Becoming a noteworthy brand isn’t about fitting in with the cool kids
By Hanifa Sekandi
Your problem isn’t that your brand isn’t viable. Your problem isn’t that your beverage isn’t good. It is probably great. Your problem is that your goal is to be better than the cool kids, the cool beverages in town, that is. Remember in high school when everyone wanted to be friends with the cool kids? Is the idea of fitting in constantly on your mind? Where are the cool kids now? Who’s talking about them in 2026? As much as we love the cool flashy brands, we do. It is important to understand that becoming a noteworthy brand isn’t about fitting in with the cool kids. Some of your favorite brands were once outliers, something people often forget when a beverage brand becomes mainstream.
When you try to fit in, you tend to lean into inauthenticity. It’s like wearing a trendy hairstyle that doesn’t fit your face shape or getting a perm because everyone else is doing it. Oh, the eighties! It becomes a struggle to convince yourself every day when you look in the mirror that you feel good. You may fit in more, likely blend in, but you feel out of place. Imagine if a beverage, a bottle of bourbon or whiskey, could speak? We are in the AI animation era, so anything is possible. What would your beverage say to you? Our senses ignite our soul, and sipping your beverage should provide the information you need. How does this beverage want to show up in the world and on liquor shelves? How does it present itself to you? What does it trigger in you? Beyond igniting the desire for revelry.
The Odd Brand Out
Unbelievably, being the odd brand out is a good thing, the underdog if you will. You have no one to impress but yourself. You can focus on what feels right to you and your marketing team. Draw on raw, authentic vision and emotion. The same energy that drove legacy brands when they began. It’s that grassroots grit mentality, that there is nothing like this on the market. That you are indeed better than the rest. No competition needed, because when you view your brand as a timeless winner, you don’t compete; you simply show up and exist in a league of your own.
You’re the team that no one sees coming, but when they do, they admire you. They respect your beverage hustle, the product is stellar, and the marketing is bar none. Your goal should be to become an inspiration more than a competitor. Races eventually end. Every track athlete understands this. They do not spend their training season watching other runners run. Instead, they train, reflect, and continue. Understanding that self-reflection is the biggest hurdle to great outcomes. A hard feat to accomplish with social media. A medium that legacy brands did not have to contend with was a full view of what other beverage brands were doing in real time or at rapid-fire speed. They had to learn to stand behind and live with their marketing decisions. An effort that required continuous follow-through and promotion.
Be Bold Without Hesitation
So where do you start? Be bold. When you were in your youth, you were not limited by the constraints that plague you as an adult. You existed in a world of your own; it was okay to be bold and fun. You had a curiosity about life and the world. This is the energy your team needs to exude to become bold marketers. Marketers who do not strive to be boxed in and placed on a shelf, trying to blend in, hoping a beverage enthusiast will spot them. Your goal is to be chosen. Understanding buyers’ choices and what compels them to purchase a beverage they have never heard of or tried is essential.
What do you look for in a beverage? Be objective when ideating ways to boost your brand’s image. Also, what makes the cool kids cool? What would you do differently? View yourself as a leader in your industry. Remember, you are not competing; you are co-existing in an industry that needs variety. Your brand is the cherry on top of the whipped cream on an ice cream sundae. Two ingredients that add a burst of flavor. Your beverage adds that missing ingredient to a perfectly crafted cocktail. It’s the showpiece on the bar cart; a can never be without lager on a hot summer’s day.
It’s about being more than an afterthought. It’s about being the missing beverage, that something your consumer has been looking for. To achieve this, you must be bold in every way. The kind of bold that doesn’t go out of fashion, this isn’t about trends. The kind of bold that belongs in a league of your own, that is the first beverage that comes to mind in your beverage category. Your next question is most likely, ” How do you go about this? Just do it anyway is the answer. That wild idea of a futuristic campaign or one that takes consumers back in time, a beverage time traveller. This is the beverage marketing mindset to live by. Does your brand sparkle with color? Is it sleek and sophisticated? What story are you telling your consumer?
You must believe in what you are selling more than the person buying it with unequivocal confidence. Are you the punk rock of all beverages? Or giving luxury a run for its money? Be outlandish, but sensible. It isn’t about controversy; it’s about the conversation that your brand evokes and the feeling it enlivens.
You’ve Got to Have Faith
If you don’t believe in what your brand stands for, no one will. When you encounter opposition from other brands that want to push you out, how will you measure up? How will you manage the criticism from beverage aficionados? All that noise doesn’t matter. Drown it out, and just be, just exist, and have faith in your product. Put love into each bottle distilled, never compromise on quality ingredients, never dull your product to make a profit. Once you are firm about what your beverage brand stands for, all the turbulent times that this unpredictable industry throws at you won’t rock your foundation.
This is the secret that the best bourbon and ale makers discovered early on. Hence, they have outlasted many hopeful brands that thought it was a competition. Beyond the fun, each beverage is steeped in culture and history. It is this that topshelf brands hold onto firmly. Beverage brands built on struggle, triumph, and faith. Whether it’s the story of a family, a town, or a monastery, these beverages travel many roads, some lasting 200 years. So, are you in? Are you ready to join the legacy, or would you rather sit with the cool kids?
