
This case study tracks the entrepreneurial journey taken by female founder Sarah Kauss in developing a categorydefining premium drinking bottle. S’well was created using a low budget, word-of-mouth community and unpaid celebrity endorsement strategy. It was established as a fashion power brand through carefully crafted, high end, retail and charity collaborations. Historically, portable water storage had been framed as merely functional products. Former Manhattan accountant Sarah Kauss helped redefine the category as a modish accessory solution that also countered the environmental problem of disposable plastic waste, using a double organic business strategy. S’well has been flatteringly described by Vogue as a true original with a delicious Midas touch, and CNN as ‘hands down the best water bottle for temperature control’ (S’well.com, 2020). However, plagued by brand-damaging counterfeiters and losing traction from the historically powerful co-created social media promotions, was it time for an important third pivot? This armchair teaching case study was developed from the lead author’s digital marketing coursework, as part of the Royal Holloway BSc Management programme at Kaplan Singapore. The case was designed for use in marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship under- and postgraduate modules.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
