Creative Marketing & New Beverage Category Creation

Innovative beverage companies are transforming grocery aisles across the globe. Through creative marketing and smart category creation, new players are turning niche ideas into mainstream movements.

These new players are not just battling for shelf space in crowded categories but are creating unique niches that combine health benefits, engaging branding, and compelling founder stories.

From prebiotic sodas to adaptogenic drinks, craft kombucha, coconut water, and even punk-rock canned water, these brands are making waves in the beverage industry.

This post examines six modern beverage brands that effectively leverage category creation, creative marketing, and authentic origins to build loyal customer bases and impressive valuations.

How Creative Marketing Builds New Beverage Categories

Creative marketing does the heavy lifting in this space, educating consumers on unfamiliar benefits, utilizing founder-led storytelling, and designing packaging that captures attention both on-shelf and on social media. The brands below show how inventive campaigns turn niche ideas into mainstream movements.

Functional Soda Innovators

Olipop: From Backyard Lab to Half-Billion Dollar Gut-Health Brand

The journey of Olipop began with co-founder Ben Goodwin, who faced health issues in his childhood. His interest in the microbiome led him to design a soda that supports digestive health.

When he joined forces with David Lester in 2018, they launched Olipop, effectively positioning prebiotic soda as a middle ground between indulgence and health. Each can features prebiotic fibers sourced from plants like cassava root, chicory, and Jerusalem artichokes.

Olipop's name derives from oligosaccharides, the prebiotic fibers that nourish beneficial gut bacteria. The founders prioritized taste first, and then implemented educational campaigns that spotlighted prebiotics through collaborations with gut-health influencers. Initial distribution in natural grocers, such as Erewhon, validated consumer demand before expanding to larger retailers like Target and Walmart.

By 2024, Olipop achieved more than US$500 million in sales and was pivotal in defining the “functional soda” category. Its story emphasizes how a mission-driven approach can resonate with consumers when paired with great flavor and clear health advantages.

Poppi: Turning Farmers’ Market Experiments into a Viral Beverage

Starting with a personal need, Dallas entrepreneur Allison Ellsworth created a beverage that satisfied her craving for a healthy soda while pregnant. Mixing sparkling water with apple cider vinegar in her kitchen, Ellsworth began selling her concoction at local farmers’ markets.

In 2018, she and her husband pitched their product, named Mother Beverage, on Shark Tank while she was nine months pregnant. Investor Rohan Oza invested US$400K and guided them through a rebranding, transforming the drink into a sparkling prebiotic soda with vibrant, Instagram-friendly packaging.

Poppi took advantage of founder-led storytelling and quickly adapted to social media trends. Ellsworth attributes the brand's early success to being an early adopter of TikTok, where, by 2025, her videos had amassed over 3 billion views, and one-third of TikTok users recognized her. The brand exudes a fun, colorful, and gut-friendly image, inviting consumers to join its community.

Revenue skyrocketed from US$4 million in 2020 to US$500 million in 2024, culminating in a nearly US$2 billion acquisition by PepsiCo in 2025, signifying the strong investor appetite for new-category brands.

Adaptogenic & Relaxation Drinks

Recess Mood: Positioning Calm & Creativity as a Lifestyle

Recess, founded by Ben Witte, aimed to provide a solution to the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and stress he experienced. By experimenting with CBD and adaptogens, Witte recognized the potential for a functional beverage that promotes both calm and productivity.

The brand initially launched with CBD-infused sparkling waters and later expanded to magnesium-based Recess Mood, targeting consumers craving mental clarity and mood enhancement.

Witte considers Recess a design-centric company, hiring marketers from outside the beverage industry for fresh insights. The brand caters to “makers” – fashion designers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and journalists – who seek drinks that support their creative processes. Minimalistic, pastel visuals and social campaigns promote moments of tranquility amid busy lifestyles.

Recess not only helped define the adaptogen-infused beverage category but also diversified its product line by steering away from CBD to mainstream retail distribution. This pivot indicates a growing interest in relaxation-promising beverages that are non-psychoactive.

Craft Kombucha & Gut-Health Leaders

Health-Ade: From Closet Brew to National Kombucha Brand

Health-Ade's origin story is as grassroots as they come. Nutritionist Daina Trout brewed kombucha in her closet during her graduate studies, aiming to create a gut-health elixir.

Along with her husband, Justin Trout, and best friend, Vanessa Dew, they began bottling their homemade kombucha and selling it at the Brentwood Farmers’ Market in March 2012. With backgrounds in public health and nutrition, their passion for craft brewing led to a successful beverage business.

Initially using hand-crafted labels, Health-Ade quickly sold out at farmers’ markets and scaled up production, renting a bakery space to meet demand. They focused on small-batch fermentation while maintaining quality, emphasizing their health mission with the tagline “follow your gut” and educating consumers about gut health.

Today, Health-Ade has transitioned from humble beginnings to a national kombucha brand, including gut-healthy soda line SunSip. Their success showcases how artisanal methods and a wellness focus can distinguish a brand in a competitive market.

Coconut Water Pioneers

Vita Coco: Bringing Tropical Hydration to the U.S.

The story of Vita Coco began in 2003 when Mike Kirban and Ira Liran met Brazilian women in a New York bar who longed for coconut water.

Realizing the absence of coconut water in the U.S., they embarked on an entrepreneurial venture in 2004. Their mission involved educating consumers about the hydration benefits of coconut water, which eventually became a mainstream beverage.

Kirban leveraged his unique background to position Vita Coco as a versatile lifestyle beverage that transcended the beverage aisle. Through persistent efforts, the brand expanded beyond grocery stores into restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, even introducing canned cocktails.

Their marketing underscored the various uses of coconut water, from enhancing smoothies to aiding post-workout recovery.

By 2024, the coconut water category reached around US$674 million, aided by Vita Coco's perseverance, innovation, and successful product diversification.

Punk-Rock Water & Brand Disruption

Liquid Death: Turning Water into a Cult Product

Founded by Mike Cessario, a former Netflix creative director, Liquid Death began as a bold concept. Trademarking the term in 2017, Cessario ran a video ad before launching to gauge interest in a canned water that would “murder your thirst.”

The brand hit the market online in January 2019, focusing on a niche audience of straight-edge lifestyle enthusiasts and fans of punk music.

Liquid Death's marketing strategy is centered on shock value, using humor and entertainment to engage its audience. The brand's cans resemble tallboy beer cans, parodically mimicking the branding of energy drinks.

Campaigns include death-metal albums composed of hate comments and a memorable 2022 Super Bowl ad featuring kids enjoying water set to metal music. The company also emphasizes sustainability, opting for aluminum cans over plastic packaging.

Liquid Death’s viral campaigns and subversive branding have cultivated a dedicated fan base, leading to significant fundraising rounds and entry into major retailers, including Whole Foods and 7-Eleven.

Their journey illustrates how even a basic product such as water can achieve cult status through innovative storytelling and aligned values.

Insights for Marketers & Founders

These six brands offer valuable lessons for marketers and entrepreneurs venturing into the beverage industry:

1. Identify an Authentic Problem: Many founders created their beverages to address genuine health challenges. For example, Olipop and Poppi were developed from personal experiences related to digestive health. By sharing these struggles, brands can build trust and clarify their product's purpose.

   
   

2. Create or Redefine a Category: These brands didn’t just join existing segments; they established entirely new categories. By introducing terms like “prebiotic soda” and “punk-rock water,” they set consumer expectations and maintained a competitive edge against established players.

   
   

3. Emphasize Founder Stories and Community: Humanizing a brand fosters deeper connections with consumers. For instance, Poppi's founder built a community through her pregnancy story, while Health-Ade engaged with local markets to establish a genuine following. Encouraging direct interactions amplifies brand culture and customer loyalty.

   
   

4. Combine Education with Entertainment: Launching a novel beverage often requires educating consumers while entertaining them. Vita Coco spent years teaching the public about coconut water. At the same time, Liquid Death utilized humor to make its brand relatable. Combining informative content with engaging storytelling ensures new categories resonate with consumers.

   
   

By prioritizing purpose, innovation, and authenticity, these beverage brands have transformed their products from mere drinks into cultural phenomena.

Entrepreneurs who follow their lead and focus on genuine connections with consumers can unlock new market opportunities and pave the road for future success.

FAQs

What Is a Prebiotic Soda?

A prebiotic soda is a flavored soft drink that includes prebiotic fiber (often inulin/oligosaccharides) to feed beneficial gut bacteria. Brands position it as a lower-sugar, gut-friendly alternative to legacy sodas.

What Are Adaptogenic Drinks?

These are beverages formulated with ingredients associated with stress support or mood balance (e.g., ashwagandha, L-theanine, magnesium). They’re marketed for calm or focus rather than stimulation.

How Do Beverage Startups Create a New Category?

They name the space (e.g., “prebiotic soda”), educate consumers with simple benefit language, and use founder-led storytelling and early niche distribution (natural grocers, DTC) before scaling to mass retail.