🧠 How Olipop (re)invented soda worth $1.9B

Today’s Edition of Captivated: How Olipop (re)invented soda worth $1.9B.

Wait, this has fiber in it?...

… It looks like soda. It tastes like soda.

But it says prebiotics on the can.

And the label isn’t screaming DIET. It’s… colorful. Aesthetic. Almost… nostalgic?

Olipop is selling gut health in a soda can. And it worked. They went from farmer’s markets to over 50,000 retail locations, over $400 million in sales, and a $1.85B valuation.

They did it by using smart positioning, great flavor, and brain-backed marketing to rewire how people think about soda. …

(continues below).

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🧭 INSIDE THIS EDITION

• Soda, Smarter

• Smart Tool You Can Use #1

• Did You Know?

• What's the Big Deal?

• Deep Dive

• The Psychology Behind It

• Smart Tool You Can Use #2

• Steal this Strategy for Yourself

• Olipop quick facts

• tl;dr

• Smart Tool You Can Use #3

📈 DID YOU KNOW?

Olipop reported over $400 million in revenue in 2024. This rapid ascent from its founding in 2018 makes Olipop one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in America.

🤔

 .. What’s the Big Deal? ..

Even though Olipop didn’t make a new product category, it kind of seems like it. They definitely reimagined a classic category, by making soda feel cool again. But this time, healthy.

Instead of leading with science (like many wellness brands), they led with taste, nostalgia, and aesthetic. Then they layered in the functional benefits, like prebiotics and fiber.

They used storytelling and branding to bypass the skepticism that comes with health claims. And they rewired the customer perception loop:

• See fun soda can

• Tastes great

• Oh wait, it’s healthy?

• Buys more

They got you to want it, before they tried to convince you why it’s good for you.

🤔

 .. What They Actually Did (Product Growth Deep Dive) ..

Here’s what made Olipop, well, pop:

• Led With Flavor First: Olipop invested heavily in R&D to nail taste. Their Classic Root Beer and Vintage Cola are some of their best-sellers, because people crave the taste.

• Used Brand Content Like a Media Company: From TikTok skits to podcast placements, Olipop creates media that entertains and informs. They're selling "pop" culture. For example, they posted a TikTok-style campaign featuring a "Soda Sommelier" pairing flavors with pop culture moments.

• Retail-First Growth Strategy: Unlike many DTC-first brands, Olipop bet big on retail. They scaled to 50,000+ stores, including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Costco. They focused on premium end caps and eye-catching shelf presence.

• In-Can Psychology: The label design doesn’t scream "health drink" or "low calorie." It looks fun, inviting, and slightly nostalgic. That disarms the brain and lets taste do the work.

• Content + Education Post-Purchase: Once you love the flavor, then they educate you. Their packaging, emails, and site break down gut health benefits, but only after trust (and taste) are established.

• Created Collectibility: Limited-edition flavor releases (like Banana Cream) and colorful packaging, created collector energy and sharing moments.

🧠

 .. Brain Science-Backed: The Psychology Behind It ..

1. 🧠  INCONGRUITY RESOLUTION:

Your brain expects soda = unhealthy. When the experience tastes like soda and claims health benefits, it creates a "surprise and delight" effect. That novelty increases recall and purchase intent.

2. 🧠 PROCESS FLUENCY:

The branding is easy to process. Rounded fonts, soft color palette, and minimalistic design signal ease, fun, and modernity. That makes it more likable, and more likely to be chosen on the shelf.

3. 🧠 REVERSE RATIONALIZATION:

People buy with emotion, then justify it with facts. Olipop leverages that by making it craveable first, then educational after. The fiber and prebiotics help people feel smart about the purchase.

4. 🧠 SOCIAL SIGNALING:

Carrying an Olipop signals more than thirst, it shows you’re health-conscious, culturally aware, and tapped into the wellness scene. That kind of identity cue triggers signaling theory and social proof, two brain shortcuts we use to decide what’s cool, credible, and worth copying. It’s how a soda becomes a subtle social badge.

5. 🧠 IDENTITY FORMATION:

Olipop helps shape how you see yourself, not just what you drink. It reinforces a self-image: someone who makes better choices, who’s part of the wellness world, but still enjoys fun. That internal identity loop strengthens brand loyalty, and keeps you coming back.

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 .. Steal this Strategy for Yourself ..

1 - Lead With Pleasure, Layer in Purpose:

Don’t sell function up front, or science. First, start with flavor, feeling, or desire and make people crave it. Then explain why it’s good.

Example: Highlight emotional benefit first. Educate after they like you.

Try this:

• On your landing page, headline with taste or experience (“Refreshingly nostalgic”) and move health benefits lower.

• In emails, start with emotional hooks like “Your new favorite treat,” then include the ingredient breakdown in the P.S. or second scroll.

2 - Use Design to Disarm:

Your product or service might be complex, but it should look easy, fun, and feel good to interact with.

Try this:

• Audit your website or product packaging: are you overusing dark colors, dense text, or sterile design? Swap for soft palettes, rounded fonts, and fewer words.

• Replace “Buy Now” buttons with friendlier CTA copy like “Try a Sip” or “Add to Fridge.”

3 - Release Limited Editions to Build Anticipation:

Give people a reason to come back and a reason to talk about it. Limited-edition releases give people a reason to check back, post online, and stock up.

Try this:

• Launch a seasonal or collab product and name it like an event.

• Tease versions in Stories or email with countdowns and polls (“Which one should we bring back?”).

4 - Play the Long Game on Education:

Create trust and desire first. Then use post-purchase content to educate, upsell, or deepen loyalty. Once someone’s bought in emotionally, deepen the relationship with smart, well-timed content.

Try this:

• Set up post-purchase emails with subject lines like “What’s inside your can” or “How to get the most from your [product].”

• Build an Instagram carousel or TikTok series on ingredient spotlights, using fun analogies (“Your gut’s new BFF: Chicory Root”).

✌️ 

 .. quick facts ..

Olipop

• Founded: 2018. 

• Revenue: $400M+.

• Valuation: $1.85B.

• Retail Locations: 50,000+, including major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods Market.

• Popular Flavors: Classic Root Beer, Vintage Cola, Banana Cream, Cherry Vanilla.

• Core Ingredients: Each can contains up to 9g of fiber from prebiotics like chicory root, cassava fiber, marshmallow root.

• Customer Demo: Primarily Millennials and Gen Z, with a slight female majority and the largest age group being 25–34 years old.

• Celebrity Investors: Camila Cabello, Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kaling, Logic, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

• Competitors: Poppi, Culture Pop, Health-Ade Pop, Zevia.

✌️ 

 .. tl;dr & captivated wrap-up ..

Olipop sold soda rebranded through the lens of identity, emotional reward, and habit science.

They made it craveable, Instagrammable, and juuust retro enough to feel familiar, but modern enough to feel good about.

They know people buy with emotion, then justify with facts, and they leaned into this. When you lead with emotional connection, captivate, and then bring in the rest later, you don’t just sell it once, you make it an absolute staple.

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