Unsupported CMOs, the new soda wars and how to practice 'lemonading' - the week's biggest stories in brands
Issue #44
Weekly Exhale
Who doesn’t love sipping on a soda? In the next hour, the UK alone will pop open 5.2 million cans of sugared water. A Coke is the perfect way to wash down a dirty burger or soak in the rays of a hot summer’s day.
But mostly, soft drinks are a comfort, a distraction, an addiction and a way to take the edge off that tedious task we’ve been avoiding. Unlike coffee, ordering a fizzy drink nods to a simpler life. What’s not to like—apart from diabetes and a potential cancer risk?
I mention health risks because this week, we ushered in a new soda war.
If the 90s were Pepsi versus Coke, then today’s battle between Olipop and Poppi is as fizzy as it is brutal. Wrapped in retro branding straight out of mid-century American advertising, Olipop and Poppi promise full-fat flavour but with pre-biotics instead of sugar and carcinogens. Between them, they chalked up $900 million in 2024 sales. That’s against $47+ billion for Coca-Cola.
Last week, Olipop announced a $50 million funding round led by J.P. Morgan Private Equity at a valuation of $1.85 billion. As part of the deal, Coca-Cola veteran Melvin Landis will become CEO and push co-founder David Lester into an advisory role.
That same day, rival Poppi gifted 32 influencers with giant, pink vending machines stocked with several hundred samples as part of a Super Bowl campaign. Far too big for anyone's house, Kaeli Mae’s video hit 2.3 million views, twinkling her manicured fingers, feigning awe at the machine's presence.
Then, it went wayward.
Comments and reactions slammed Poppi for pandering to a privileged, non-diverse influencer set. Who needs 600 cans of Poppi in their house? Olipop dived in and shook up the issue before letting it spray open: “For the record, each vending machine costs $25k.” Of course, they had no idea what the machines cost, but by the time that was clarified, the damage was done.
Poppi’s Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Allison Ellsworth, posted a visibly shaken response video. It didn’t help. Crisis PR analyst Molly McPherson banked herself 200k views, tearing Ellsworth’s approach to shreds.
So, is anything going on here beyond a group of chronically online people piling on?
It seems weird that Dunkin Donuts would pay Ben Afflect $10 million for his 2024 Super Bowl appearance, but Poppi was slammed for spending $800,000 on an influencer campaign.
Some point to Ellsworth getting undue criticism simply because she's a female founder who dared to play big. Ellsworth met her co-founder and husband in Texas’ oil and gas industry. She was nine months pregnant when they secured $400,000 on Shark Tank. Her son, Theodore, was born twelve days later. “See, you can have it all,” she declared.
Others think the timing was suspicious, given the announcement of Olipop’s Series C. Was Ellsworth the victim of ‘astroturfing’—a coordinated PR tactic that uses fake grassroots efforts to stir up negative sentiment?
Sure, brands landing themselves in it is all part of the fun. Famously, a fan took Pepsi to court to claim a McDonnell AV-8B Harrier jump jet—a joke prize in an ad. Compared to the Pepsi-Coke wars, the Olipop-Poppi feud seems pretty tame.
But watching Ellsworth’s response video, it was hard to miss the toll it took on her. It got me thinking that maybe it’s not the brand rivalry, the sugared water, or the vending machines that are getting us down but, once again, the attention economy itself.
Years ago, I met Amy Cuddy, the behavioural psychologist who discovered that standing in a ‘power pose’—arms outstretched like a victory sign—changes your brain chemistry, win or lose. Even someone who’s been blind from birth will instinctively throw their arms up. It’s innate. Cuddy’s research shows that the body doesn’t just respond to emotions; it also shapes them.
And if that’s true, every time we perform outrage or negativity for clicks and clout, we’re rewiring our brains to feel miserable.
I don’t have many regrets, but one still haunts me. Aged eleven, I joined in with some friends to push another kid to the ground for no reason other than seeing how far we could go. I remember the look in this kid’s dejected eyes staring straight into my soul: Why would you do that?
Even now, I feel a knot of acid in my stomach thinking about it. My body tells me it’s not natural to behave this way. But social media teaches a new playbook, where being nasty gives you gains.
I get it. People are tired of influencers, frustrated by brands spending big when basic groceries cost a fortune, and worn out by the growing divide between those who have it all and those who don’t. And I’m here for drinking soda that’s much healthier.
Just not if it’s going to make us feel worse.
So today, I’m taking Amy Cuddy’s advice. For no reason at all, I’m throwing my arms in the air and declaring victory. And once the chemicals kick in, I’m going to do something nice for someone just because I can.
Want to join me?
Let's rise together with every issue. ♡
Market Movements
UK firms slash jobs as stagflation fears grow | The Guardian
Budget surplus for January falls short | Financial Times
US Fed warns tariffs may fuel inflation | BBC
Brand Beat
Coca-Cola launches Simply Pop | The Wall Street Journal
Marketers have great potential but they are not supported | MarketingWeek
U.S. is eating so much meat, Dawn had to reformulate its dish soap | Fast Company
Why is Reddit's share price falling? | The Motley Fool
Ritson reminds us that targetting matters | MarketingWeek
X in talks with ad network groups about spending more | Wall Street Journal
Volvo launches new child safety brand ad | Little Black Book
Analysis: Tesla sales are down | Wired
WPP chief people officer to leave after a year | Marketing Beat
Netflix is going after podcasts | Forbes
The coolest brands of 2025 | Maddyness
Understanding the Nike x Skims partnership | Sociology of Business
Who is the Versace customer? | Vogue Business
Fashion's cuteness craze | Business of Fashion
Inside Charlotte Tilbury's new store | Wizz Selvey
The rebrand of Pamela Anderson | The Drum
Branded, not stirred: Is Bond about to become content? | Variety
Is the tide going out for Britain's digital banks? | UKTN
Pensioners launch campaign to fight 'alienating' self-checkouts | The Grocer
Trending: Smash Foods makes healthy spreads | Thingstesting
Ad of the week goes to Hellman's Harry Met Sally spot | System1
Starting Up
HP buys AI wearable flop, Humane, for $116m | Fast Company
These founders are reinventing black haircare | Inc
Startups to bet your career on | Business Insider
AI is changing how Silicon Valley builds start-ups | The New York Times
CEO of controversial AI facial recognition startup has resigned | TechCrunch
Tech Tidbits
The Guardian announces partnership with OpenAI | The Guardian
Google, Meta blasts Europe over AI regulation | CNBC
Former OpenAI CTO reveals what she's been working on | Wired
What does Microsoft's quantum 'breakthrough' mean for the sector? | Sifted
Zuckerberg's makeover didn't make people like him study shows | TechCrunch
Venture Vibes
Foodtech deals hit record low | Fortune
Largest pre-seed investor, Afore, raises $185m | TechCrunch
Meet Mexico's first Chilionaire | Forbes
Investors are rapidly minting early-stage unicorns again | Crunchbase
Design Driven
Yellowjackets new title sequence is an unsettling fever dream | Fast Company
A look inside the K-Pop design machine | It's Nice That
How the heart emoji lost all its meaning | Wired
Fritz Hansen's new CEO: "Design has the power to evoke good and bad" | Wallpaper
Happiness
Why you must be logical to be a good person | Big Think
Mars launches landmark study into pet's contribution to wellbeing | Mars
Life got you down? Practice 'lemonading' | Self
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