Building a Brand with Purpose: A Custom Approach to PR and Influencer Marketing at The MAD Shoes

Marketing for product-based businesses, especially in luxury fashion, has evolved, with PR and influencer marketing leading the transformation. It's now about creating genuine connections. Consumers crave authentic stories, not polished messages. They trust creators who share real experiences with brands they genuinely love. These partnerships go beyond flashy campaigns—they're about lasting, relatable relationships.

PR has shifted from simply gaining media exposure to shaping a brand narrative that resonates emotionally. It's about creating stories that align with audience values, fostering engagement, and building long-term credibility. In luxury fashion, where craftsmanship and heritage are essential, PR must go deeper - highlighting the artistry, passion, and journey behind each product. What works for one brand doesn't work for all brands. A polished visual image doesn't always translate to higher sales or brand authority. Authenticity and storytelling do. 

In this article, we will share how PR and influencer marketing is perceived at the MAD Shoes; what we’ve been through in the past 1.5 years,  how we've shifted our strategy, the lessons we've learned along the way, and the creative ways we've built meaningful connections with our audience. We will also discuss the challenges we faced in breaking through the noise and how staying true to our brand values has shaped our approach to storytelling and brand partnerships.

Breaking through the noise: marketing and brand image for a newly created brand

For months, we made a critical mistake: looking at established brands and mimicking their visual strategies. Instagram walls with highly edited, polished posts inspired by YSL or Jacquemus look stunning, but for a small brand still building credibility, they often miss the mark. They may appear professional and clean, but they rarely feel authentic. 

We missed the fact that perfection feels cold, impersonal, lifeless, and at times, unrealistic. It took us some time to break through that pattern, switch gears completely, and focus on what mattered more: what happens behind the scenes. We realized that our audience was a lot more curious to learn about how MAD started, how we created the accessories, the concept, what the shoes look like up close, and, of course, what real customers think.

Upon realizing this, we started creating a more authentic look and feel for our Instagram wall. We began posting more outfit photos - some professionally edited, others raw - reels showcasing the shoes up close, snapshots of prototypes in progress, and videos of me, the founder, offering in-depth product insights.

The result? Our wall may not have the high-gloss aesthetic typical of luxury brands, but it resonates. More and more women are engaging with us, sparking meaningful conversations and genuine interest in our products.

Lesson learned: What works for some may not work for all. Luxury brands with massive budgets can afford sleek, polished visuals. But for a small, growing brand like MAD Shoes, building credibility requires a different approach - one rooted in authenticity and storytelling. Our audience didn’t want perfection; they wanted connection.

We learned that showing up as we are, with a mix of curated and behind-the-scenes content, invites people into the journey rather than just presenting the finished product. It gave our audience a reason to care and, more importantly, engage. From sharing the messy process of prototyping to highlighting customer feedback, we turned what initially felt like imperfections into assets. This approach not only fostered trust but also helped us carve out a distinctive brand identity that feels approachable and real.

Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy in marketing or branding. Success comes from understanding your audience, being willing to adapt, and leaning into what makes your brand genuinely unique.

Building trust & standing out while dealing with consumer skepticism 

As a new brand, earning consumer trust was not easy. In an industry where consumers are constantly spammed with marketing messages and aggressive ads, skepticism comes naturally. We quickly learned that standing out wasn't just about beautiful products — it was about showing up authentically at every touchpoint.

For the MAD Shoes — and the people behind the brand — authenticity became our most valuable asset. It meant being transparent about the journey, embracing imperfections, and connecting with our audience on a human level. Instead of hiding behind polished marketing, we leaned into real stories: the challenges of designing new collections, the artistry behind every pair of shoes, and the voices of the women who wear them. This shift transformed MAD Shoes from just another luxury shoe brand into a community-led brand where trust, creativity, and conversation thrive.

A big part of the building trust process was putting myself out there. Whether it meant attending a conference or participating in a social event, these interactions made a meaningful impact. Launching The MADgician podcast was instrumental in overcoming consumer skepticism, too. By sharing authentic stories and engaging with other women entrepreneurs, the podcast allowed me to show that, at the end of the day, I was just another human navigating the challenges of building a business, pursuing a passion, and learning along the way. 

Slowly, this approach broke down the polished image often associated with luxury brands and replaced it with genuine conversations about entrepreneurship, creativity, and resilience. 

Lesson learned: Be where your audience is, both in the physical world and in the digital space. Engage with them, not just as a brand but as a person with a story. Show them who you are — your challenges, your wins, and your setbacks. Celebrate the small victories and share the lessons learned along the way. Let them see how intuition guides your decisions and how resilience keeps you moving forward, even when the path ahead looks uncertain. This vulnerability not only builds trust but also creates a meaningful connection that turns an audience into a loyal community.

Finding the right influencers (and foolishly believing that a 100K follower base is qualitative - it’s not always the case) 

One of the most valuable lessons we've learned is that numbers don’t tell the whole story. While a large follower base may seem attractive in influencer marketing, it doesn't always translate to meaningful engagement or authentic endorsements. Collaborations built on shared values have proven far more impactful.

The most successful collaborations are those that focus on long-term relationships rather than fleeting promotions. These partnerships allow influencers to develop a deeper understanding of the brand, making their endorsements more genuine and relatable. We've found that the best partnerships happen when influencers become true brand ambassadors. These creators embody the brand's values and genuinely care about its success. Their passion translates into authentic content that resonates more deeply with their followers. This approach fosters not just visibility but genuine connections that reinforce the brand's story over time.

And speaking of storytelling, I’m a firm believer that a good story will always win over a traditional sales pitch. Influencers who craft meaningful narratives around a brand do far more than just showcase products — they build emotional connections. Whether it's sharing the craftsmanship behind a collection or showing how the products fit seamlessly into their everyday lives, these stories captivate audiences and foster loyalty.

Lessons learned: What you see is not always what you get. A 100K follower base might look impressive, but it doesn’t guarantee engagement or meaningful impact. We learned that the real value lies beneath the surface — in the strength of relationships, the depth of connections, and the ability of influencers to genuinely align with our brand story. Long-term partnerships have proven far more valuable than quick promotional deals. It's not just about reach; it's about creating moments that matter and leave a lasting impression.

Adapting to changing SM algorithms and keeping up with trends that impact engagement and visibility 

Navigating social media as a growing brand often felt like playing a game where the rules changed overnight. With algorithms constantly evolving and trends coming and going, there was immense pressure to keep up — whether it was jumping on the latest viral challenge, creating perfectly curated content, or following platform updates.

We chose a different path. Instead of chasing every fleeting trend, we focused on creating organic content that genuinely connected with our audience. Our approach centered around unfiltered reels, raw behind-the-scenes videos, and authentic posts that showcased the story behind MAD Shoes. We leaned into showing the messy, imperfect, and real moments — from prototype testing to candid founder updates.

This decision wasn't always easy. It led to slower growth in follower counts and moments when we felt out of sync with social media trends. But it paid off. The women who followed our journey weren’t just passive scrollers — they engaged, asked questions, and often became loyal customers who appreciated our transparency.

Lesson learned: Why play by THE rules when you can play by YOUR rules? With algorithms dictating what gets seen and trends defining what content is "cool", content creators are pressured to adapt or get left behind. But we realized that following those rules wasn’t sustainable for us as a brand. It felt exhausting, impersonal, and out of sync with what we wanted to build.

Instead, we made a conscious decision to create our own rules. We focused on what felt genuine and meaningful: organic, unfiltered content that told our story without the polished, picture-perfect filter.

Playing by our own rules allowed us to focus on what mattered most: building trust. It wasn't about outsmarting the algorithm but about breaking through the noise by staying true to ourselves. And that made all the difference.

Examples of successful PR moments (limited-edition collection features & media coverage)

The MAD brand’s growth and recognition were fueled by several unexpected yet impactful PR moments. These successes occurred not through strategic planning or massive investment in PR, but because people were genuinely intrigued by the story and reached out for interviews or featured posts.

One of the most notable moments came in January 2024, when we had the honor of completing a look for Bianca Boeroiu, an Emmy Award winner at the 75th edition of the Emmy Awards. In March, we were invited to The Woman Conference, where over 700 women experienced MAD Shoes firsthand at our pop-up display. Following that, an interview for thewoman.ro gave me the opportunity to share my journey as a founder.

Our exposure grew further with magazine features and interviews, including Dupa Afaceri Premium, Haute Culture by Biz, and Ziarul Financiar. The highlight of our PR achievements came in November 2024 when Vogue UK reached out to feature MAD Shoes in their December, January, and February editions.

These unexpected opportunities led to the MAD brand expanding into external marketplaces, including emag.ro locally and Wolf & Badger internationally.

Lesson learned: Embrace all moments as they come—sometimes the best PR opportunities arise when you least expect them. We didn’t plan for these moments, but because the story behind the MAD Shoes resonated with others, it sparked organic interest. This reinforced the importance of staying true to your brand’s essence and being open to opportunities as they arise.

Final thoughts 

2024 brought a roller coaster of emotions—moments of clarity, challenges that felt impossible to overcome at the time, and plenty of tension, frustration, and uncertainty. But it also brought growth, resilience, and important lessons. Through every obstacle, we discovered new strengths, built stronger connections, and stayed true to what matters most. The year may have been unpredictable, but it reinforced our commitment to being real and staying focused on what’s important: growing a brand with purpose. 

Growth isn’t always linear. There were moments when progress felt slow or out of reach, but with each setback came a valuable lesson. We learned to embrace the ups and downs, knowing they were part of the journey. As we move forward, we continue to prioritize authenticity, purpose, and connection—building a brand that reflects who we truly are and the impact we want to make.