Inside the Marketing Genius of Flag & Anthem

By Neil A. Carousso and Joe Connolly

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Flag & Anthem’s digital prowess has turned it into a multi-million dollar brand in just six years.

Creative content and brand partnerships with country music star Dierks Bentley and Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey help fuel the clothing company’s growth.

“We’re able to schedule quarterly photo shoots with each of our ambassadors whether it’s Dierks or Christian,” said Flag & Anthem co-founder and chief executive officer Brad Gartman on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.

“We have a creative team that comes up with some really kitschy ideas in the way of content that really draws engagement and we see the difference in the conversion. From a business standpoint and an e-commerce standpoint, it’s night and day versus if you’re just, you know, a still photo and a plaid shirt,” he said.

Gartman spent the better part of two decades working as a buyer and executive, first, with Lord & Taylor, and then, Macy’s before he and his co-founder Azod Mohit left to start Flag & Anthem, which they launched in 2016.

While they sourced clothes overseas and developed their digital marketing infrastructure, Gartman and Mohit had the foresight to be diversified.

“I think the positioning and omnichannel abilities is really, that’s where the future is going,” explained Gartman. “We went to a conference a couple of weeks ago with a lot of direct-to-consumer native brands who are kind of going, now, more wholesale.”

Flag & Anthem experienced rapid digital growth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now, that trend is somewhat reversing due to increasing costs of digital advertisements and changing social media algorithms.

Country music festivals this summer will be a major play in its mostly direct-to-consumer model. But, Gartman told WCBS 880 that they’ve been flexible enough to be able to pivot their sales strategies depending on the business climate.

He describes Flag & Anthem’s brand as not too ordinary but not unaffordable, or, as he put it, “unreachable.”

“The design has an element of trend, but it’s not over-designed,” said Gartman. “We’re offering that same level of detail and quality and everything (as larger and more expensive clothing brands), but at 25 to 30 percent less than many of those brands.”

Flag & Anthem recently launched a line of golf attire, which they anticipate will be major sellers this spring and summer season along with graphic t-shirts and shorts.

See what’s behind Flag & Anthem’s marketing that has supported its rapid growth on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.