Why Personal Brand Beats PPC: Slovak Startup Proof

About Gentlejam

Gentlejam isn’t your typical jam. These premium preserves pair Cuban rum, top-shelf whisky, port wines, and other high-quality spirits with fruit to create something entirely different. The products come in square, thick-walled glass bottles with black-and-gold packaging – designed specifically as luxury gifts. You won’t spread these on toast. Instead, they’re meant as accompaniments to aged cheeses, venison, duck, beef, or cured meats. Think of them as sophisticated condiments rather than breakfast spreads.

The company operates as a true partnership – Ivetka handles everything customers see (marketing and sales), while her husband, Matej, manages the invisible parts (finances, production, warehousing, and logistics). She describes herself as the idealist and creative soul, while he’s the realist focused on results and numbers. Their approach worked. Gentlejam products now serve as corporate gifts and even diplomatic presents for Slovak government delegations. Top chefs have endorsed the brand, including legends like Vojto Artz and Milo Pabiš, who create special annual editions.

Why PPC Campaigns Fail for Premium Products

“If I had known what I was getting into, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” admits Iveta Hrabovska, founder of Gentlejam.  Her company produces premium jams with alcohol but struggled with unsuccessful performance campaigns. Years of trial and error led to the breakthrough. After consulting multiple marketing experts, Iveta discovered the same advice kept coming up: focus on building brand awareness first, then launch performance campaigns alongside it.

Here’s where Iveta’s story gets interesting. After years of failed ad campaigns, she realised something most brands miss completely:

“Exactly these kinds of premium, unique, expensive products – there, I would say it’s up to 80 to 20 – 80% is the brand. You have to grab that person by the heart.”

Think about it. When you’re selling a €5 product, people might buy it on impulse from a Facebook ad. But a €26 jar of jam? That’s a different game entirely.

Regular products can survive on price wars and flashy ads. But premium products need something deeper – they need people to want to be associated with your brand. They need emotional connection and trust.

LinkedIn Strategy with Three Pillars that Works

Iveta developed a system ensuring “the vast majority of my 12,000 followers are our customers.”

“All my LinkedIn posts, that’s pure strategy. I know exactly what to write to attract the right followers, which equals customers.”

Her formula for viral content

Expertise (Know-how)

• Sharing marketing tips
• Positioning as expert in your field
• Videos get higher reach than photos

Inspiration

• Successes and failures
• Show what worked and what didn’t
• Authentic business stories

Personality

• What you love, how you view the world
• Hobbies, values, mindset
• Daily situations with lessons

Critical element: Every post must provide value while subtly reminding people of your brand.

“People buy from people, people don’t buy from brands. Those people need to see that someone stands behind it, that the product, the brand has some soul.”

Iveta claims almost 50% of customers buy because of her personally. Without her, they wouldn’t purchase the product.

How to Do it Practically

1. Invest in education

“Education is absolutely the best investment in yourself. I put over 13,000 euros into LinkedIn education.”

2. Build community; don’t just sell

• Send “what happened in the company” newsletters (40-45% open rate)
• Automated VIP emails for returning customers
• Rare discounts only for newsletter subscribers

3. Start with your own resources

Gentlejam started with €300 and grew without external investment. Slow but sustainable growth can be an advantage.

If you’re selling premium products, don’t start with PPC campaigns. First, invest in building your personal brand. When you have awareness, performance campaigns will work exponentially better.

As Iveta says: “PPC campaigns are just the cherry on top of all communication and all sales.”

Key lessons for e-commerce retailers

Start with brand awareness, not performance ads – If you’re selling premium products, resist the urge to jump straight into PPC. Build recognition first through content, personal branding, or industry partnerships. Performance campaigns work exponentially better once people already know who you are.

Balance three types of content – Structure your social content around expertise (industry knowledge), inspiration (your wins and failures), and personality (your values and interests). Every post should provide value while subtly reinforcing your brand.

Invest in yourself before external marketing – Ivetka spent over €13,000 on LinkedIn education alone. Learning marketing fundamentals helps you evaluate agencies, spot bad strategies, and make better decisions about where to spend limited budgets.

Find credible industry validators – Instead of expensive influencers, Gentlejam partnered with top chefs who became authentic advocates. Look for respected figures in your industry who can lend credibility to premium products at a lower cost than traditional influencer campaigns.

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This article is based on an interview from the E-commerce Bridge podcast with Iveta Hrabovska, founder of Gentlejam.