Why putting my face on a cat toy brand felt egotistical. But...
By mrmattanderson · September 18, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Why putting my face on a cat toy brand felt egotistical. But...
The Tea 🫖 Turns out it was the key to the whole strategy at The Catnip Queen.
I have recently launched on Tiktok, no faceless brand voice. No stock photo family a la corporate guidelines.
Just me, my wife and my cats.
A genuinely small operation trying to make better toys than the disposable ones filling up landfill, whilst helping Feline Care Rescue cats!
Here's what I've learned since on TikTok.
People don't buy from brands anymore. They buy from people... and this provides a real advantage for me vs the big boys (or girls) in Pet.
On TikTok especially, the content that performs isn't the polished product shot, it's the unfiltered one where you can tell a real person is behind it.
Three things are carrying the account right now.
> Cats being entertained, because the product sells itself when it's genuinely fun to watch.
> Education, because sustainability claims mean nothing until you explain the throwaway toy problem properly.
> Real Me no AI, on camera, because a family business with personality beats a brand pretending to be bigger than it is or AI slop that TikTok is trying to combat.
> Shopable Videos that are entertaining as well as informative.
Even affiliates have taught me the same lesson. The ones who move product aren't the ones with the biggest following. They're the ones who actually care, and that's harder to buy than reach.
What's the thing in your business, you were told to hide, that turned out to be the differentiator?
On that note Chapeau to Jon Morecroft and his lives on Whatnot and Tiktok - Seller of Tiny Shoes, have been an inspiration for me, to take the 'guy behind the brand' doing the selling online, as being an unexpected selling point in an AI dominated web.
#Ecommerce #TikTokShop #BrandStrategy #SmallBusiness #EcommerceMarketing