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Strawberry Milk Mob‘s marketing strategy needs to be studied in textbooks… it is SO clever. Strawberry Milk Mob is a Canadian online bikini and swimwear brand, founded in 2018 by Georgia Costello, aka ‘Strawberry’. Georgia began using TikTok in 2022 to promote her swimwear. However, after failing to see success in using the platform to make sales, she pivoted her marketing strategy to post lifestyle content that was relatable and entertaining to grow her audience. Georgia has used TikTok to catapult her brand into success, and has built an engaged community of 2.3 million followers on TikTok. The brand is now run with her two younger sisters, Sydney (aka Coconut Milk Mob) and Sabrina (aka Blueberry Milk Mob).

Personal branding

What sets the brand apart is Georgia. When you go to the official business page, it looks unlike any other swimwear brand’s TikTok account. All the videos are of Georgia, talking to the camera – so much so that you’d think this was her personal account. That is what makes this strategy so clever. She isn’t pushing her products, but she draws you into her life by sharing casual and fun videos about what she is doing, wearing, cooking, etc. Georgia effortlessly blurs the boundaries between being a business and creator.

Subtly selling

This leads on to my next point. When you see her videos or her profile, it isn’t obvious that this is a business. The TikTok videos are not about her products. Almost all of the videos are entertaining snapshots into her life. For example, she goes on holidays and creates content cooking or chatting by the pool, wearing her bikinis. In fact, only 5-10% of the videos are about the swimwear or business itself. This makes the page feel authentic – she’s making videos for fun and just so happens to have a business as well. People are tired of constantly being sold to, they want to feel connected to a brand and feel as though they know the person behind the products they are purchasing.

Knowing your audience

The audience for her brand is women aged 18-34, so she has made content specifically for that demographic. She knows what they’re thinking about, what they care about, the challenges they face and purposefully makes content around those things. By posting content that her audience can relate to e.g., fashion content, funny videos and dating advice, she has been able to grow a community and make her brand feel relatable. Georgia was able to build her audience and, subsequently, her consumer base by creating this ‘bestie’ feel, so people keep coming back to ‘hang out’ with her.

Familiarity

Strawberry Milk Mob achieves this in two ways. On their Instagram page, Georgia and her sisters are the only models for the clothing. Her boyfriend, Brad, models all the menswear. They are the faces of the brand. Georgia has repeat content styles, creating a sense of familiarity with her audience. for example, her signature “let’s make a drink” and “reason number x why I love men” series. She has made recurring characters in her posts (mostly, her sisters and her boyfriend, ‘Brad’) and has created inside jokes within her content that encourages viewers to keep coming back and tuning in. 

Ditching formality

Strawberry Milk Mob is a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Their instagram retains an informal feel, repurposing some TikTok video content with images. The photos are unedited and shot in the moment, rarely in a studio — allowing you to see what the swimwear truly looks like. As previously mentioned, Georgia has also created a cult following through the use of personal nicknames, lingo and inside jokes. The brand’s tone of voice is playful and girly, and this carries over from their social media to their website. This personable feel has become the brand identity and is what makes the brand so loveable.

Consistency

Georgia is the queen of consistency. She started off posting around 10 TikToks a day, and still keeps a regular cadence of multiple a day! Her sisters also regularly share similar, relatable lifestyle content on their own accounts, all while (subtly) promoting the business. Posting this much isn’t attainable (or recommended) for 99% of business owners. However, what we can take from this is that the more you are consistent with your content (and this takes time), eventually something will land.

Strawberry Milk Mob is proof that social media success isn’t just about selling — it’s about storytelling, connection, and consistency. People don’t just buy products; they buy into personalities and lifestyles. By blending personal branding with subtle product promotion, Georgia has built a loyal community that feels more like a friendship than a customer base. Her informal, relatable approach makes the brand feel authentic, while her dedication to consistency keeps her audience engaged.