Female Startup Club

GEMS: Selling 100,000 Units in Year One with Avec Drinks founder Denetrias Charlemagne

December 5, 2024

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The initial launch strategy pivoted from in-person events to a strong focus on website experience, branding, and product due to the pandemic, leveraging earned media and PR over paid advertising. 
  • Partnerships, particularly with brands in both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic spaces, as well as with companies appealing to a similar audience (e.g., clean beauty, expectant mothers), have been crucial for customer acquisition and scaling. 
  • The business is shifting towards a more wholesale-focused approach with increased emphasis on in-person sales, sampling, and driving trial through direct consumer interaction as the market opens up. 

Segments

Pandemic Pivot to Digital
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The pandemic forced a rapid shift from an intended street-level marketing strategy to prioritizing a strong online presence, including a compelling website and brand experience, due to the inability to execute in-person activations.
  • Summary: The conversation begins with a discussion about the initial launch plan, which was inspired by Red Bull’s street-level marketing. However, the onset of COVID-19 necessitated a pivot, leading to significant investment in a high-quality website and brand development as the primary focus.
Earned Media and PR Strategy
Copied to clipboard!
(00:01:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Leveraging earned media and strategic PR, particularly through a connection in the food and beverage PR industry, was a deliberate strategy to build brand awareness and drive business in the absence of paid advertising during the initial months.
  • Summary: The speaker explains their cautious approach to paid advertising, delaying it for six to seven months. Instead, they focused on generating earned media, highlighting the crucial role of a friend in restaurant PR who helped secure press coverage, which was instrumental in the business’s early growth.
Storytelling and Brand Values
Copied to clipboard!
(00:01:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Successful brand building in a new category requires compelling storytelling that goes beyond product functionality, emphasizing values, diverse founding teams, and the ‘why’ behind the launch to create consumer connection and buzz.
  • Summary: The discussion delves into the importance of telling a story around the brand, moving beyond just explaining how to use the product. Key elements highlighted include its low sugar/calorie attributes, diverse founding team, company values, and the broader narrative of why the category and brand matter.
Evolving Customer Acquisition
Copied to clipboard!
(00:03:10)
  • Key Takeaway: While online channels are becoming more competitive, strategic partnerships and a return to in-person, boots-on-the-ground sales and sampling are proving effective for scalable customer acquisition and driving trial in the beverage industry.
  • Summary: The conversation shifts to current customer acquisition strategies. The speaker notes that while online scaling is slowing, partnerships remain strong. There’s a renewed focus on wholesale, in-person activations, sampling, and getting the product into consumers’ hands (’liquid to lips’) as the market reopens.