Vice · Global

The Yaoi Box

Launching a new subscription line to $1M ARR in month one

Overview

The Otaku Box is the world's leading anime subscription box with 55,000+ members and 1,500+ five-star reviews. Revenue had stagnated. As fractional CMO, we launched The Yaoi Box, a new product line targeting a distinct audience segment, leveraging existing infrastructure, production in China, and assets acquired from a competitor (Yaoi Crate).

Actions

  • Conducted market research on the yaoi audience to inform product design, pricing, and branding
  • Developed a full go-to-market strategy: targeting, channels, and messaging
  • Built a project plan for the 20-person team covering website, ads, influencer partnerships, social media, blog, and forums
  • Set up all email and SMS automations in Ortto, including copywriting
  • Designed a phased launch plan: pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch optimization

Results

  • 1,000 pre-orders secured, generating $708K ARR on launch day
  • Hit $1M ARR run rate in the first month
  • Established The Yaoi Box as a significant new revenue stream alongside The Waifu Box (9,000+ active subscribers)
  • Refined advertising, social, influencer, and SEO strategies post-launch for continued growth

Tags

  • Growth Strategy
  • Go-to-Market
  • Product Strategy
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Email/SMS Marketing
  • M&A

Want to learn more, or talk through how this might apply to your business? Get in touch.