David Lester disrupts the soda category with Olipop’s star-studded marketing

When David Lester pivoted to entrepreneurship after nearly a decade at alcohol giant Diageo, he took with him one key principle for successful innovation: “Break one rule, break it really hard, and then keep everything else the same.” That tenet has guided Lester and his business partner Ben Goodwin through the co-founding and brand-building of prebiotic soda juggernaut Olipop. Since its founding in 2018, Olipop has contributed to the growth of the digestive health beverage category—a segment that was valued at $26 billion in 2022 and is projected to nearly double by 2032, according to Future Market Insights. In just five years, Lester and Goodwin have developed Olipop from a product that many investors refused to buy into (“Healthy soda? No one’s going to buy that”) to a brand set to exceed $200 million in revenue by the end of 2023, according to figures shared by the brand. Lester helms Olipop’s marketing and sales strategies, which together have propelled the brand to become not only the fastest-growing functional beverage brand but a healthier challenger to soda giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. In fact, his marketing approach has largely emulated those of Olipop’s rivals, honing in on embedding the brand into key pop culture moments. In May, for example, the company featured Grammy-nominated singer and Olipop investor Camila Cabello in its first major advertising campaign, “Real Love Makes Us.” See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here Lester also inked a product-placement deal with artist Reneé Rapp, who shotguns a can of Olipop in the music video for her song “Bruises,” and jumped in on the “Barbie” movie marketing frenzy by integrating Olipop into the music video for Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s song “Barbie World.” Olipop extends those product placements to social media, too, paying influencers to feature the brand’s colorful cans in their content. Read more: Olipop launches first OOH campaign @drinkolipop it’s barbie & olipop, if you still in doubt 🩷🫧✈️ catch strawberry vanilla flying through Barbie World in the new @Nicki Minaj & @ice spice music vid ☁️ #barbieworld #barbieworldolipop #drinkolipop #barbiemovie #barbieworldnickiminajicepsice #greenscreenvideo ♬ OH MA GAWD - m🦇 “Brands aren’t outstanding because of a special ingredient they contain or the founder’s story—it’s the way those brands make people feel,” Lester said. “People were in love with soda, but it always felt like a toxic relationship. And we wanted to say, ‘This is a soda that loves you back.’” See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why? Honestly, I admire every entrepreneur. It’s such a huge decision to attempt something yourself and follow your vision. I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who does that. I do listen to quite a lot of Steven Bartlett and his podcast “The Diary of a CEO.” Incredible wisdom for such a young guy. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? Brad Stulberg’s “The Practice of Groundedness” had some well-framed philosophy. I have also read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” about 5,000 times to our kids. What is the best career advice you’ve gotten? I recommend all our team read “Impact Players.” I wish I’d read it when I was younger. Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire. I don’t think any brand in food and beverage has executed a better marketing plan than McDonald’s over the last decade. What is your secret weapon for business success? Humility, closely followed by gratitude. That combination will go a long way to keeping you on a rapid learning curve, keeping your business safe and keeping you motivated and energized on your journey. See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here

David Lester disrupts the soda category with Olipop’s star-studded marketing

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