How Supreme & Corteiz Win Without Paid Ads (For Now)

Every day, brands pour fortunes into paid ads that consumers ignore. Yet, a select few have managed to build cult-like followings without ever buying a traditional ad. 

Supreme, Corteiz, Eric Emanuel, and Johnny Cupcakes are some of the most sought-after names in streetwear and lifestyle fashion, and they’ve done it without spending a penny on digital marketing. Their success comes from organic hype, exclusivity, and cultural influence, rather than big ad budgets.

But why exactly don’t they need paid ads? And what could happen if they actually gave ads a try? Let’s break it down.

The Power of Hype & Scarcity

These brands don’t chase customers – customers chase them. They’ve mastered a formula that keeps them at the forefront of style and culture without a single sponsored post:

Limited Drops & Scarcity 

Supreme’s Thursday releases create queues that wrap around city blocks, with everything selling out in minutes. Corteiz keeps fans guessing with surprise drops, once selling £125 cargo trousers for just 99p as a stunt that drew over 2,000 people. The result? If you wait, you lose.

This is streetwear marketing genius. Who needs a £50K ad budget when you can sell £125 cargo pants for 99p and have thousands lining up around the block?

Strong Community & Word-of-Mouth 

Supreme’s roots in skate culture inspired fan-run forums where enthusiasts trade news and gear. Corteiz cultivated an insiders-only vibe with a private Instagram account in its early days. Their fans promote them across social media without payment. The customers become the marketers.

Cultural Status & Authenticity 

In their scenes, these brands function as cultural icons. 

Supreme’s red box logo represents authentic streetwear, while Corteiz’s Alcatraz ‘Rules The World’ logo embodies rebellious London attitude. Artists including Drake, Central Cee, and Stormzy wear Corteiz publicly. Eric Emanuel serves as the premium choice for sports apparel, especially among NBA fans. Johnny Cupcakes transformed graphic tees into collectible pop culture pieces. 

By staying true to their roots and refusing to sell out, they’ve become so cool and credible that people seek them out naturally. Traditional advertising becomes unnecessary when your brand already sparks interest.

High Resale Value 

Sold-out items often appear on resale platforms at several times their retail price. Supreme pieces have sold for over 1200% of their original price, and at its peak, Supreme represented over one-third of all apparel resales on StockX.

Why E-Commerce Brands Are Struggling

For many other e-commerce brands, paid ads on social platforms is the default growth strategy. But the landscape has changed, and consumer expectations have shifted.

Today’s shoppers don’t just want products. They want to buy into movements or lifestyles. Meanwhile, the advertising space has never been more competitive:

• Higher Ad Costs: Companies collectively spent over £730 billion on advertising in 2023, driving up the price to reach consumers.
• Lower Organic Reach: Social media algorithms now favour content with strong engagement, making it harder for ads to break through.
• Sceptical Consumers: 92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people over brand advertisements.

Relying on paid ads alone just isn’t enough anymore. To survive and grow, brands need a strategy that blends performance marketing with organic brand-building – essentially, taking a page from the Supreme or Corteiz playbook while still using advertising in smart ways.

 

What If They Used Paid Ads?

The fact that these brands have exploded without advertising is impressive. But it’s also fascinating to imagine how much further they could go if they ever decided to use paid ads (in a way that doesn’t betray their brand ethos). 

What if Supreme, Corteiz, Eric Emanuel, or Johnny Cupcakes suddenly flipped on the ad switch? Here’s how strategic advertising could amplify their reach even more:

Global Reach & Faster Growth 

Paid ads could introduce these already-hot brands to whole new audiences around the world. There are still untapped markets – think regions of Asia, South America or parts of Europe where not everyone is immersed in the streetwear culture. 

A well-placed ad campaign could put Supreme’s latest drop or Corteiz’s next project in front of millions of new eyeballs who might otherwise never hear of them. In theory, that means even faster growth. With advertising, they could expand into new cities and demographics at a pace that pure word-of-mouth might not achieve, all without waiting for the hype to spread organically.

Retargeting & Customer Retention

Even the most hype-driven brands have one-and-done customers who buy once during the frenzy and then drift away. 

Smart digital advertising (like retargeting ads or email funnels) could help bring those folks back. For example, someone who bought a limited item on impulse could be gently nudged with ads for the next drop or a related product.

By re-engaging past buyers, these brands could turn one-time hype purchases into long-term loyalty. Paid ads could help nurture a lasting relationship – converting hype chasers into regular customers and boosting metrics like lifetime value and repeat purchase rate.

Test New Products

Thus far, each brand has stuck somewhat close to its niche (Supreme does occasional crazy accessories, but primarily apparel; Eric Emanuel focuses on shorts; Johnny Cupcakes sticks to apparel and trinkets). 

If they wanted to venture into new categories, advertising could be a useful tool to test the waters. Imagine Eric Emanuel launching a sneaker line, or Johnny Cupcakes dropping a collectible toy, or Supreme dabbling in something even wilder than crowbars and brick accessories. 

They could run targeted ads to gauge interest and get feedback before fully investing. In this way, paid ads would act like a real-time survey of the market, helping validate demand and scale new product lines more efficiently (with less risk) than a blind drop

Even Stronger Competitive Edge 

These brands are already dominant in their space. Using paid ads would be like fortifying an already-strong fortress. 

If Supreme started aggressively bidding on fashion keywords or flooding social feeds with promo content, it would occupy even more digital real estate, making it incredibly hard for any emerging streetwear brand to get noticed in those channels. 

They’d effectively drown out the competition online. For the hype brands, this would mean cementing their legendary status and visibility everywhere you look. For everyone else, it would widen the gap – one more barrier to competing with the kings of hype.

The Bottom Line

We think Supreme, Corteiz and similar brands prove something we’ve always suspected – cultural relevance and authenticity can actually outweigh massive ad budgets. 

Just look at what they’ve done through strategic scarcity, word-of-mouth and tight-knit communities. They’ve built hype machines that practically run themselves without spending a penny on traditional campaigns.

Would we recommend they try paid ads? Maybe. We reckon it could supercharge their growth, but they’d need to be careful not to water down what makes them special. The real takeaway for us isn’t about whether you should use ads or not – it’s about finding genuine ways to connect with your audience.

 

How CRKLR Can Help Your E-Commerce Brand Compete

The success of brands like Supreme and Corteiz has changed how people shop. Consumers now look for authenticity and community, not just products.

If you’re running an online store, you might want to consider:

• Combining traditional advertising with community building
• Making sure your ads actually connect with people
• Creating genuine excitement around your products

 

CRKLR works with brands trying to find this balance, including several streetwear companies. Our experience in this space has shown what works when blending paid ads with authentic brand building. If this interests you, book a free consultation call with us today.