SARLO · Brand Strategy

What is Kickstarter?

Brand-building and Kickstarter strategy — from community to international jewelry brand.

Core idea: SARLO does not launch like a classic jewelry shop. SARLO launches with attention, trust, Founder status and community. Only afterwards is the online shop scaled.

Executive Summary

Community first, sales second

SARLO is not to be built as a classic jewelry brand. Instead of immediately investing large sums in advertising, extensive product collections or its own stores, a community is to be built first.

The goal is, even before the official launch of the online shop, to:

  • to generate attention
  • to build reach
  • to reach the first customers
  • to raise capital
  • to create trust in the brand

The focus is on letting people become part of the brand's creation.

Strategic Positioning

Enthusiasm first, products second

Do not push products first. First build enthusiasm, trust and demand. Then deliberately open up the product world.

Why this approach?

The biggest hurdle is not the product

Today's jewelry market is highly competitive. The greatest challenge is not producing jewelry — but generating attention and building trust.

Many brands invest large sums in:

  • Advertising
  • Influencers
  • Agencies
  • Photoshoots

… and yet possess no genuine community. SARLO pursues a different approach: the community is to emerge even before the actual sales launch.

Successful role models

Brands that grew this way

Daniel Wellington

Founded 2011
  • Growth almost exclusively through Social Media & Influencers
  • Online-only phase of approx. 6–7 years
  • First watches between €149 and €249

It was not the product that was unique — the brand and the marketing made the difference.

Paul Valentine

Founded 2015
  • Instagram-first strategy
  • Several years of online-only distribution
  • Jewelry prices between €29 and €79

A powerful brand universe can replace traditional retail structures.

PURELEI

Founded 2016
  • Almost exclusively Social Media
  • First own store only in 2024
  • Around 8 years online-only

Community first. Retail next.

Implications for SARLO

Great brands don't have to start with stores. They can first build reach, trust and community online.

The platform

What is Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is the world's best-known crowdfunding platform for new companies, products and brands. Companies can present their ideas and sell products as early as the founding or development phase, before these are produced or shipped.

Supporters finance the first production steps through pre-orders and thereby become the brand's first customers. Kickstarter thus makes it possible to:

  • to raise capital
  • to build a community
  • to test market demand
  • to generate international attention
  • to achieve revenue even before market launch

Kickstarter is more than financing

Kickstarter is simultaneously:

  • Marketing platform
  • Sales platform
  • Community platform
  • Brand-building platform
Important for Third Parties

Kickstarter is not just about raising money. It means: the brand becomes visible, gains its first paying supporters and can prove demand before the regular online shop opens.

Successful Kickstarter examples

From crowdfunding to luxury brand

Strathberry

Luxury Bags & Accessories — Kickstarter Campaign
  • Over £122,000 in funding
  • Luxury positioning
  • International brand recognition
  • Today: revenue exceeding £36M, several own stores, international luxury brand

Kickstarter was the starting point for building the brand.

The Monarch Watch (Vincero)

Handcrafted Watch · Italian Marble — Kickstarter Campaign
  • Over $132,000 in funding
  • International expansion
  • Building a successful direct-to-consumer brand

The campaign did not only finance the product — it created trust and a first community.

The SARLO Strategy · Phase 1

Kickstarter Founder Collection

The Kickstarter campaign is intended to introduce SARLO as a new brand, charge it with emotion and captivate its first supporters.

Goals

  • Generate attention
  • Create trust
  • Build community
  • Generate capital
  • Reach the first customers

Contents

  • Founder story & brand story
  • Product design & packaging concept
  • Inspiration from Paris and London
  • Quality standards & the brand’s vision
Brand Vision

People should not just buy jewelry. People should become part of the making of SARLO.

Founder packages (example)

The packages should feel premium — no sense of a “discount”. The benefit is presented as an exclusive Founder advantage.

PackagePriceIncludedStrategic benefit
Founder Edition 49 €
  • Exclusive SARLO Christmas jewellery piece
  • Founder Certificate
  • Personal Founder number
  • 10 % discount for 12 months
  • Early Access to new products
Low entry barrier, ideal for reach and a first community.
Founder Premium 89 €
  • Exclusive SARLO Christmas jewellery piece
  • Luxury packaging
  • Founder Certificate
  • Personal Founder number
  • 15 % discount for 24 months
  • Early Access · Access to limited releases
Likely the strongest package: high quality, attractive and still highly purchasable.
Founder Collector 149 €
  • Limited & numbered Collector Edition
  • Luxury packaging
  • Founder Certificate
  • 20 % discount for 36 months
  • Priority access to special editions
For fans, collectors and early brand ambassadors. Increases basket size and exclusivity.
The SARLO Strategy · Phase 2

Founder Dumpling campaign

The Founder Dumpling campaign runs in parallel with the Kickstarter campaign and generates reach on social media.

  • Distribution via TikTok, Instagram & social media
  • Price: 39 €
  • Limited edition: 5.000 pieces

Why the Founder Dumplings?

The Dumplings are not a long-term product — they are a marketing instrument. Objectives:

  • Viral reach
  • Newsletter sign-ups
  • Community building
  • Brand Awareness
  • Social Media Growth

Each Dumpling contains

  • Founder Number
  • Founder Certificate
  • Early Access
  • Special Benefits & Surprises
External Communication

The Dumpling should not feel cheap. It is presented as a limited Founder Experience: an entry into the brand — with a number, certificate, early access and an element of surprise.

Economic example

PositionValue
Founder Dumplings5,000 pieces
Sale price39 €
Revenue195.000 €
Estimated costs / potential gross profit50.000 € / 145.000 €

In addition, this creates: reach, community, an email database and social media growth.

The Most Important Metric

Not the revenue. Not the Kickstarter sum. The most important metric is the size of the community — newsletter subscribers, TikTok and Instagram followers, Founder members. These people form the foundation for future sales.

Long-term vision

The journey over the years

PeriodFocus
Year 1Community building
Year 2Expanding the online business
Year 3International expansion
Year 4–5Collaborations and special editions
Year 5–8Selected brick-and-mortar retail partners
Year 8+Own flagship stores, where economically viable
Conclusion

This is how a brand is born

SARLO does not launch with a conventional jewellery shop. SARLO launches with a community.

  • Kickstarter builds trust.
  • The Founder Collection creates identification.
  • The Founder Dumpling campaign generates attention.

Only afterwards does the actual sale of jewellery follow. This way, not merely a product emerges — a brand emerges.

Key Message for Partners & Friends

In the beginning, SARLO does not just sell jewelry. SARLO sells belonging, exclusivity and the opportunity to become part of the making of a new international brand.