X2Power is a premium battery brand that primarily offers lithium marine and AGM batteries designed for people with enthusiast lifestyles. Exclusively sold by Batteries Plus, X2Power was initially just an apathetic product offered in-store, lacking any distinct branding, social media presence, or influencer and sponsorship partnerships.
However, this changed when X2Power began working with Gunpowder – turning the product into a brand with a meaningful identity within the outdoor lifestyle and enthusiast category.
Challenge 1: How do we make X2Power stand out as a lifestyle brand?
In January 2021, X2Power/Batteries Plus partnered with Gunpowder to turn X2Power into a brand that embodied the enthusiast lifestyle. While X2Power had high-quality products, it lacked the identity and consumer engagement needed to resonate with this target audience. The challenge was to elevate X2Power from being just a product on the shelf to a brand that connected with its consumers on a deeper level.With the lithium battery market becoming saturated, X2Power needed to stand out from its competitors and create a lasting brand presence. The goal was not only to differentiate the brand but also to create customer loyalty that would last a lifetime.
Challenge 2: How Do We Measure the Consumer Journey?
X2Power dominated on social media and at industry events as a highly visible and engaging brand, but there was a critical challenge: no clear way to measure the consumer journey or accurately attribute the impact of its digital branding efforts.
Our digital team quickly identified attribution gaps in this journey. The disconnect between online ads and in-store purchases revealed that while X2Power ads drove consumers into stores, many chose lower-priced alternatives at checkout. This "air gap" cost X2Power crucial conversions, highlighting the need for a more integrated strategy to secure loyalty from digital engagement to in-store sales.
Solution 1: Win the Boat, Get the Rest
The Gunpowder team adopted a strategy of "Win the boat, get the rest." By focusing on boat owners — a key enthusiast demographic. X2Power could tap into this community and build loyalty for not only marine batteries but also batteries for vehicles and other equipment. This led to the development of the brand’s new campaign, Demand It, reflecting the high expectations enthusiasts have for their equipment and the reliability X2Power delivers. To bring X2Power’s new Demand It campaign to life, Gunpowder developed a mix of new branding assets, including logos, animated visuals, a new brand book, and a brand anthem. Gunpowder organized multiple content shoots per year, producing high-quality digital ads, and engaging social media content on a limited budget.
We leveraged our industry connections to assemble a pro staff of influencers and professionals who instantly became the face of the brand. Gunpowder created dedicated social channels for X2Power on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. We were the ones behind the screen – posting, commenting, and leading strategy. Our social strategy for X2Power leaned on the following:
Cultivate an environment where followers can engage with each other and the brand
Be active. Gunpowder made it a priority to appear on the top of other relevant social media pages’ comment sections like popular influencers and big tournament trails.
Deliver a high-quality content mix that interests the follower-base:
YouTube Videos that showed off our pro staff’s personalities
Coverage of top fishing tournaments
FAQs about battery prep and management
Like influencers, relationships with industry media are just as crucial. The bread and butter of what we do is media relations. The team prides themselves on their established reputation within the outdoor industry media. By leveraging their already existing relationships, Gunpowder was able to secure top of the line coverage for the emerging X2Power brand.
Solution 2: Digital Integration and Attribution
Our digital team developed a robust Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) strategy to track both paid and organic digital attribution accurately. We aided in the creation of a new Shopify site for X2Power, seamlessly integrating it with Meta’s shopping experience through Facebook and Instagram Shops. This streamlined the customer journey, reduced friction, and enhanced the buying experience. Moreover, it was a way to maximize influencer engagement across their social channels.
Server-side tracking was implemented to measure return on ad spending (ROAS) precisely for each campaign and individual ad creative. By combining PR, influencer efforts, and both organic and paid social, Gunpowder could report on the Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER), providing clear insights into which sales channels were most effective and delivering strong returns on investment.
Gunpowder was able to establish X2Power as the premier battery option for lifestyle enthusiasts – primarily those in the fishing space. On behalf of our strategic planning, and our relationships with key influencers and media members, X2Power was able to cultivate a highly engaged audience in the industry and on social media.
By recognizing X2Power’s attribution gaps in their customer journey, Gunpowder was able to help develop a brand new DTC strategy that accurately tracked both paid and organic digital attribution, while at the same time aiding in the creation of a new Shopify site for X2Power.
X2Power was now able to track the performance of their brand like never before. Meta quickly became the top-performing sales channel for the X2Power DTC site
X2Power was now able to accurately track and measure the following insights:
MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio)
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)
CTR (Click Through Rate)
CR (Conversion Rate)
Gross Sales
Net Sales
Alex Rudd
Podcast Host & Influencer
