How Yoto Built a £100M+ Kids’ Audio Brand

How did Yoto grow from zero to £100M+? Jon Kell shares the marketing decisions behind that journey, including how word of mouth brought in more than 60% of new customers at points. Jon spent six and a half years at Yoto and is now CMO of Karri. In this episode of Smarter at Dinner, we unpack what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons he’s taking into building another brand. We cover: • Building a customer community that drives referrals • Why a mum influencer with 20,000 followers outperformed Hollywood celebrities • Getting Yoto players into hotels and restaurants through “Yoto in the Wild” • How PR helped build credibility and reduce customer acquisition costs • Why brands hit a growth ceiling when they rely entirely on paid ads • Where AI helps Jon’s marketing, and where he still wants humans involved CHAPTERS 00:00 Highlights 00:33 Meet Jon Kell 01:02 Karri and screen-free technology for kids 02:21 Growing Yoto from zero to £100M+ 04:35 The first steps to growing a consumer brand 08:17 Building a community that drives referrals 11:11 Letting customers help shape your brand 13:03 Why PR became a key growth channel 14:46 Partnerships, celebrities and smaller influencers 17:48 Yoto in the Wild: reaching customers on a budget 20:36 The customer insight that changed Yoto’s positioning 23:26 Why brands plateau when they rely on paid ads 26:10 Scaling budgets and measuring what works 27:49 Karri, network effects and local communities 31:11 Local targeting: UK vs US 33:15 AI, copywriting and smaller marketing teams 37:59 Is community building overrated? 39:07 Jon’s favourite brand 39:33 Jon’s pick for the Smarter at Dinner playlist CONNECT WITH NOAH LinkedIn:   / noahhorner   X: https://x.com/noahhorner_ Subscribe to Smarter at Dinner with Noah Horner for more conversations with the marketers behind growing brands:    / @noahhorner