When Denise founded Slappa's Thongs, Australia's original arch-support thong brand, she was simply looking for comfortable, supportive footwear during pregnancy. What started as a personal need turned into a business that has stood the test of time, built on innovative design, authenticity and a commitment to doing things differently.
But building an original product doesn't come without challenges. Over the years, Denise has dealt with copycat competitors, the pressure to discount and the constant expectation to scale. Rather than following what everyone else was doing, she made intentional decisions about how she wanted to run her business, from staying self-funded to stepping away from traditional Black Friday sales.
One of her more surprising marketing experiments involved increasing prices instead of discounting them. The reverse pricing campaign created urgency, encouraged full-price purchases and delivered results with minimal ad spend. Alongside this, Meta ads, email marketing and authentic founder-led content have played an important role in growing the brand.
We're revisiting this conversation because Denise's approach to building a profitable, sustainable business is just as valuable for eCommerce founders today.
In this episode, Megan and Denise talk about:
How Denise turned a personal need during pregnancy into Australia's original arch-support thong brand
What makes Slappa's product design unique and how Denise approaches copycat competitors
Why showing up authentically, even through unpolished videos and personal messages, helps build customer trust
Why Denise decided to step away from Black Friday sales and constant discounting
How a reverse pricing campaign encouraged customers to buy at full price
Why Meta ads remain an important part of Slappa's marketing strategy alongside email and organic content
How Denise has built a sustainable, self-funded business without giving in to the pressure to scale
Learn more about working with us:
Learn more about working with us:
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Learn more about your host:
Megan Winter is a meta ads expert, an experienced ADMA and AMI-awarded marketer and founder of Lume Marketing.
As an early-adopter of digital marketing and social media advertising, she has consulted to global brands owned by Heineken and Lexus, has taught hundreds of small business owners at The Facebook Ads Academy, and presented on digital marketing at Bond University.
Now, her passion is helping ethical, purpose-led brands achieve more income and impact with high-performing meta ads.
Connect with Megan on Instagram@meganwinter orLinkedIn
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