How MOSH Built a $10M Brand with Smart Marketing Strategy

A Brand Rooted in Purpose

MOSH, co-founded by Patrick Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, was built on a deeply personal mission. Combining Maria’s long-time advocacy for brain health and Alzheimer’s awareness with Patrick’s entrepreneurial spirit, MOSH aims to provide consumers with a nutritious and functional snack that supports long-term cognitive health. Their protein bars contain key ingredients like omega-3s, lion’s mane, and ashwagandha, known for promoting brain health, all while being low in sugar and high in essential nutrients.

Since its launch, MOSH has experienced rapid growth, generating nearly $10 million in direct-to-consumer sales till 2023. This impressive achievement was further fueled by a successful $3 million seed round, which has enabled the brand to continue expanding and scaling its operations. These milestones have solidified MOSH’s position as a leader in the brain-health snack market.

Leveraging Personal Branding for Credibility

One of MOSH's key strengths is its founders' credibility. Schwarzenegger and Shriver’s personal stories and advocacy for brain health resonate with consumers. The brand has successfully leveraged this association, drawing attention from media outlets and wellness-conscious individuals. Shriver’s work with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) also provides a philanthropic angle, enhancing the trust and credibility of the brand.

Subscription Model: Enhancing Sales and Customer Loyalty

The subscription model has become an essential component of MOSH's business strategy, accounting for 32% of its total sales. By offering a 20% discount, free shipping, and early access to new flavors, MOSH has made its subscription service highly attractive to customers. Patrick Schwarzenegger has emphasized that regular consumption is key to improving brain health, which aligns with the subscription model. The company's strategic use of the Amazon platform also enhances accessibility for its growing customer base.

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Product Differentiation in a Crowded Market

MOSH sets itself apart in the nutrition bar market by emphasizing brain health rather than simply physical wellness. Its bars include functional ingredients like lion’s mane and ashwagandha, both well-known for their cognitive-boosting properties. Moreover, the clean, low-sugar composition of the bars, combined with their high-protein content, aligns with health-conscious consumers’ desires for a nutritious snack. Additionally, MOSH offers a variety of flavors, like Cookies and Cream Crunch and Lemon White Chocolate Crunch, ensuring broad appeal while maintaining its core health-focused identity. 

Building Anticipation for New Products

MOSH has cultivated excitement around its product line through frequent social media teasers and engagement. Their active online presence keeps their audience engaged and eager for new product launches, whether it's a new flavo, rebrandingr or an expansion into new platforms like Amazon. This strategy of building anticipation has proven effective in maintaining customer engagement and driving repeat purchases​.

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‍SEO Strategy: Driving Organic Traffic and Growth

MOSH’s success is not solely based on its product offerings and branding but also on a robust SEO strategy that has significantly contributed to its growth. The brand partnered with SEO experts to increase its non-branded organic traffic and establish itself as a leader in brain health content.

1. Content-Focused SEO Strategy MOSH’s content strategy revolves around high-quality, educational blog posts that address topics like brain health, Alzheimer’s prevention, and the benefits of nootropic ingredients such as lion’s mane and ashwagandha. These well-researched blogs positioned MOSH as an authority in the wellness industry, driving 25% of their total organic traffic. The key to their content’s effectiveness is its E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) compliance, as it is often written by healthcare experts, lending credibility to both their brand and their products.

By balancing promotional and informational content, MOSH has created a seamless flow from educating the reader to driving them toward purchasing decisions. This not only boosts organic traffic but also enhances user engagement and conversion rates.

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2. Technical SEO and Domain Authority Growth Beyond content, MOSH implemented essential technical SEO improvements that have optimized their website’s overall performance and visibility. These efforts included enhancements to meta tags, internal linking, and site structure, all of which contributed to higher search engine rankings. By focusing on these on-page elements, MOSH saw a noticeable increase in the number of keywords ranking in the top 10 search results. This technical boost further increased the website's health and domain authority, improving their standing with both search engines and users.

3. Data-Driven SEO Decisions MOSH’s SEO strategy is driven by a data-first approach. The team continuously monitors performance metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates, ensuring that they adjust their strategy based on real-time data. They analyze what types of content perform best and adjust blog posts and landing pages accordingly, creating an evolving SEO plan that meets customer needs. This data-driven process ensures MOSH stays relevant in a competitive market, consistently optimizing content to rank higher and perform better.

4. Link Building and Backlink Strategy To strengthen its domain authority, MOSH focused heavily on a targeted link-building campaign. Earning backlinks from authoritative health and wellness sites helped to boost their SEO rankings and credibility. This effort was critical in elevating MOSH’s organic search performance, ensuring that their content ranks high on search engines for non-branded, brain-health-related keywords. These backlinks also play a significant role in increasing overall site authority, helping the brand maintain its leadership position in the wellness space.

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Data-Driven Pricing and Subscription Strategies

MOSH’s decision-making is heavily data-driven, ensuring that customer feedback and sales data directly inform marketing strategies and product offerings. For example, the company used A/B testing to adjust pricing, discovering that customers were willing to pay more for premium brain health products. This adjustment improved profit margins while maintaining consumer loyalty​. MOSH’s active engagement on social media also builds anticipation for new product launches. Teasing new flavors and maintaining an active online presence keeps customers excited and eager to try new offerings, reinforcing customer retention​.

Community Engagement and Brand Events

MOSH’s focus on educational content extends beyond SEO benefits. By consistently engaging their audience through blog posts, newsletters, and social media, MOSH fosters a sense of community among its customers. MOSH has been proactive in engaging with its community through events such as the BrainFest walk in Santa Monica, co-hosted by Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger. This engagement not only builds loyalty but also positions MOSH as a trusted source for information on brain health, further solidifying the brand’s leadership in the wellness space.

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Conclusion: MOSH’s Strategic Success

MOSH’s growth can be attributed to a well-rounded strategy that integrates strong branding, community engagement, data-driven decisions, and a robust SEO campaign. By leveraging Patrick Schwarzenegger’s personal brand, the company has attracted a loyal customer base, while their focus on educational content and cognitive health sets them apart in the competitive nutrition market.

The success of their SEO campaign, combined with a thoughtful subscription model and a commitment to continual product innovation, has positioned MOSH as a leading player in the brain health and wellness industry. With plans for further product expansion and retail distribution, MOSH is poised to continue its impressive growth trajectory.