Igniting Brand Expansion

BBQGuys began as brick-and-mortar retailer The Grill Store & More in Baton Rouge, Louisiana more than 2 decades ago. After a few years in business, brick-and-mortar expanded to launch the e-commerce site BBQGuys.com, a rarity for BBQ grills and outdoor kitchen supplies back then. Despite its success, BBQGuys found the online outdoor kitchen marketplace getting more and more crowded, as new online retailers launched and BBQ grill manufacturers developed their own e-commerce platforms.

In 2020, private equity firm Brand Velocity Partners acquired BBQGuys, bringing along not just capital and marketing prowess from Source Advertising, but also some legendary investors. When the Manning family wants to join the party, you know you’re onto something special. But how best to leverage these legends?

We developed a framework to capitalize on the power of the Manning brand. We executed an online quantitative market structure and positioning study to:

1. Assess the online BBQ and outdoor kitchen retail marketplace 
2. Uncover opportunities and barriers to purchasing BBQ grills online 
3. Identify the prime target audience
4. Optimize a communication and media strategy 

Now the Mannings aren’t just investors, they’re the face of the brand. And as a result of their success, BBQGuys went public in July 2021