WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.120 If you spend any time on the Internet today, 00:00:02.299 --> 00:00:04.700 you probably know the standard playbook for building 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:07.200 a massive personal brand. Oh, definitely. You 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.839 know, you start a YouTube channel, you launch 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:10.740 a dedicated Discord server for your hardcore 00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:13.580 fans, drop some merch. Right. Maybe write a lifestyle 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:16.079 book. Exactly. And suddenly, boom, you are an 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:18.379 entire digital ecosystem. We see it all the time. 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:22.000 It's the standard influencer blueprint. But what 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:23.899 if I told you that someone had already drawn 00:00:23.899 --> 00:00:28.059 up this exact blueprint step by step? years before 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:30.239 influencer was even a word we used in casual 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.759 conversation. It is pretty wild to think about. 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:35.439 Welcome to today's deep dive. We are so glad 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:37.560 you're here with us. Today, we're looking at 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:40.219 the fascinating Wikipedia page for the hit Russian 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:43.320 cooking show, Let's Eat at Home. Or Edimdoma 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.500 in Russian. Yes, Edimdoma. We're going to track 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:50.060 how its host, Julia Vysotskaya, took a humble... 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:53.549 25 -minute weekend television slot and aggressively 00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:57.390 scaled it into a sprawling, multi -platform universe. 00:00:57.630 --> 00:01:00.229 A true culinary empire. Yeah, okay, let's unpack 00:01:00.229 --> 00:01:03.390 this. This show debuted back in 2003, and it 00:01:03.390 --> 00:01:05.329 ran for an impressive eight seasons. Which is 00:01:05.329 --> 00:01:08.310 huge. Right. To give you some context, surviving 00:01:08.310 --> 00:01:11.370 on television for eight seasons requires a seriously 00:01:11.370 --> 00:01:14.049 enduring connection with the audience. It's a 00:01:14.049 --> 00:01:16.349 massive achievement. And if you look at the broadcast 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:18.989 strategy, you start to see exactly why that connection 00:01:18.989 --> 00:01:21.670 took root so quickly and held on for so long. 00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:23.510 Yeah, the network choices were really smart. 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:26.689 Exactly. The show was broadcast on NTV, which 00:01:26.689 --> 00:01:28.349 is one of Russia's biggest national television 00:01:28.349 --> 00:01:31.310 networks. And it also aired on the STB channel 00:01:31.310 --> 00:01:34.170 in Ukraine. But it wasn't just the networks themselves. 00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:37.170 No, the real genius is the highly specific time 00:01:37.170 --> 00:01:41.099 slots they locked down. Let's eat at home. Aired 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:45.900 on Sundays at 9 .25 a .m. on MTV. And Saturdays 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:48.939 at 9 .0 a .m. on STB. Right around that morning 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:52.659 Moscow time, or GMT plus three. Which, I mean, 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:54.980 that feels incredibly early for a flagship television 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:57.379 show, doesn't it? It does sound early. Usually 00:01:57.379 --> 00:01:59.079 when we think of big hit programs, we think of 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:01.480 primetime. We think of 8 o 'clock on a Thursday 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.099 night. Why anchor a cooking show to 9 o 'clock 00:02:04.099 --> 00:02:05.819 on a weekend morning? Because it's all about 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:07.859 catching the viewer in the exact right psychological 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:10.199 state. Okay, tell me more about that. Think about 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:12.599 what you are usually doing on a Saturday or Sunday 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:15.319 morning at 9 a .m. Probably staring into the 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:19.659 fridge. Exactly. The frantic rush of the Monday 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:22.199 through Friday work week is completely gone. 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:25.419 You're likely standing in your own kitchen, maybe 00:02:25.419 --> 00:02:28.199 brewing a cup of coffee. Standing in your pajamas. 00:02:28.219 --> 00:02:30.340 Standing in your pajamas, trying to figure out 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:33.139 what the weekend looks like. But more importantly, 00:02:33.259 --> 00:02:34.800 you're trying to figure out what you're going 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:37.180 to feed yourself and your family over the next 00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:40.539 two days. Oh, that makes so much sense. By positioning 00:02:40.539 --> 00:02:42.319 the broadcast right at the start of the weekend, 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:45.699 the show completely bypasses the competitive 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:49.340 noise of evening television. It integrates itself 00:02:49.340 --> 00:02:52.419 into a comforting morning routine. That paints 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:55.240 such a clear picture. You're essentially inviting 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:58.460 Julia into your home right at the exact moment 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:00.659 you are planning your own weekend meals. It's 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:02.639 incredibly strategic. It's cozy. It's highly 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:05.039 accessible. And the runtime plays into that perfectly, 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.259 too. 25 to 30 minutes. Right. This isn't some 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:11.439 grueling, high stakes, hour long culinary competition 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:14.120 with dramatic music and chefs yelling at each 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:17.259 other. No, not at all. It is a quick, inspiring, 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:20.319 very digestible based of domestic creativity. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:23.699 Exactly. It establishes a foundation of trust. 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:26.419 And once you have that bedrock of trust with 00:03:26.419 --> 00:03:29.000 an audience, you can start to expand. Which brings 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.139 us to the real masterclass in brand building 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:33.560 here. The physical products. Because a hit television 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:35.379 show is a great business, but it's still just 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.009 a television show. To build an empire, you have 00:03:39.009 --> 00:03:40.849 to find a way to break out of the screen. You 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:43.930 have to secure a permanent place on the consumer's 00:03:43.930 --> 00:03:46.530 physical shelf. So let's talk about the print 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:49.090 empire. Because once she decides to move into 00:03:49.090 --> 00:03:52.909 publishing, the strategy is relentless. Relentless 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:55.349 but not rushed. Yeah, that's what's so interesting. 00:03:55.449 --> 00:03:57.569 She didn't rush it at all. The show debuted in 00:03:57.569 --> 00:04:01.210 2003. But her very first book of Let's Eat at 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:03.909 Home recipes didn't come out until December 2005. 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:06.860 Two full years later. She let the show breathe. 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:09.319 She let the audience actually demand the recipes 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.219 in print before giving it to them. That is a 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:14.000 classic land and expand business strategy. Land 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.019 and expand. I like that. She spent two full years 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:19.480 just landing the concept, making sure the audience 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.060 was deeply invested in her specific culinary 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:25.040 voice. Once she knew she had a captive, loyal 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:28.519 viewership, she expanded. And when she did. She 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:30.699 didn't just print the same book over and over. 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:33.000 What's fascinating here is how deliberate the 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.959 evolution of her book titles is. You can literally 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.699 track the brand's maturity. Oh, totally. Like 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:42.240 in 2006, she releases a very broad foundational 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:47.060 text. Let's eat at home. Recipes by Julia Visotskaya. 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:49.439 That's the anchor. Yeah. It gives the core television 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.860 audience exactly what they've been asking for, 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.540 the greatest hits from the screen, codified in 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:56.779 a physical book. But she doesn't stay in that 00:04:56.779 --> 00:04:58.980 basic recipe lane for very long. Not at all. 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:02.100 In 2007, things start to shift. She drops Let's 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:03.959 Eat at Home all year round, which is a smart 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:06.100 play for seasonal relevance. Very smart. But 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:08.680 the second release in 2007 is a book simply titled 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.759 Gloss. Gloss, that's a huge departure. It really 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.560 is. Now, gloss feels very different from a standard 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.620 how to roast a chicken recipe collection. That 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:20.759 title implies polish. It implies lifestyle. Yes, 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:23.360 it feels aspirational. It's a massive pivot. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:26.139 With gloss, the brand is signaling that it's 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.240 no longer just about the food on the plate. It's 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:31.500 about the aesthetic of the life you are living 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:34.279 while eating that food. She is elevating her 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:37.660 status. from a friendly television cook to a 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:40.199 lifestyle curator. And if you follow the timeline 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.800 into 2008, she releases Let's Eat at Home Every 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:46.660 Day and Tasty Notes. Getting into the daily routines. 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:49.620 Exactly. These books are focused on habit building 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:52.060 and fostering a deeply personal relationship 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:54.399 with the kitchen space. Which sets the stage 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:56.459 for what I think is the most fascinating book 00:05:56.459 --> 00:05:59.259 title on this entire list. Which one? In 2009, 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:02.819 she releases a book called I Eat, I Run, I Live. 00:06:03.230 --> 00:06:06.189 Wow. Yeah, that's a profound leap. Right. That 00:06:06.189 --> 00:06:08.870 is not a cookbook title. That is a personal philosophy. 00:06:09.149 --> 00:06:11.449 She is officially merging the culinary brand 00:06:11.449 --> 00:06:14.410 with the wellness space. It's a brilliant repositioning. 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:17.189 By 2009, the wellness industry was really starting 00:06:17.189 --> 00:06:19.490 to gain global traction. It was blowing up everywhere. 00:06:19.930 --> 00:06:23.629 And by publishing I Eat, I Run, I Live, she positions 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:27.509 herself as a holistic lifestyle guru. She's telling 00:06:27.509 --> 00:06:29.850 her audience, I don't just know how to bake a 00:06:29.850 --> 00:06:32.649 cake. I know how to balance enjoying that cake 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:35.069 with living an active, healthy, and fulfilling 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:37.769 life. It deepens that parasocial relationship. 00:06:38.110 --> 00:06:40.029 You know, that psychological phenomenon where 00:06:40.029 --> 00:06:42.350 the audience genuinely believes they are personal 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:44.170 friends with a media figure. Even though they've 00:06:44.170 --> 00:06:46.949 never actually met. Exactly. And once she establishes 00:06:46.949 --> 00:06:49.850 herself as that trusted lifestyle friend, she 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:52.430 starts surgically targeting specific demographics 00:06:52.430 --> 00:06:54.769 within her audience. Oh, she gets very specific. 00:06:55.189 --> 00:06:58.449 In 2010, we see the release of Cooking for Kids 00:06:58.449 --> 00:07:01.050 of All Ages. Boom. She just captured the entire 00:07:01.050 --> 00:07:03.269 parent demographic. Offering a solution to the 00:07:03.269 --> 00:07:05.930 eternal, universal struggle of what to feed picky 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:08.870 eaters. It's a goldmine. And that same year, 00:07:08.930 --> 00:07:11.870 she drops New Year recipes, cornering the market 00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:14.350 on the single biggest, most food -centric holiday 00:07:14.350 --> 00:07:16.910 of the year in that region. And look at what 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:19.750 she does the following year. In 2011, she publishes 00:07:19.750 --> 00:07:22.569 a book called One, Two, and Ready. Which is exactly 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:25.250 the book I need in my life. Same here. Because 00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:28.199 my idea of a 20 -minute meal Usually involves 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:30.759 standing sadly in front of a microwave waiting 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.259 for something to defrost. Right. And millions 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:35.519 of people feel exactly the same way. One, two, 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:38.560 and ready speaks instantly to a massive universal 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:41.920 pain point, a lack of time. She is directly addressing 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.579 the exhausted parent, the overworked young professional. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.220 The person who genuinely wants to eat well but 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:50.720 simply doesn't have an hour to prep a meal on 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:53.740 a Tuesday night. I want you, the listener, to 00:07:53.740 --> 00:07:55.860 think about your own bookshelf right now. Or 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:57.470 maybe the cookbook collection. in your kitchen. 00:07:57.589 --> 00:07:59.730 You definitely have categories. I bet you have 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:02.170 that one massive, heavy, everyday foundational 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:04.889 cookbook that you reference for the basics. The 00:08:04.889 --> 00:08:07.990 encyclopedia. Exactly. But I also bet you have 00:08:07.990 --> 00:08:11.089 a specialty book for quick weeknight meals. Maybe 00:08:11.089 --> 00:08:13.329 you have an aspirational healthy living book 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:16.870 or a holiday hosting guide. And Julia Vesotskaya 00:08:16.870 --> 00:08:19.949 didn't just write one giant encyclopedia and 00:08:19.949 --> 00:08:22.389 hope it appealed to everyone. No, she serialized 00:08:22.389 --> 00:08:25.110 her expertise. She captured every single one 00:08:25.110 --> 00:08:27.509 of those specific kitchen niches within a five 00:08:27.509 --> 00:08:30.129 -year span. It really is a masterstroke in market 00:08:30.129 --> 00:08:32.549 saturation. It's brilliant. If you were a viewer 00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:34.409 who didn't particularly care about wellness or 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:36.570 running, you might skip that book. But you'd 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:38.889 absolutely still buy the Cooking for Kids book. 00:08:39.049 --> 00:08:42.009 She blanketed the market so thoroughly that no 00:08:42.009 --> 00:08:44.429 matter what your specific culinary need was, 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:47.250 there was a Let's Eat at Home product designed 00:08:47.250 --> 00:08:50.009 specifically to solve it. The ultimate blueprint. 00:08:50.289 --> 00:08:52.830 Okay, as impressive as the print empire is, here's 00:08:52.830 --> 00:08:55.289 where it gets really interesting. We have to 00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:58.230 talk about the year 2009. Oh, 2009 was huge. 00:08:58.750 --> 00:09:01.679 Looking at the history of this brand? 2009 is 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:05.840 an absolute explosion of content. She just decides 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.159 to completely take over every screen in the house. 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:11.100 And every format. First, she expands her television 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:14.100 footprint. A spinoff series launches called Breakfast 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:17.419 with Julia Visotskaya, which ran on the MTV channel 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:20.860 from 2009 all the way to 2016. Seven years for 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:23.600 a spinoff. So now she doesn't just own that 9 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.299 a .m. weekend slot. She has a dedicated show 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:28.659 focused entirely on the first meal of the day. 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:31.480 Which is a very strategic meal to focus on. Why 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:34.559 is that? Breakfast is inherently intimate. It 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:36.220 is the start of the day. It's often chaotic. 00:09:36.889 --> 00:09:39.450 Or conversely, it's very quiet and personal. 00:09:39.570 --> 00:09:41.789 That's true. It's a very vulnerable time of day. 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:45.110 By creating a spinoff focused specifically on 00:09:45.110 --> 00:09:48.350 breakfast, she is once again deepening that parasocial 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:51.230 bond. She's physically on the screen with her 00:09:51.230 --> 00:09:53.549 audience as they wake up. Offering them comfort 00:09:53.549 --> 00:09:55.570 and practical solutions before they head out 00:09:55.570 --> 00:09:57.830 the door. Exactly. But while she's expanding 00:09:57.830 --> 00:10:00.649 on broadcast television, she is also flooding 00:10:00.649 --> 00:10:05.090 the home. media market the dvds yes the brand 00:10:05.090 --> 00:10:07.990 had put out a single dvd back in 2007 just a 00:10:07.990 --> 00:10:10.990 general let's eat at home yeah release but in 00:10:10.990 --> 00:10:14.149 2009 they dropped three separate dvds all at 00:10:14.149 --> 00:10:16.710 once three at once we get the party starts in 00:10:16.710 --> 00:10:18.470 the kitchen we get picnics and we get happy new 00:10:18.470 --> 00:10:20.470 years now I have to push back on this a little 00:10:20.470 --> 00:10:23.070 bit. Oh. 2009 is right around the time YouTube 00:10:23.070 --> 00:10:24.909 is really starting to dominate the internet. 00:10:25.309 --> 00:10:27.730 Viral videos are everywhere. They were taking 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:30.389 over. So why double down on burning physical 00:10:30.389 --> 00:10:33.350 DVDs when digital video is clearly the future? 00:10:33.570 --> 00:10:35.809 It's a great question, and it comes down to the 00:10:35.809 --> 00:10:38.169 concept of premium curation. Okay, curation. 00:10:38.409 --> 00:10:41.909 Yes, YouTube was growing fast, but physical media 00:10:41.909 --> 00:10:44.690 was still highly relevant, especially for gifting 00:10:44.690 --> 00:10:47.629 and for building a curated home library. That 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:50.120 makes sense. loved having physical collections 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:52.840 and look closely at the titles of those dvds 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:55.840 they aren't just random assortments of old television 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:58.539 episodes thrown onto a disc right they are highly 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.620 specific themed experiences the party starts 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:04.399 in the kitchen is a specific mood picnics is 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:07.700 an entire summer lifestyle aesthetic okay i see 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:10.179 what you mean she allowed her fans to own a specific 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.419 event exactly If you were throwing a summer gathering 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:16.000 in July, you didn't have to wait until Sunday 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:17.960 morning and hope she covered outdoor cooking 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:20.080 on the live broadcast. You could just pull out 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:22.179 the Picnics DVD and have her guide you through 00:11:22.179 --> 00:11:24.860 it on demand. It gave her audience a premium, 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:27.879 highly tailored experience that early YouTube 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.059 simply couldn't provide. Because early YouTube 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:33.470 was mostly blurry. uncurated user uploads at 00:11:33.470 --> 00:11:36.289 the time. Exactly. It was chaotic. She offered 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:38.629 polish. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. It's 00:11:38.629 --> 00:11:42.350 about owning the premium curated space. But here 00:11:42.350 --> 00:11:45.190 is the craziest part of the 2009 timeline. The 00:11:45.190 --> 00:11:47.970 digital side. Yes. While she is launching a television 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:51.389 spinoff, while she is dropping three themed DVDs, 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:53.750 and while she is publishing a philosophical wellness 00:11:53.750 --> 00:11:57.590 book, she is also quietly pioneering the digital 00:11:57.590 --> 00:12:00.090 community space. This is the most impressive 00:12:00.090 --> 00:12:02.879 part. The Wikipedia article highlights that in 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:07.779 2009, she launched the website edimdoma .ru. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:11.100 And this was not just a static promotional website 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.320 with a headshot and a contact form. Not at all. 00:12:13.659 --> 00:12:16.259 It is explicitly described as a cooking social 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:19.220 network. This development cannot be overstated. 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:21.559 Launching a dedicated cooking social network 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:24.779 in 2009 is incredibly forward -thinking. It really 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:26.740 is. Think about the landscape of the internet 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:29.179 back then. Facebook was starting to gain serious 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.539 global momentum, but it was largely generalized. 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:34.059 You used it to update your relationship status 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:36.639 or post blurry vacation photos. Right. Niche, 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:39.000 purpose -built social platforms were incredibly 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:41.600 rare. So what does a cooking social network actually 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:44.120 do in 2009? Why not just make a regular forum? 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:46.620 Because a social network creates an ecosystem 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:50.720 of user generated content. By building idimdoma 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.879 .ryu, she recognized that her audience didn't 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:55.980 just want to passively consume her books and 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:58.659 DVDs. They wanted to participate. They wanted 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:00.840 to participate in the culture she had created. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:03.820 They wanted a place to upload photos of the recipes 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:06.419 they had tried, to swap ingredient modifications 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:09.139 with other fans, and to connect with a community 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:11.679 that shared their passion for domestic creativity. 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:14.659 She basically built her own walled garden. Instead 00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:16.899 of hoping her fans would randomly discuss her 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:18.820 television show on some other platform, form, 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:21.879 she literally constructed the digital town square 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:24.409 for them to gather in. And that is the secret 00:13:24.409 --> 00:13:27.190 to longevity. If we synthesize all of the moves 00:13:27.190 --> 00:13:30.889 made in 2009, it represents an absolute masterclass 00:13:30.889 --> 00:13:33.309 in capturing an audience across every available 00:13:33.309 --> 00:13:36.190 medium of that era. A total blitz. Within a single 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:39.110 12 -month window, she gave you a brand new television 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:41.769 spinoff to watch over your morning coffee. Three 00:13:41.769 --> 00:13:44.669 curated DVDs to guide your holiday parties. A 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:47.090 wellness book to inspire your daily life. And 00:13:47.090 --> 00:13:49.230 a bespoke social network to interact with other 00:13:49.230 --> 00:13:51.909 fans. She completely surrounded the consumer 00:13:51.909 --> 00:13:56.190 with the brand. It was a 360 degree media strategy 00:13:56.190 --> 00:13:59.090 executed years before most traditional media 00:13:59.090 --> 00:14:02.669 companies even understood what a 360 degree strategy 00:14:02.669 --> 00:14:05.370 was. It really is mind blowing when you lay it 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:07.970 out chronologically like that. And that forward 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:11.450 thinking digital investment in 2009 clearly laid 00:14:11.450 --> 00:14:13.669 the permanent groundwork for what the brand looks 00:14:13.669 --> 00:14:16.210 like today. The digital ecosystem. Yeah. If we 00:14:16.210 --> 00:14:18.190 look at the external links section at the bottom 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:20.389 of the article, it gives us a window into the 00:14:20.389 --> 00:14:23.419 modern digital ecosystem. of this culinary empire. 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:26.000 We see links to the social network, of course, 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:29.340 but there is also a link to edemdoma .tv. That's 00:14:29.340 --> 00:14:31.940 a massive evolution. It's described as a full 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:34.620 -blown culinary television channel and a hub 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:38.019 for Julia Vysotskaya's own video blogs. All the 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:39.960 recipes from the original program are hosted 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:42.379 right there. Which reveals the ultimate end goal 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:45.519 of any successful media brand, absolute independence. 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:47.899 Independence from the networks. Think about it. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.460 Julia Vysotskaya didn't just rely on traditional 00:14:50.460 --> 00:14:53.519 broadcast networks like NTV or STB to reach her 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:55.320 audience forever, even though they were essential 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:57.419 in the beginning. They were the launch pad that 00:14:57.419 --> 00:15:00.419 gave her the initial massive reach. But by eventually 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:03.279 creating her own dedicated video blogs and her 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.360 own independent online culinary TV channel, she 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.379 effectively became her own broadcaster. She removed 00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:12.779 the middleman. She took the audience that NTV 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:15.639 helped her build. and she migrated them into 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:18.759 an ecosystem that she entirely controls she built 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:21.039 a digital universe where the audience never actually 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:23.399 has to leave her platform to get their food fix 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:26.039 it's self -sustaining if you want a recipe you 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:28.340 go to her site if you want to watch a video tutorial 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:30.399 you go to her digital channel if you want to 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:32.279 talk about the food you use her social network 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:34.919 it is entirely self -sustaining I really want 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:37.340 you to consider how this early 2000s strategy 00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:40.659 perfectly mirrors the multi -channel approach 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:44.179 that today's biggest digital creators use. The 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:46.600 digital marketing strategists of today are essentially 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.460 copying her homework. Exactly. We watch massive 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:51.659 creators today, people pulling in millions of 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:54.159 views, and the immediate business advice is always 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.840 the same. Diversify. You need the main channel, 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:58.980 the podcast spinoff. The dedicated community 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:01.440 server, the merchandise, the physical products. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.539 You have to be everywhere so that if one platform 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:07.940 changes its algorithm, you survive. And Julia 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:11.200 Vysotskaya was executing this exact diversification 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.200 blueprint two decades ago. She scaled a 25 -minute 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.679 weekend broadcast into an autonomous, insulated 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.440 digital and physical universe. And it's crucial 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:24.419 to point out that she did all of this without 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:26.820 ever diluting the core of what made her popular 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:28.720 in the first place. That's a really good point. 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:30.480 Whether you were watching the live broadcast 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.240 at 925 a .m. on a Sunday reading Cooking for 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:36.139 Kids of All Ages or logging into her custom social 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:39.019 network, the fundamental value proposition remained 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:41.779 exactly the same. Accessible, comforting home 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:43.860 cooking delivered by a trusted, enthusiastic 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:46.899 guide. The mediums she used changed radically 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:49.879 over the years, but the core message never wavered. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.309 So what does this all mean? When we zoom out 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:54.190 and look at the big picture, we see a stunning 00:16:54.190 --> 00:16:57.289 trajectory that started with a simple 25 -minute 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:00.690 live broadcast in 2003. Over the years, that 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:03.470 single touchpoint blossomed into an eight -season 00:17:03.470 --> 00:17:06.230 television phenomenon. It spawned a dedicated 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:09.369 breakfast spinoff that ran for seven years. It 00:17:09.369 --> 00:17:11.869 generated nine distinct books that evolved from 00:17:11.869 --> 00:17:15.089 basic TV recipes to targeted philosophical lifestyle 00:17:15.089 --> 00:17:18.430 guides. It produced four thematic DVDs for premium 00:17:18.430 --> 00:17:21.390 home curation. And, perhaps most impressively, 00:17:21.549 --> 00:17:24.210 it launched a pioneering culinary social network 00:17:24.210 --> 00:17:27.490 and a fully independent digital television channel. 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:30.390 It is quite literally the ultimate blueprint 00:17:30.390 --> 00:17:33.829 for scaling a brand. It forces you to rethink 00:17:33.829 --> 00:17:36.049 what brand building actually is at its core. 00:17:36.230 --> 00:17:38.210 It's not just about being famous or having a 00:17:38.210 --> 00:17:40.950 hit show. No, it's about identifying exactly 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:44.289 what an audience fundamentally desires. In this 00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:46.890 case, accessible, comforting domestic inspiration. 00:17:47.269 --> 00:17:49.269 But delivering that inspiration once a week on 00:17:49.269 --> 00:17:52.019 television? is just a hook. The true empire -building 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:54.680 genius lies in anticipating where your audience 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.180 is going to be and delivering that comfort to 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:59.460 them in whatever format they need at that exact 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:01.400 moment. Whether they are browsing a bookstore 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.880 for a quick weeknight meal solution. Or looking 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:07.740 for a DVD to help host a summer picnic. Or logging 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:11.059 online to share a photo of their dinner. Anticipating 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:13.420 the medium and adapting the message to fit that 00:18:13.420 --> 00:18:16.240 medium is what elevates a television host into 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.839 a cultural staple. It's all about meeting the 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:21.180 audience exactly where they are before they even 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:23.279 know they want you there. And that leaves us 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:26.339 with a final provocative thought for you to mull 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:29.299 over. We live in a world today that is hyper 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:31.799 -saturated with culinary content. It's everywhere. 00:18:32.430 --> 00:18:34.910 Millions of viral recipe videos are uploaded 00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:37.289 to platforms like TikTok and Instagram every 00:18:37.289 --> 00:18:39.829 single day. They flash across our screens for 00:18:39.829 --> 00:18:42.690 15 seconds. We maybe save them to a folder we'll 00:18:42.690 --> 00:18:44.529 never look at again, and then they disappear 00:18:44.529 --> 00:18:47.289 into the algorithm forever. It's a frantic pace. 00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:50.069 In that kind of fast -paced environment, what 00:18:50.069 --> 00:18:52.650 does it take for a single unified voice to remain 00:18:52.650 --> 00:18:54.950 culturally relevant and financially dominant 00:18:54.950 --> 00:18:58.569 across two decades and multiple massive technological 00:18:58.569 --> 00:19:01.650 shifts? How do you build a brand that actually... 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.700 lasts when everything else is moving so incredibly 00:19:03.700 --> 00:19:05.900 fast. It's something to think about the next 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:07.799 time you're standing in your kitchen on a weekend 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:10.680 morning trying to decide what to make. Thank 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:12.420 you so much for joining us on this deep dive 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:14.920 into the fascinating, sprawling empire of La 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:17.920 Tide at Home. We hope you enjoyed analyzing this 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.039 incredible business blueprint as much as we did. 00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:23.000 Keep learning, stay curious, and we will catch 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:23.779 you on the next one.