October 26, 2026
Lola Blankets was founded by brothers Tommy and Will, inspired by their mother, Amy, who passed away from stage four breast cancer. Amy had a cherished fluffy blanket that accompanied her through treatments. After her death, the family discovered five identical blankets, each with a handwritten note signed 'Love Lola' (her nickname), intended for her children and husband. Tommy began making these blankets to keep his mother's story alive, starting with a small order of 500 that he and his brother fulfilled themselves from a tiny apartment.
Unlike most brands that relegate their founder story to an 'About Us' page, Lola Blankets integrates Amy's story directly into the customer experience. Every blanket shipped includes a photo of Amy, ensuring that customers and influencers encounter the brand's origin story immediately upon unboxing. This personal touch is not merely a marketing tactic; the company also donates blankets monthly to breast cancer patients at Amy's treatment hospital and has contributed over half a million dollars to breast cancer charities by 2025. The founder emphasizes that while the story encourages initial engagement, the product's quality drives repeat purchases and recommendations.
The success of Lola Blankets is attributed to the distinct skill sets of its co-founders. Tommy, with a background in communications and photography, is the creative force behind the brand's iconic look, including its logo, photography, campaign aesthetics, and product design. He is the serial entrepreneur who shapes the brand's overall vibe.
Will, an operator with experience as a consultant at McKinsey, initially treated Lola as a side project. He joined full-time in 2023, transforming it into a substantial business that grew from no employees to nearly 40 people. This clear division of labor—one brother focused on making the brand unforgettable and the other on ensuring financial viability—is a pattern seen in successful e-commerce companies. Notably, Lola Blankets has achieved its growth without any outside funding, relying solely on blanket sales to finance its marketing initiatives.
Lola Blankets leveraged its Utah base, a region with a high concentration of Mormon lifestyle influencers. They partnered with prominent figures like Tezza and Rachel Parcell, attributing much of their success to these authentic collaborations with creators who genuinely love the brand and effectively convey that enthusiasm. Beyond top-tier influencers, Lola cultivated a vast network of micro-creators, primarily moms, who actively promote the brand on platforms like TikTok through PR hauls and unboxing videos.
The brand's ambassador program is inclusive, open to creators of all sizes across various platforms. Ambassadors receive personal discounts, free merchandise, and commission on sales they generate. This strategy turns customers into advocates, creating a funnel where satisfied users become promoters. Recognizing the product's inherent gift-worthiness, Lola generously ships products to ambassadors, viewing gifting as a positive ROI activity. The blankets themselves are designed to be visually appealing and 'filmed-ready,' making every unboxing a potential free advertisement.
Lola Blankets defies traditional home goods marketing by operating more like a fashion brand. This approach grants them creative freedom to execute unconventional campaigns. While competitors might feature safe imagery of blankets on couches, Lola staged a show at New York Fashion Week, with models walking the runway holding blankets instead of clothing. This unexpected stunt generated significant buzz and discussion.
The brand also engages in extensive collaborations, becoming the official blanket brand for entities like the New York Yankees. Their collaboration strategy is highly selective, focusing on partners who can authentically represent or showcase a new facet of the brand. Internally, Lola mimics fashion cycles with seasonal collections, such as a 'fall connection' and an 'Americana collection,' and teases new product drops (including pillows, pet beds, and candles) in a manner similar to clothing brands launching new shoes. This bold, creative approach distinguishes them in a commoditized market.
Contrary to typical e-commerce trends, Lola Blankets' biggest sales period is not Black Friday but August, when they run their 'Christmas in August' sale. This event, which offered 50% off sitewide, gift cards, and free shipping in 2025, became their largest sale of the year. This strategy is intelligent because August is generally a low-attention month for blanket sales due to warmer weather, allowing Lola to dominate the market when ad costs are lower and competition is minimal. All major marketing stunts, including the off-road vehicle giveaways to influencers and the New York Fashion Week event, are timed to coincide with this period to maximize buzz.
Beyond August, Lola also runs other significant sales, such as a 50% off Spring Sale and a 40% off Memorial Day Sale, generating substantial revenue, with some single-day sales exceeding $800,000. Their appearance on Oprah's Favorite Things list further amplified their reach, contributing to a month in which they sold 600,000 blankets, generating over nine figures in revenue.
Brands can adopt several strategies from Lola Blankets' playbook. First, integrate your brand's founding story directly into the product packaging or delivery, making it a tangible part of the unboxing experience rather than hiding it on an 'About Us' page. Second, design products that are inherently gift-worthy and visually appealing for camera, encouraging user-generated content.
Third, focus on saturating a specific market before attempting national expansion, as Lola did by dominating Utah. Fourth, consider opening your ambassador program broadly to turn loyal customers into active promoters. Finally, while stunts require careful margin protection, successful businesses are often those willing to execute unconventional marketing strategies that competitors avoid.