When the U.K.’s largest sports nutrition brand decided to enter the U.S. market, they knew success wouldn’t come from reputation alone.
Applied Nutrition (AN) partnered with TVG to launch, localize, and scale their direct-to-consumer presence in one of the world’s most competitive supplement landscapes.
Through full-funnel creative strategy, media buying, retention systems, and on-brand UGC content, TVG helped AN grow their e-commerce channel +127% year-over-year (Nov 2024 → Oct 2025) building the foundation for long-term U.S. expansion.
Applied Nutrition was already a global powerhouse, publicly traded, dominant in the U.K., and known for its clean formulas and recognizable branding.
But when expanding into the U.S., the team faced three major challenges:
Starting from zero. No U.S. DTC presence, no local list, and limited brand awareness.
Crowded competition. The U.S. supplement space is saturated, legacy names, aggressive digital spenders, and rising challenger brands.
Brand localization. The U.K. aesthetic and voice needed to resonate with American audiences, without losing the brand’s premium credibility.
As Matt Hoffman, SVP of E-Commerce, put it:
TVG approached the U.S. expansion like building a brand from scratch, blending global trust with local execution.
Brand Re-Establishment & Launch Funnel
We started by building the brand’s digital foundation for the U.S. market:
Rebuilt Shopify storefront and landing pages for conversion.
Established U.S. retention infrastructure (Klaviyo flows, campaigns, segmentation).
Created dedicated UGC and paid ad funnels to localize messaging and visual identity.
Creative Acquisition Strategy
We knew credibility alone wouldn’t convert. So we crafted a high-intent acquisition system that combined irresistible offers, education, and differentiation.
“Old Label” Campaign: Leveraged existing international inventory with the message “Our loss is your gain” giving U.S. customers premium pre-workout at an unbeatable price. This drove thousands of first-time customers while clearing warehouse space efficiently.
Flavor Collaboration Funnels: Built multi-product campaigns around unique collaborations:
Chiquita Banana Series – positioned around novelty, authenticity, and lifestyle appeal.
Tang Energy Collab – nostalgia-driven angle targeting 30+ fitness consumers, highlighting “the return of a classic.”
Full-Funnel Retargeting: Seamlessly guided customers from ad → offer → education → repeat purchase, with matching creative and flows.
Retention & Lifecycle Systems
While the paid team drove acquisition, TVG’s retention team built a sustainable engine:
Comprehensive welcome, browse, and post-purchase flows to onboard and convert new U.S. customers.
Bi-weekly campaign strategy focused on flavor drops, educational content, and bundle incentives.
Continuous A/B testing to increase LTV and cross-sell into new product lines (proteins, pre-workouts, RTDs).
In under 12 months, Applied Nutrition’s U.S. e-commerce channel transformed from a pilot project into a thriving revenue stream:
What started as a cold outreach turned into a full-stack partnership. Ads, creative, retention, and growth strategy under one roof. The AN x TVG collaboration is proof that even global brands need startup-level execution to win in new markets. From custom UGC shoots and landing page builds to always-on Slack communication, the teams operate in full sync, blending speed, creativity, and performance.
Entering a new market requires startup execution, even for global brands.
Creative collaboration + performance data = exponential launch velocity.