NEW YORK – OtterBox is stepping out from behind its rugged reputation to tell a new story about its phone-protection products – one built not just on durability, but on connection, emotion and evolution.
After years of dialing back on brand awareness media to manage operating costs, Otter Products is making a deliberate return to top-of-funnel marketing in 2025.
“We’re intentfully investing in above-the-line media to really support our brand messaging,” Samantha Quagliano, vice president of marketing and e-commerce at Otter Products, said in this interview with Lisa Granatstein, editorial director of Beet.TV.
While the company boasts top-tier recognition for quality and trust, internal focus groups revealed a surprising perception gap: many consumers still see OtterBox as the maker of the bulky black phone case that dads clip to their belts.
“We still make that case – and it’s great,” Quagliano said, “but we’ve evolved as a brand.”
‘Made for Yes’
To reintroduce OtterBox to a broader audience, the company partnered with Digitas and launched its new Made for Yes campaign. The goal: to reflect a more modern, diverse and emotionally connected brand.
“We’ve over-indexed on older males,” Quagliano said, noting that the product itself is genderless and ageless. The new strategy expands audience targeting to reach younger, more diverse consumers, especially women, through social media and lifestyle content.
“We don’t make a product for one gender. It’s a phone case. It protects your phone, and everyone has one,” she said.
The Made for Yes campaign marks a shift from OtterBox’s product-first messaging to a more emotionally resonant narrative.
“We’ve been missing that emotional connection,” Quagliano said. “OtterBox is with you at every ‘yes’ moment – those exciting, bold experiences where you step outside your comfort zone.”
Mixed-funnel approach
The brand’s new storytelling approach aims to blend performance marketing with top-level brand messaging.
“The platforms are great for return on ad spend,” she said, “but they can be limiting when it comes to storytelling.”
For Quagliano, it’s all about balance: marrying the transactional precision of digital platforms with the broader emotional pull of tier-one media.
Influencers at Coachella
This integrated approach is already bearing fruit. OtterBox recently worked with 10 influencers at Coachella to capture authentic content reflecting the Made for Yes spirit.
“That event, those moments – they’re a perfect showcase of how the product supports real-life experiences,” she said.
For Quagliano, authenticity is the new currency of brand trust.
“Consumers are more evolved than ever in what they expect from brands,” she said. “You can’t fake connection. You have to show up in the ways that matter, with a message that resonates.”
You’re watching “Question Everything, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at NewFronts 2025, presented by Digitas.” For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
