Shantanu Deshpande on Good Glamm Group fiasco: 'Everyone saw the writing on the wall in Q3 2022'

Meme marketing agency Wubba Lubba Dub Dub (WLDD) recently acquired content platform ScoopWhoop from the Good Glamm Group in an all-cash deal reportedly valued at Rs 20 crore. Deep and Mohit Bajaj, the founders of Sirona, bought back the wellness company they fully sold to The Good Glamm Group last year. These move comes as critics question the strategic direction and board oversight at GGG, with Bombay Shaving Company Founder CEO offering a scathing assessment on his social media.

Read more: Meme marketing agency WLDD buys ScoopWhoop from The Good Glamm Group in all-cash deal

Deshpande's LinkedIn post, opens with a stark remark on the company's trajectory, "This GGG cluster**** it so painful to watch."

He recounted how, in 2021, GGG's founders had struck what they believed was a winning formula—combining content with attractive deals to secure free customer acquisition. "It felt like a Eureka moment," he noted, capturing the initial optimism that propelled the company into an aggressive expansion phase.

The strategy involved acquiring multiple content platforms, including ScoopWhoop, PopXO, and BabyChakra, as well as several consumer brands such as Sirona Moms Co. The plan was to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where robust conent would drive community engagement and repeat business.

However, according to Deshpande, the approach soon revealed its pitfalls. Despite the early promise, the company's rapid scale-up was followed by ballooning debt, dwindling market shares, and a series of missteps that went unaddressed by the board.

"Everyone saw the writing on the wall in Q3 2022," Deshpande remarked, emphasizing that even those without deep access to internal metrics could see the strategy falter.

src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7298900815811948545" height="1651" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post">

He lamented the board's failure to intervene decisively—rejecting the opportunity for a timely course correction that might have halted the slide into unsustainable debt.

Instead, internal moves such as an unpriced funding round diluted founder accountability, setting the stage for what he describes as a "derailed train" of escalating losses.

The acquisition of ScoopWhoop by WLDD is now seen as a corrective step amid these challenges. By snapping up the digital media platform, WLDD seems to leverage its niche in meme-driven marketing to redefine its position in an increasingly competitive space.

The Rs 20 crore deal not only offers a lifeline for ScoopWhoop but also underscores the volatile risks inherent in aggressive, debt-fuelled expansion strategies.

While Deshpande expressed a hope that Good Glamm Group might eventually regroup, his tone remains cautionary. He warned that such strategic misfires not only damage the immediate stakeholders—shareholders, lenders, suppliers, and employees—but also erode the broader trust essential for nurturing future innovation and investment in the sector.