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Griffin Haddrill submitted his first business plan at just 12 years old. Complete with hand-drawn sketches outlining distribution models for his hypothetical headphone company, his approach may have been rough, but his passion was undeniable. He even called a company in Venezuela to ask about providing the wiring for his product. Though he now describes the plan as “pre-pubescent,” it undeniably set the stage for what was to come.
At the age of 16, Haddrill began his music management career, working with artists such as Gregory Lake and 100Tribn. In 2019, he founded VRTCL, a marketing agency acquired by Create Music Group in 2022 for eight figures. Having worked with artists such as Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X, he built a reputation for creating campaigns focused on Gen Z. Today he leads LV8a full-service digital marketing agency focused on social media strategy. “I love business and social media, and I'm passionate about using social media to drive business growth,” says Haddrill.
From the Basement to the Billboard
When the pandemic spread and the world came to a standstill, people began to realize what Haddrill had known for years: there is money to be made marketing brands on Musical.ly and TikTok. The recognition of his success would have been sweeter for Haddrill, had he not been down to his last dollars with enough to make a month's mortgage. He was alone in a house while his girlfriend at the time was dealing with COVID-19.
“It was a very dark moment,” Haddrill recalls. “I was celebrating my birthday alone in Montana, having not seen anyone for months.” Isolated and overwhelmed, he turned to the same source of inspiration that fed his childhood headphones: a pen and paper. “I made a little double-sided book and wrote down every name I could think of for fun – people I knew would answer, and another list of those I wasn't sure about,” says Haddrill. The lists were extended, reaching about 120 to 130 names. Seeking advice without an agenda, Haddrill reached out to contacts, saying, “Hey, I'm starting a TikTok marketing agency. Have you thought about TikTok? Do you have any advice for me?” To his surprise, most responded warmly, offering guidance and introductions. “It was a dark time for me,” he admits. “I felt so alone, but this was the first time in my career that I felt a sense of companionship.” This vulnerability paid off – by August, VRTCL had completed 20 campaigns, generating hundreds of thousands of sales. What started as a personal prayer turned into a pivotal career moment in his career.
“That experience completely changed my sales approach,” reflects Haddrill. “I realized that people appreciate collaboration and I don't need to sell myself. It was all about providing value.” Instead of pitching himself or his product, Haddrill approaches conversations by identifying a problem and seeing if he can solve it. He asks questions like, “Do you have any advice for me?” or for his specific idea, “Have you thought about using TikTok for your business?” He says it all comes down to this simple formula: “Finding out if someone is in need and then seeing if I can help.”
Same song, new audience
While Haddrill begrudgingly accepts the title of Gen Z marketing expert, he believes segmenting audiences by age is reductive. While some marketers try to sort people into generational groups, he prefers to put them into “interest buckets.”
Haddrill points out that both 15- and 40-year-olds now use their phones similarly for social media, shopping and communication. “Their habits have shifted to a more utilitarian use,” he says, noting that the main difference now lies in their interests. This change also affects how it measures campaign success, focusing on consumer sentiment and conversation around a product rather than traditional metrics like likes or comments. “I'm more interested in building awareness in everyday life than in conversion rates,” he explains.
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Imagine scrolling through TikTok and seeing a product that catches your eye. You don't buy it right away, but the product comes to mind weeks later when you need something similar. You search for it on Amazon or Google and eventually make the purchase when prompted. “That's how I see product buying happening now,” Haddrill says.
Hitting the right notes
Marketing to an audience constantly inundated with advertisements is not easy, and companies like LV8 must find unique ways to cut through the noise. “People are turning to trends,” says Haddrill, which is part of why he now favors the term theme. “The question is whether a 'trend' can be adapted and personalized. Can it be imitated in a way that feels authentic to you, so that you don't just blend in with the crowd, but create your own version of something that already exists?”
He uses Glass Animals' 2020 hit song “Heatwave” as an example of a successful social media promotion campaign. “Heatwave” had been out for a year when it got involved. It performed well with mainstream audiences, but no one could have predicted its mainstream potential at the time. Haddrill felt that “Heatwave” was too broad for just one trend. His approach was to target multiple demographics, encouraging the creation of diverse video content.
“I started noticing how Twitch streamers were using the song with gameplay videos,” Haddrill says. “It felt like the start of something new.” He calls it the “sound generation”, as opposed to the “music generation” we used to know. “Sound Generation” represents how music has evolved into short, catchy clips that dominate platforms like TikTok. These 30-second snippets, often accompanied by eye-catching visuals, stick in people's minds and replay throughout their days. They're not just songs anymore – they're viral moments, leaving a lasting impact and constantly evolving with each new trend. Haddrill sees the Sound Generation as a growing role for music in the maker economy.
“We're living in a creator-driven world,” Haddrill says. Brands need to find the right agency partners, creatives and talent early on and develop a long-term plan for influencer marketing. In that spirit, Haddrill and his team developed a targeting strategy focusing on influencers in all fields, from snowboarders to dancers.
Whether pitching a headphone company for his parents or managing TikTok campaigns for Justin Bieber, Hadrill's success stems from his adherence to the core principles of authenticity and awareness. “Take this cup of coffee,” he says. “I could TELL you are the best in the world, or I could just drink from it during our conversation. Turns out, drinking converts.”