BevNET Podcast Ep. 9: Did You Really Create a New Category?

Beverage entrepreneurs hear it all the time: “how is your brand differentiated from what’s currently available on the market?” It’s often distributors, retailers and investors that are asking the question, and most brand owners answer with claims about enhanced flavor, function or health benefits as compared to competing brands. Sometimes, entrepreneurs will say that their brand is “creating a new category” and doesn’t fit into standard beverage segments. But just how effective is that statement? More importantly, is grounded in reality? We examine the approach in this podcast and discuss attempts to position a brand as so novel that it belongs in its own category. We also look at potential challenges and pitfalls that entrepreneurs may encounter along the way.