Air Fryers, "Dark Posting" & Category Creation for a potential $4B/year market...

Do you have an air fryer in your kitchen?

Chances are, the answer is YES.

Because nowadays you’ll find an air fryer in over 2/3rds of kitchens.

(And they’re making a big impact across markets globally.)

But back a decade or so ago?

Air fryers were a niche product targeting only health nuts.

Even Philips - the company that brought the air fryer to market - primarily marketed it as a health option at first.

Philips’ AirFryer 2017 messaging: "Fry without the fat" • "80% less fat" • "Healthier cooking"

Compare that to the benefits users started to discover during the 2019-2020 lockdowns…

…that ACTUALLY kicked off the air fryer’s mass adoption.

Here’s what that looks like now:

2025 example messaging: "Great food in under 10 minutes" • "Easy weeknight dinners" • "Perfect for busy families"

Convenience. Speed. Results.

Once the messaging shifted from "health benefits" to "lifestyle convenience”, the air fryer market exploded from $1.5B to $7.1B in just 4 years

Check the Google Trends data:

Why This Pattern Matters

This kind of repositioning and category creation is how products hit it big. And it's exactly what we're seeing happen right now with something you may or may not have heard of: shampoo bars.

The backstory: Shampoo bars have been around since 1987 when Lush launched them. But here's how they were originally marketed:

Early positioning: "Natural" • "Eco-friendly" • "Save plastic bottles" • "Chemical-free"

But check out how this week’s Funnel of the Week example, DTC powered Kitch positions the same product: "Eliminated my menopause hair loss" • "My hair grew 4 inches in 2 months" • "Finally found the solution for thin hair"

Check one typical script from one of Kitsch’s “dark posting” accounts:

(See the ads breakdown inside Funnel of the Week Members Area)

From environmental guilt to addressing personal problems & transformation.

That's what DTC powerhouse Kitsch is doing to scale shampoo bars - and it's working.

Here’s a snapshot of Kitsch’s latest 2 month push on the organic social side:

And here Google Trends suggests a very strong corresponding boost: searches for “Shampoo Bars” have doubled during those same past 2 months alone.

The Category Creation Opportunity

Here's the market breakdown we discovered:

• US shampoo bar market alone: $4.13 billion (growing 7.7% annually)

• Only 35% of consumers even know shampoo bars exist as a product category

• Only 8% have tried solid shampoo bars

• 35% are problem-aware: Frustrated with traditional shampoo (expensive, harsh chemicals, thin hair, etc.)

(Thanks to Perplexity + Stefan Georgi’s new RMBC course for some excellent research prompts)

Translation: Millions of people have the problem but don't know the fix exists.

This exact pattern created billion-dollar markets before:

Electric Toothbrushes: In 2010, only 20% were product-aware. Quip used DTC marketing to close the gap. Market grew from $1.5B to $4.8B in 5 years.

Plant-Based Meat: In 2015, only 20% knew realistic alternatives existed. Beyond Meat systematically educated the problem-aware masses. Market exploded from $0.8B to $10.1B.

The pattern: Find a large "problem aware" population, educate them about your solution category, then dominate the newly-created market.

Enter "Dark Posting" (aka Influencer “Whitelisting”)

Here's one way Kitsch is systematically closing this awareness gap:

In addition to running ads from their brand account, they run paid ads through influencer accounts. These "dark posts" appear as organic influencer content but are strategically targeted by the brand.

We tracked the active “Whitelisted” aka “Dark Post” accounts Kitsch is running right now inside our Funnel of the Week Members Area breakdown:

Why Dark Posting works:

• Trust over skepticism: People trust peer recommendations over brand ads, especially for unfamiliar categories

• Education at scale: Influencers demonstrate real usage and share genuine transformations

• Barrier removal: Addresses the biggest adoption hurdles through authentic storytelling

Early shampoo bar messaging: "One bar saves 3 plastic bottles" • "Chemical-free ingredients" • "Sustainable choice"

Kitsch's dark posting messaging: "This shampoo bar eliminated my menopause hair loss and helped me grow 4 inches of hair in 2 months" • "Finally found the solution for my thin, lifeless hair"

In a “me first” world, personal benefits beat environmental benefits every time.

What We Found in Kitsch's Strategy

This week we not only broke down Kitsch’s full Shampoo Bar funnel…

but also…

✓ All “Dark Post” Influencer Accounts running simultaneously across different demographics

✓ Benefit-Driven Creative Strategy focusing on hair transformation stories rather than eco-messaging

✓ Awareness Stage Transformation that move people from "never heard of it" to "ordering today"

Check it out inside the Funnel of the Week Members area.

Your Category Creation Opportunity

Questions to ask yourself:

• What problems do your prospects have that they're not connecting to your solution?

• How many potential customers don't even know your product category exists?

• Are you leading with features/benefits that matter to YOU or transformation stories that matter to THEM?

The framework is repeatable. Whether you're in supplements, skincare, home goods, or any emerging category - the brands that crack awareness-to-trial first dominate entire markets.

It’s all inside the Funnel of the Week Members Area.

Already a member? Here and here are direct links to the posts.

Not yet a member? Go here to get access.

Have a great week!

The Funnel of the Week Team

PS - in case you’re wondering, what Funnel of the Week is all about…

More on What’s Inside Funnel of the Week Members Area

Funnel of the Week has been live just one month now, and if you haven’t logged in for a bit, here’s what you’ve been missing:

We continue to stack full funnel breakdowns each and every week inside the Members Area:

We’ve got: 

• ecomm funnels

• VSL funnels

• Info Products funnels

• (and more)

…And we add new funnel breakdowns & swipes each week.

So if you have a funnel you want us to break down?

(Including all the landing pages, order bumps, upsells, downsells, email/sms followup & more…)

Just let us know and we’ll add it to our Funnel of the Week “next up” list. 

We’ll go through the funnel, document all the funnel steps, email/sms followups, etc. as we become a real customer (we don’t ask for refunds), and document the whole process so you have it at your fingertips.

If you’re not yet inside the Members Area? Go here to learn more about Funnel of the Week & get access.

The big idea of Funnel of the Week is this:

We break down a new DTC funnel (including ads, front end offer, upsells, post-purchase emails/sms/etc.), each and every week.

Here’s a quick Google doc walking through what we at Funnel of the Week has got in store for you, each and every week:

Check it out. We’re doing a special “early bird” price for access for a limited time.

And if you want great funnel insights delivered to your email inbox, multiple times per week? Go here to sign up for our Funnel of the Week email newsletter (it’s free) funneloftheweek.com

That’s all for today.

Have a great week!

The Funnel of the Week Team

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