Crumble Co.
Extending the gleeful spark of a founder’s voice.
Crumble Co. (now Bewilderment) is a maximalist fever-dream of a brand — a small, independent fragrance studio in Ohio with a candy-colored aesthetic, provocative product names, and a knack for winking saucily at fans and haters alike. Its founder, Brandon Love, is someone whose irreverent posts in an entrepreneurship forum we both belonged to made me feel like I'd discovered my long-lost twin.
This is someone I have to work with, I thought. I wrote three product stories on spec and messaged Brandon the link. I saw that you didn’t have any product stories, so I went ahead and wrote a few for you.
A few hours later, I had a reply from Brandon. Me and my cousin are laughing our asses off over these. Can I hire you to write some more?
That was the start of a four-year partnership spanning multiple projects across the Crumble Co. and Bewilderment brands; this case study focuses on the product stories.
Brandon, who is skilled in art direction, graphic design, and social media, does the majority of Bewilderment’s marketing himself. His is not just a founder-led brand, it’s a founder-designed one, too, which made his decision to bring me in feel like a real partnership.
Product Stories
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Product Stories ✳︎
CUTICLE CUSTARD
If you woke up one morning and realized that you have the hands of an 18th century washerwoman, you need Cuticle Custard™, ASAP.
Cuticle Custard™ helps erase the damage that COVID did to your hands, as if all that sanitizing and hand-washing never happened. (It did. Keep up the good work, please and thank you.)
12.8x thicker than regular lotion, Cuticle Custard™ is a naturally scented, PH-balanced, bona fide wonder cream. Jojoba oil, aloe vera, and glycerin help lock in moisture, while Vitamin C nourishes your cuticles from the inside. A small dab of custard on each fingertip is enough for all-day, skin-loving goodness, even in high hand-washing situations—so you can say buh-bye to frayed and crunchy cuticles.
Your hands will look and feel so good, you might be tempted to Google “how to become a hand model.”
Just sayin’.
Fuck depression. Seriously, fuck that shit.
This whole year is a dumpster fire, your house smells like sweat socks and stale takeout (because who even goes outside anymore?), and your brain is a knuckle-dragging troll that’s actively trying to club you to death with your own fears and anxieties.
It’s a three-ring circus set in Hell.
You know what might make you feel better? Some goddamned aromatherapy, that’s what. Something that smells so good—like fresh bergamot, white tea, and ginger root—that it reminds you that the world beyond your own walls can be pretty fucking magical.
Before you know it, the world inside your four walls doesn’t seem that bad, either.
Goodbye, sweat socks and stale takeout.
Adios, knuckle-dragging troll.
And that dumpster fire? It’s actually kind of pretty, if you think about it.
The future smells bright.
FUCK DEPRESSION (SCENT)
HAPPY BOOBIES
Underwires that dig.
Too-tight straps and bands that rub in all the wrong places.
Sweat in unmentionable places.
And heaven forbid you attempt any, ahem, vigorous movements.
Luckily, there’s relief for the bouncy. Happy Boobies is a petroleum-free, vegan salve that helps relieve the itching, discomfort, and irritation caused by chafing. With nourishing ingredients like organic shea butter, aloe, lemon peel oil, castor oil, Vitamin E, cocoa butter and chamomile, Happy Boobies soothes as it protects, leaving your skin soft and irritation-free. Infused with a blend of ginger and white tea, Happy Boobies has a light, natural fragrance you’ll love.
And it’s not just for the twins, either—Happy Boobies works wonders on thunder thighs and anywhere else you experience chafing. In fact, it works so well for all kinds of bodies and all kinds of body parts, your significant other may be tempted to steal yours. (So, skip the fight and just get two, amirite?)
Happy Boobies will make you feel so good in your own skin that you’ll be bopping around like an extra in a Jane Fonda video in no time.
You glow, girl!
No, really, you’re radiant. Geez, where are my sunglasses?
CrumbGlow is an all-natural, hydrating face oil that tightens pores and locks in moisture for well-balanced skin and an all-day glow everyone will notice. Use CrumbGlow in place of moisturizer or mix with your foundation for smooth-as-butter coverage.
This powerhouse formula delivers megawatt radiance and softness thanks to sunflower seed oil. Naturally rich in emollients, vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-6 fatty acids, sunflower seed oil flights inflammation, protects against premature aging, combats acne-causing bacteria, and helps your skin retain moisture. Sweet orange essential oil, lime essential oil, grapefruit essential oil, and fragonia essential oil give CrumbGlow a sweet, mood-boosting scent while packing an antioxidant and antimicrobial punch.
Used regularly, CrumGlow will give your complexion the luminous quality you associate with cartoon princesses and people who own yachts.
CRUMBGLOW
Voice work…
…means getting to step into someone else's brain. Brandon's is one of my favorites. Our collaboration is proof that small engagements with the right founder can produce work I'm prouder of than what I’ve done at scale.
More about Brandon and Bewilderment: Running a mouthy fragrance studio in deep-red Ohio — an interview I did with him for Most Likely to Succeed.