too Close to Home.
Hey there, curious builders!
Welcome to the 36th edition of More Than Buzzwords, your weekly line-up of startup takes, brand truths, and strategy gems that go beyond the hype.
This week’s edition is all about playing the long game, whether it’s building brands that don’t just sell, but stick… or navigating the D2C maze without getting trapped in the CAC quicksand. We’re spotlighting companies (and people) who are chasing durable wins, and not just vanity metrics.
Here’s what’s inside:
🔹 Tweets That Will Make You Pause – 4 ideas on process vs outcomes, investing in people, redefining the game, and why tech won’t kill your job (stagnation will).
🔹 Startup Spotlight – Bombay Shaving Company isn’t just selling razors; it’s building a playbook for India-first D2C with retail muscle and long-term FMCG thinking.
🔹 The Big Idea – A podcast episode that pulls the curtain back on Zepto’s zero-agency marketing machine, and how they’re building culture-shaping campaigns with speed, relevance, and just the right amount of chaos.
Whether you’re scaling a startup, building a personal brand, or simply obsessed with how great companies grow – this one’s for you.
Let’s begin. 👇
Tweets that will make you Pause and rethink
Here are the four tweets that stood out in this week’s scroll.
1. Stop Defending, Start Improving 🚀
The moment you start defending your process is the moment you stop improving your product.
I can’t tell you how many founders I’ve seen fall in love with their way of doing things instead of the outcome, and how that obsession eventually proved fatal.
This tweet lays out how it’s a trap. You build a process, it works for a while, and then it becomes sacred: unchallenged, unquestioned.
Think of how Blockbuster clung to late fees and physical stores, defending their “process,” while Netflix quietly experimented its way into the future.
In startups (and honestly, in careers too), curiosity beats certainty. If you’re always trying to be right, you’ll miss the chance to be better.
The smartest founders are eager to be surprised by users, by data, by the market. They stay open to the possibility that a novel approach could simplify their process in ways they never imagined.
So here’s the takeaway: don’t protect your process. Protect your outcome.
2. Invest in People, Not Just Payroll 💡
One of the smartest CEOs I work with told me his secret: invest heavily in the people you have and you won't waste money buying the people you need. They grow faster. They work harder. They stay longer. And they get their talented friends to join.
This one hit me like a quiet truth. We live in a world where it feels easier to “just hire someone better.” But the best leaders know people don’t come pre-packaged as perfect fits. They become it with trust and growth.
I remember a founder friend who hired a junior marketer fresh out of college. Instead of poaching an experienced player, he invested in mentoring the fresher, sending her to conferences, giving her ownership. Two years later, she was leading the entire growth team better than any “ready-made hire” could’ve been.
Talent compounds when you nurture, not just acquire. So before you chase shiny resumes, ask: Have I unlocked the full potential of the people already here?
3. Don’t Compete. Redefine the Game. 🏆
Don't compete on price Actually - don't compete at all...
• Solve problems others can't solve
• Create value others can't create
• Serve clients others can't serve Competition is for commodities
This one reminds me of a simple but brutal truth: if you’re playing the same game as everyone else, you’re already losing. Competing on price is a race to the bottom. Competing on features is a race that never ends.
The companies that win aren’t the cheapest. They’re the ones that feel irreplaceable. Think of Starbucks. It’s not just coffee because you can get coffee anywhere for cheaper. What you’re really paying for is the atmosphere, the consistency, the feeling of a “third place” between home and work.
They’re not competing on price; they’ve redefined what the experience means.
In careers, it’s the same. If your work feels like a commodity, you’re easily replaceable, easy to find elsewhere. Build a moat around what you do. Make it unique, make it yours.
4. The Tech Wave Isn’t Coming for Everyone. Just the Stagnant Ones 🔄
Every tech wave sparks job-loss panic be it looms, railroads, PCs, internet, AI. What it actually does : make a few people who adapt, earn way more and let plenty of useless jobs live on. Typed this after experiencing a human operated elevator recently.
This tweet emphasizes how every time a new technology emerges, panic sets in. We saw it with the printing press, with industrial machines, with the internet, and now with AI. The fear is always the same: “It’s going to take away all the jobs.”
But here’s the pattern history keeps repeating: technology doesn’t wipe out all work, it wipes out outdated work. The ones who lean in early, experiment, and find ways to make the tools work for them end up creating new opportunities the old system never allowed.
Take designers who embraced Figma when others dismissed it. They didn’t lose their craft; they made collaboration faster and became even more in-demand. Or writers who learned to use AI to enhance their research, instead of fearing it, they’re now producing 10x the value without 10x the effort.
So the real question isn’t “Will this replace me?” It’s “How can I use this shift to multiply my value?”
The ones who stay curious will always ride the wave; the ones who stay rigid will get washed away.
These were the four tweets that I found the most impactful on X.com last week. Which one did you like the most? Drop it in the comments below!
Now, let’s shift gears to a startup that’s quietly writing the D2C playbook in India. What began as a premium men’s grooming brand has grown into a household name with product lines now catering to women too. I’m talking about none other than Bombay Shaving Company.
Let’s take a closer look at how they’re redefining what D2C success looks like.
✂️ Startup Spotlight: Bombay Shaving Company
Let’s unveil how a brand selling razors carved a niche in India’s crowded D2C jungle
The Origin Story: From Blades to Brand
Founded in 2016 by Shantanu Deshpande, Bombay Shaving Company set out with a razor-sharp focus (quite literally). What started as a premium men’s grooming brand soon expanded into skincare, hair removal, and now even women’s products.
Unlike many D2C brands that begin with a full-blown Instagram push, BSC bet big on thoughtful product design, strong founder presence, and layered storytelling. All of this positioned themselves as more than just another shaving kit on the internet.
Cracking D2C the Long Game Way
They weren’t the fastest brand to go viral, but they’ve been one of the most deliberate.
While others raced to spend-heavy influencer campaigns, BSC built a brand ecosystem: direct website sales, strong Amazon presence, and unlike most D2C peers they went in for a quick offline expansion through modern trade and salons. Think of this as D2C with retail muscle.
Their content play also stood out: long-form videos, quirky campaigns such as “Shave for India” and personal storytelling by the founder added depth. The brand’s tone was masculine, but sensitive; witty, but not slapstick. A rare feat in men’s grooming.
The Distribution Pivot
In my opinion, one of their biggest differentiators is their approach of not staying just D2C.
BSC was among the first Indian D2C brands to actively build offline retail as a parallel engine. You’ll find them in stores, on Nykaa, Flipkart, BigBasket, even in salons and airports. They even partner with corporations for gifting.
This hybrid model helped them navigate the rising CAC (customer acquisition cost) challenge every D2C startup faces.
In a world obsessed with “online-first,” they built “India-first” by going wherever the customer is.
The Funding & Strategy Shift
With backing from the likes of Colgate-Palmolive, Sixth Sense Ventures, and others, they’ve been successful in raising over $48 million in funding across multiple rounds. That level of capital isn’t just fuel. It’s a signal.
It tells you they’re not playing the typical D2C exit game. They’re playing long-term FMCG chess. The goal? Possibly to become India’s answer to a Unilever sub-brand: direct, relatable, yet massy.
What Founders Can Learn
D2C ≠ Online Only: Build digital roots but plan for physical distribution early.
Brand isn’t built with influencers alone: Founder voice, sharp packaging, and thoughtful content go a long way.
Don’t chase virality. Instead, build recall. BSC didn’t “explode” overnight. But today, they feel like they’ve always been around.
Pick a wedge, then expand: They started with shaving. Now they’re in trimmers, face wash, beard oil, and even body hair removal for women.
What do you think about the growth of this startup? Share your thoughts on them!
Every founder aims for virality. But few understand how to engineer it. That’s why a podcast featuring Zepto’s Chief Brand Officer, Chandan Mendiratta, had my attention this week.
It’s a peek inside a fast-moving marketing machine and a masterclass in building a brand that feels more like a cultural moment than just a grocery app. If you're building anything consumer-facing, this one's packed with some really valuable insights.
🎧 Branding Without Permission: How Zepto Is Redefining Marketing
Podcast: How Zepto Does Marketing Differently ft. Chandan Mendiratta | Mashable Mornings Ep 38
If you’re curious about how Zepto went from “just another grocery app” to a brand that Gen Z feels, this episode is a goldmine. No jargon, no MBA playbook talk. Just one of the sharpest branding minds in India breaking down how to build a modern brand from scratch, and do it fast.
Chandan Mendiratta, Chief Culture & Brand Officer at Zepto (and formerly at Zomato), takes you deep into what it really takes to build an in-house, no-agency marketing engine that can hold its own in a world of content overload and zero attention spans.
Zepto’s Zero-Agency Bet
Most brands outsource. Zepto didn’t.
They built an in-house creative team that behaves more like a content studio. Why? Because speed and control matter more than polished decks and slow approvals.
Their goal is simple: create marketing that earns attention, not pays for it.
From low-cost hoardings that go viral online, to snappy push notifications that feel like texts from your chaotic friend, Zepto’s team knows how to hack culture.
Zomato Learnings, Applied Anew
Chandan also reflects on his Zomato days where branding wasn’t just witty, it was strategic. After COVID, Zomato had to prove that home delivery was safe. One campaign later, users rated it safer than the competition. Home delivery and food was the same; the perception wasn’t. That’s the power of good brand marketing.
He also reveals how important it is to give authority to his team members:
“It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
When the right copy strikes, you go for it. Especially when time is your moat.
Creative Teams Need Freedom, Not Decks
One of the most practical takeaways: how to lead creative folks. According to Chandan, they thrive on two things: freedom and learning. So instead of micromanaging, he sets a vision and lets the team play. That’s how Zepto churns out edgy, relevant, often viral campaigns with surprising consistency.
Marketing Like a Creator
Chandan sees today’s marketing like content creation: you throw 100 ideas into the world and 3 go viral, but those 3 do 80% of the work. And those 3 can only happen when your team is tuned into the culture.
He shares how even LinkedIn & Instagram comments have sparked campaigns. And how regional adaptation isn’t about dubbing. It’s about capturing the cultural cues of different audiences. A home in Chennai doesn’t look like one in Delhi, and great creatives pay attention to those differences.
Branding That Sticks
Zepto’s purple isn’t accidental. It’s bold, premium, and instantly recognizable. And their font? Consistent to a fault. Chandan says one underrated brand win is when people recognize you by your font alone. That’s recall.
This episode is a crash course in new-age brand-building: how to move fast, stay relevant, and build something that people don’t just notice but remember. If you’re building a brand, managing creatives, or figuring out how to stand out in a noisy market, tune in. This one’s all signal, no fluff.
And that’s a wrap on the 36th edition of More Than Buzzwords!
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