Hey Reader,
Happy New Year and all that jazz. Let's get right into the good stuff and start the year off with a profitable bang!
As most of you know, I’m in my late forties. Which means a few things: brain fog, junk mail from AARP, and…somehow, I’ve become a gym rat.
Like, heavy lifting, weighted vest, oversized sweatpants, 5 a.m. kind of gym rat.
And as I’m plodding through leg day sets and endless TRX circuits, what do I see?
Celsius.
Not just one can. This stuff is everywhere. I see them peeking out of gym bags, in trash cans, in my TikTok feed and lined up next to the Liquid Deaths in the reach-in cooler by the front desk.
[TLDR - cut to the Celsius case study here and get the scoop on my newest podcast episode here]
And here’s the thing:
I hadn’t even tried it yet—but the branding had already done its job.
Now I’m curious.
I want to know what it’s about.
It feels like something I’m supposed to be paying attention to.
This is what happens when a brand gets its positioning right.
Celsius didn’t flood every shelf. It slid into niche spaces—C-stores, gym coolers, your cousin's fridge who says "bruh" a lot, my algorithms.
This is what strong positioning does.
It doesn’t just show up everywhere—it shows up in the right places, with the right look, for the right people.
Which brings me to you.
If you’re trying to hack your way through this saturated beverage landscape, you might be asking: What can I do to stand out from the crowd?
Strategic positioning is one way to get the job done, but for now I want you to think about this: The Label.
It’s not just a sticker. It's not just another digital print.
It’s your handshake across the cold box. Your billboard on a crowded shelf.
And most importantly, it’s where your brand story has to live—in about 2.3 seconds, because customers these days have squirrel brains.
Just for kicks, Google "Celsius label evolution" to watch the magic.
They need you on that label.
Not just “crafted with care” or “locally made.”
But your real story. Clear promise. Emotional connection.
To help you figure out how to pull that off, I brought in one of my favorite humans this week—Amanda DeVries, founder of Eye Candy Design to chat with me on the This Is Not Your Hobby the Podcast. Somehow I wrangled this amazing woman to spend an hour with me talking shop about branding!
She’s worked with dozens of food, beverage, and wellness brands, and in Episode 9 of the podcast, we dig into:
- Why most labels blend in (and how to break out)
- How small biz owners can stand out with their branding
- Emotional consumer connections
- And how colors and fonts make you feel (yeah, we went full meta here)
It’s equal parts design geekery, strategy, and label therapy. And it’s live now: Brand Like You Mean It → https://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast
Because good products don’t sell themselves.
Good branding does.
Talk soon,
Julie
P.S. If you want to hit me with your questions in person or if you will be at any of these events and want to talk shop, here’s where I’ll be.
P.P.S. Got a beverage business Bottleneck? Send it in here and I'll tackle it in an upcoming podcast episode!
P.P.P.S. Still thinking about joining the Barrel 2 Business Collective? There’s technically still time to make it your New Year’s resolution. And let’s be honest—“get strategic about sales” looks way better on your to-do list than “cut carbs” or “journal more.”
Hop in. It’s only $40/month. That’s less than a gym membership, but a stellar workout for your business brain.
