For decades, the global watercolor market has been dominated by heritage brands like Winsor & Newton, Schmincke, and Daniel Smith. At the other end of the spectrum, countless low-cost private-label manufacturers compete almost entirely on price.
For most emerging brands, there seems to be little room left in between.
Yet one Chinese brand has quietly carved out a profitable niche.
Rather than competing with professional art suppliers or joining the race to the bottom, Funto built its business around a simple idea: make watercolor painting easier, more accessible, and enjoyable for everyday people.
Today, several of its watercolor sets have accumulated tens of thousands of Amazon reviews with ratings above 4.5 stars, securing a strong position in the premium consumer segment.
So how did Funto succeed where so many others struggle?
Understanding the Rise of the "Creative Wellness" Economy
Consumer behavior has shifted dramatically since the pandemic.
People aren't simply buying products—they're investing in hobbies that help reduce stress, improve mindfulness, and encourage creativity.
At the same time, outdoor lifestyles have become increasingly popular. Activities like urban sketching, travel journaling, camping, and café drawing have created new demand for lightweight creative tools.
Instead of targeting professional artists, Funto recognized an emerging audience:
- Beginners
- Hobby painters
- Travelers
- Journal enthusiasts
- Lifestyle creators
- Gift buyers
Rather than asking consumers to become artists, Funto simply asked a different question:
What if inspiration strikes while you're traveling?
That single insight completely changed its product strategy.
Product Design Built Around Convenience, Not Professionalism
Traditional watercolor brands focus on technical specifications:
- Pigment quality
- Lightfastness
- Professional color systems
- Long-term artistic performance
Those features matter to experienced artists.
But they're intimidating to beginners.
Funto removed that complexity.
Instead of selling individual paints and specialized accessories, it offers complete portable kits that contain everything users need to start painting immediately.
No complicated decisions.
No technical knowledge.
No expensive investment.
Just add water and begin creating.
Its pricing reflects the same philosophy.
Most kits fall between $20 and $40—premium enough to feel like a quality purchase, yet affordable enough for casual creators.
Funto isn't competing with professional watercolor brands.
It's creating entirely new customers.
Selling a Lifestyle Instead of Art Supplies
One of Funto's biggest strengths is its content strategy.
Unlike many consumer brands, it rarely relies on heavy promotional campaigns or viral marketing trends.
Instead, its social media revolves around one simple visual experience:
Open the kit → Add water → Paint → Capture the moment.
That's it.
These videos feel calming rather than promotional.
The product isn't presented as the hero.
Instead, it quietly supports a lifestyle where creativity can happen anywhere:
- At a coffee shop
- During a camping trip
- While traveling
- In a city park
- On a quiet afternoon
This subtle positioning perfectly reinforces the brand's promise:
Creativity doesn't require preparation.
That message resonates far beyond traditional art communities.
Choosing Creators Outside the Art World
Perhaps Funto's smartest marketing decision wasn't the product itself.
It was choosing the right influencers.
Many brands automatically collaborate with the biggest artists or painting channels.
Funto took a different approach.
Instead of asking:
"Who paints the best?"
It asked:
"Who inspires people to create?"
That led the brand into completely different creator communities.
Travel creators.
Lifestyle influencers.
Journal enthusiasts.
DIY makers.
Even anime creators.
One particularly successful collaboration came from Instagram creator @animatorroseoak, whose audience primarily follows anime illustrations and 3D printing projects.
At first glance, watercolor products seem unrelated.
But that's exactly why the partnership worked.
Instead of painting on paper, the creator used Funto watercolors to color 3D-printed anime figures.
The video featured enthusiastic captions like:
"No joke, these are the best I've used."
and
"They work great on paper, 3D printed material, walls... you name it."
For anime fans, that level of excitement feels authentic rather than exaggerated.
The campaign generated impressive engagement:
- 215,000+ views
- 22,000+ likes
- 86 comments
More importantly, it introduced Funto to an entirely new audience that traditional watercolor brands rarely reach.
Why Most Brands Can't Easily Copy This Strategy
At first glance, Funto's success appears straightforward.
Portable products.
Relaxing videos.
Creator partnerships.
But the real competitive advantage isn't the watercolor kit.
It's the insight behind every marketing decision.
Many brands make one of two mistakes:
They chase celebrity influencers, assuming bigger audiences automatically produce better results.
Or they rely on low-cost creators whose content feels like generic product reviews.
Neither approach builds lasting brand value.
Funto focuses on creators with genuine credibility inside niche communities.
Many of these influencers have fewer than 200,000 followers.
But they possess something much more valuable:
Audience trust.
That's what transforms products into recommendations.
And recommendations into sales.
The Bigger Lesson for Consumer Brands
Funto demonstrates that winning in a crowded market doesn't always require inventing an entirely new product.
Sometimes, the biggest opportunity comes from redefining who the product is actually for.
Rather than competing with century-old brands on professional performance, Funto created an easier entry point for millions of consumers who never considered buying watercolor supplies before.
In doing so, it expanded the market instead of fighting over existing customers.
That's a strategy many DTC brands can learn from—whether they're selling art supplies, home goods, outdoor gear, or lifestyle products.
Looking for the Right Creators for Your Brand?
Finding creators like Funto did isn't easy.
The best-performing influencers often aren't the biggest names. They're trusted voices within highly engaged niche communities.
As brands expand into new markets, identifying these creators becomes increasingly difficult—especially across different languages and cultures.
That's where SocialBook can help.
With access to 200+ million global creators, SocialBook enables brands to discover highly relevant influencers, analyze audience quality, manage outreach, track campaign performance, detect fake engagement, and optimize ROI—all from one platform.
Whether you're launching your first influencer campaign or scaling globally, having the right creators can make all the difference.
Because successful influencer marketing isn't about reaching everyone.
It's about reaching the right people.
