Ready. Set. Global. – International growth strategy for Joli

HMS x Joli: For their last MBA project, Isaak Roscher, Torben Orgelmacher, and Jessica Neugebauer collaborated with social media powerhouse Joli to develop a strategy on how to boost long-term company growth on a global scale.

Welcome to Joli
From April to July, we had the pleasure of collaborating with social media powerhouse Joli. Founded by Lina Arnold and Jonas Kunow in 2018, Joli has grown from a small Berlin agency to an international player – launching their latest office in Los Angeles in 2022.
Known for their outstanding TikTok expertise and successful influencer marketing campaigns, Joli has since expanded their services from establishing their own production studios to paid social ads and more. Over the course of this project, our direct contact partner was Marie-Josephine Ludewig (aka Josie, MM 16) who is the director of strategy and communications at Joli.

Kicking off our final project
We were excited to receive the news that we would be collaborating with Joli for the next three months. Our team is comprised of Isaak Roscher, Torben Orgelmacher, and Jessica Neugebauer. In preparation for the kickoff, we already got a glimpse of what was waiting for us: Developing a strategy to enhance Joli’s growth in the US.

When we met the Joli team at the end of April, it turned out that the entire team has much bigger aspirations than what we initially expected. It was not only about growing in the US but expanding influence on a global scale. Deeply inspired by their vision and drive, our team started working on the project and defined the following key challenge: “How to position Joli in the US & beyond strategically and communicate a unique selling proposition to win new clients effectively?”

To tackle this question, we have proceeded in three ways:

Firstly, we reviewed studies concerning the US agency landscape to better understand the dynamics of the US market. Secondly, we conducted a thorough analysis of US-based agencies as well as foreign agencies with offices in the US. For instance, we looked at their scale, services, or clients. For better comparison, we applied the same criteria when analyzing Joli as well. Thirdly, one aspect we had a closer look at, was the touchpoints competitors used to enhance visibility, such as social media or events. We organized our findings in an Excel sheet and shared them with the team afterwards.

Our detailed analysis (and the inspiration we got from Joli’s afterparty at OMR :) served as the foundation for our take on Joli’s international growth strategy – the Joli’s Four.

Introducing Joli’s Four

Joli’s Four is comprised of four pillars to boost long-term company growth in the US and beyond.

In pillar one “Enter new markets with core services”, we focused on how Joli can grow as a company and set itself apart from the competition. In the second pillar “Become an international brand”, we shared our take on establishing a scalable global brand architecture and aligning Joli’s brand values with the new international approach. The third pillar “Communicate excellence”, summarizes the main takeaways of pillars one and two and emphasizes the importance of communicating them. We provided examples of key messages and covered criteria which are essential to agency communication. In the fourth and last pillar “Attracting big clients,” we first defined the target group and proposed six different touchpoints to increase visibility. By prioritizing these touchpoints differently, Joli can actively nurture word-of-mouth recommendations as well as direct inquiries.

For our final presentation, we were very excited to be invited to Joli’s office in Berlin and present our take on Joli’s international growth strategy in front of the Berlin and LA teams. We appreciate the time and the positive feedback about Joli’s Four and our further findings.

"Working with Isaak, Torben, and Jessi on the 'Joli's Four' strategy has been an enlightening journey. Their diligence, unique perspectives, and strategic insights have provided a robust roadmap that we believe will catapult Joli's global reach to new heights. This collaboration has not only produced a strategic roadmap for our international expansion but also prompted us to pause and reflect on our core values and aspirations. This reflection is crucial as we continue to evolve our brand and establish a unique identity on the global stage. We are excited to implement the recommendations and move forward as a company, ready to turn our grand ambitions into reality."<

– Josephine Ludewig, Director of Strategy & Communications at Joli

Looking back at the past three months, Torben, Isaak and I truly enjoyed working on this case strategically and analytically. Getting to know Joli and what drives the people working for Joli, has left us very inspired. We hope that our work supports Joli on its future journey to become a global player.

Lastly, we would like to thank everyone involved for their support and trust, especially Lina Arnold, Josie, Phoebe Walker, and Alice Nagel from the Joli team and Ulrike Meier, Stefanie Kirschbaum, and Prof. Dr. Armin Rott from the HMS team.