Future Fuzz - The Digital Marketing Podcast Ep.149 - How to Build a New Category - Paul Nicholson
In this episode of Future Fuzz, Harry Duran speaks with Paul Nicholson, Marketing Strategy Consultant at HeroWear, about what it takes to launch a radically new product and create an entirely new category from scratch. Paul shares how HeroWear’s soft, assistive exosuits are transforming the way industrial workers avoid injury—and how his team built credibility in a market that barely existed. From earned media tactics to old-school trade shows and in-person marketing, Paul walks through the smart, scrappy strategies that helped HeroWear rise to the top of the exosuit space. It’s a masterclass in trust, authenticity, and effective go-to-market strategy.
Guest Bio
Paul Nicholson is a seasoned marketing strategist and category creator with over 20 years of experience in digital and brand marketing. Most recently, Paul served as Marketing Strategy Consultant at HeroWear, where he helped define and lead go-to-market efforts for one of the world’s first practical industrial exosuits. With a background spanning Dell, healthcare, restaurants, and emerging tech, Paul blends deep digital expertise with a knack for creating new markets. He’s known for his strategic use of earned media, authentic storytelling, and building trust-first marketing programs in B2B environments.
Takeaways
- Building a new category requires education before promotion.
- Don’t overpromise—trust is built on real data and repeatable results.
- Trade publications and earned media outperform flashy headlines.
- In-person marketing is making a powerful comeback in the AI era.
- Authenticity in founder storytelling builds brand credibility.
- Marketing strategies must adapt to a world questioning what's real.
- You don’t need Forbes—industry trade pubs are gold.
- Repurpose podcast content and expert voices across channels.
Chapters
00:00 Intro and Career Reflections
01:47 HeroWear’s Mission and Product Overview
02:31 Creating a New Market Category
04:26 Shifting Perception: From Sci-Fi to Real-World Tool
06:49 Explaining the Suit: Functionality and Comfort
08:16 Building Authenticity with Real-World Media
09:13 Why Earned Media and PR Matter
12:18 Building the "Avengers" of Communication at HeroWear
14:44 Repurposing Founder Content Across Channels
15:07 Misconceptions About Exosuits
16:34 The "Nothing Beats" Moment for New Users
17:42 In-Person Marketing in the Age of AI
20:31 ROI of Trade Shows vs Digital Campaigns
23:13 Rebuilding Trust in Marketing
24:59 Why Old-School Tactics Still Work
29:20 AI Loves Brand-Neutral, Third-Party Content
30:43 Trade Publications > Mainstream PR
31:58 Final Advice: Don’t Overpromise, Share Confidently
34:26 Clever Tactics to Celebrate Clients Without Breaking NDAs
37:38 Where to Find Paul and HeroWear
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Website: https://HeroWearxo.com