Marketing Strategy Call — 2026-01-16

Overview

Strategy call between Asymmetric (Karly Oykhman, Gilbert Barrongo, Avokerie Onorimuo) and Doudlah Farms (Mark Doudlah, Lucy Doudlah, Jason Doudlah). Lucy joined late due to a separate grant call. Topics covered: influencer marketing trial design, outstanding Moms Across America payment obligations, Old World Popcorn reorder quantities and timeline, and Pop Popcorn launch status.

Attendees:
- Karly Oykhman — Asymmetric (lead)
- Gilbert Barrongo — Asymmetric
- Avokerie Onorimuo — Asymmetric
- Mark Doudlah — Doudlah Farms
- Lucy Doudlah — Doudlah Farms (joined late)
- Jason Doudlah — Doudlah Farms

Key Decisions

• Influencer trial: Run a 15-box non-contractual trial (5 moms, 5 home chefs, 5 high-tier chefs) before committing to paid/contracted influencer relationships.
• Old World Popcorn reorder quantities: 225 white + 125 yellow units, based on recent sales velocity (white trending ~209/month, yellow ~110/month).
• Old World Popcorn order deadline: April 15, to ensure stock is ready before the May/June planting season when Mark and Jason have limited availability.
• Pop Popcorn packaging: Use a single bag size for both vending machine single-serves and multi-pack boxes (12/24/36-count), simplifying inventory and production.
• Old World customer service: Karly to handle inbound customer emails on Mark's behalf; separate Old World email address to be set up (~$7/month).

Action Items

• [ ] Draft influencer outreach plan, note card copy, and target list (10–15 names); send 15 trial boxes — 5 moms, 5 home chefs, 5 high-tier chefs (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Pull 1% retail (website) sales data and 10% coupon sales data (codes MA85, MA810); send to Mark for Moms Across America checks (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Resend Moms Across America 1% promo doc to Ann and Zen; schedule Zoom (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Handle inbound Old World Popcorn Amazon customer service email (broken bag complaint) forwarded by Mark (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Follow up with Mark (internal) on Old World Popcorn email address setup; confirm $7/month billing (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Schedule monthly Amazon update calls with Gilbert + Doudlah Farms (@Karly Oykhman)
• [ ] Find chef influencer list from notes; share with Karly (@Mark Doudlah)
• [ ] Order Old World Popcorn bags: 225 white, 125 yellow — deadline April 15 (@Mark Doudlah)
• [ ] Forward Old World Popcorn customer service email to Karly (@Mark Doudlah)
• [ ] Contact vending machine operators to confirm optimal single-serve bag size for Pop Popcorn (@Mark Doudlah)
• [ ] Pay outstanding Moms Across America obligations (1% retail + 10% coupon) once Karly provides data (@Mark Doudlah)

Topic Notes

Influencer Marketing Strategy

Mark raised the idea of using social influencers to drive website traffic and reduce over-reliance on Amazon. Karly outlined the two-tier landscape:

• High-tier (paid/contracted): Large follower counts (millions); require product + payment + formal contract specifying deliverables (story posts, feed posts, discount codes for attribution).
• Lower-tier (gifted): ~200K–300K followers; send a product box with a friendly ask to share — no contract, no payment.

Agreed trial structure: 15 non-contractual gift boxes across three segments:
- 5 moms — clean eating, sustainability focus (Karly's area of expertise; hashtags: #cleaneats, #fromscratch, #organicrecipes)
- 5 home chefs — nutrient density and flavor angle
- 5 high-tier chefs — brand awareness play (e.g., Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay); no expectation of return, but worth the attempt

Mark mentioned specific influencer names to research: Simply Ni, Chef James Smith (Clean Eating Magazine), Nara Smith (from-scratch meals), Tabitha Brown (vegan). Suggested hashtag searches: #cleaneats, #organicrecipes, #healthycooking, #wholefoods, #fromscratch.

Karly to compile a full outreach write-up including note card copy and a list of 10–15 targets for Mark to review before boxes are sent.

Moms Across America Partnership

Mark flagged that outstanding payments to Moms Across America have not been made and need to be resolved. Two obligations:

Karly to pull both datasets and send to Mark so he can issue checks to Zen (Zen Honeycutt, Moms Across America). Karly will also resend the promotional plan document to Ann and Zen and attempt to reschedule a Zoom that was previously deferred due to personal circumstances on their end.

Old World Popcorn — Inventory & Operations

Reorder:
- Current inventory: ~6 months of stock on hand
- Sales velocity (most recent month): white ~209 units, yellow ~110 units
- Order quantities confirmed: 225 white, 125 yellow
- Order deadline: April 15 — bags require 6–8 weeks for manufacturing (metal printing plates must be made first for the new bag design, then bag production runs)
- Rationale for deadline: Mark and Jason are unavailable during late May and all of June (planting season); all Amazon stock must be in place before then

Customer service issue:
An Amazon customer whose bag arrived broken contacted Doudlah Farms directly (likely found Old World Popcorn contact info via the website after purchasing on Amazon). Mark cannot respond without revealing the Doudlah Farms identity behind the Old World brand. Resolution:
- Mark to forward the email to Karly
- Karly to respond on behalf of Old World Popcorn
- Separate Old World Popcorn email address to be set up (~$7/month); Karly sent approval request in December — needs follow-up with internal contact (Mark, Asymmetric) to confirm setup and billing

Monthly Amazon updates: Karly to bring Gilbert into at least monthly calls with Doudlah Farms for more detailed Amazon reporting, given his promotion to Director and deeper platform expertise.

Pop Popcorn Launch

Ready-to-eat popcorn made from Doudlah Farms' own kernels. Status as of this call:

• Nutritional panel complete with actual lab-tested stats (not copied from generic sources)
• Remaining blocker: Bag manufacturer — estimated 6-week lead time once a manufacturer is confirmed
• Mark is actively sourcing a bag manufacturer

Packaging strategy decision: Use a single bag size that works for both:
1. Vending machine single-serve slots
2. Multi-pack retail boxes (12, 24, or 36 count) for consumer purchase (e.g., school lunch bags)

Mark needs to contact vending machine operators to confirm the correct bag dimensions before finalizing the bag spec with the manufacturer.

Early demand signals: The "coming soon" social post (showing raw kernels) has already generated inbound B2B inquiries. Example: Jenny at Bountiful Beloit (Beloit, WI) has expressed intent to order for her store.

Context & Background

• Doudlah Farms is a Demeter-certified biodynamic/regenerative farm in Wisconsin. Old World Popcorn is a separate organic (non-biodynamic) popcorn brand they sell through Amazon under a distinct identity.
• The farm's operational calendar creates a hard constraint: late May through June is planting season, during which Mark and Jason have minimal bandwidth for non-farm tasks. All inventory and logistics work should be front-loaded before this window.
• Mark had recently attended an EPA meeting (organized through Moms Across America) on transitioning the U.S. food system and military food supply to organic — context for his strong alignment with the Moms Across America partnership.

Related

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