Olipop’s genius move wasn’t just making a healthy soda. It was making healthy soda cool.
Forget kale chips and sad sparkling waters. Olipop brought in flavors that hit you right in the childhood — Vintage Cola, Classic Root Beer, Orange Squeeze — and then wrapped them in pastel cans that look like they belong in a Wes Anderson film.
And who drinks it? Not just health nuts. Everyone from wellness enthusiasts to nostalgic millennials to sneakerhead dads on a gut health journey.
Takeaway: You’re not just selling a product. You’re selling a feeling. A lifestyle. A permission slip to feel good and indulge — without the crash.
Olipop’s 3-Point Formula for Building a Cult Brand in a Can
Instead of hitting us with banner ads and billboards, Olipop slid into the culture via people we already trust.
- Influencer Collaborations: Olipop turned to social media, influencer partnerships, and TikTok to build brand awareness and reach a wider audience. This strategy paid off, leading to viral videos and an explosion in sales.
- Celebrity Investors: Big names like Mindy Kaling, the Jonas Brothers, and former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi have invested in Olipop, adding credibility and visibility to the brand.
- Creative Collaborations: Olipop has engaged in partnerships, such as the limited-edition Banana Cream flavor launched in collaboration with Illumination's Minions.
Lesson: Don’t tell the market how cool you are. Let the people they admire show them.
If you've ever seen an Olipop ad, you know they don’t shy away from humor.
Think: tongue-in-cheek Instagram captions, relatable TikToks about bloating, and visuals that are equal parts vintage ad throwback and modern meme-core.
They took something no one wanted to talk about (digestive health) and made it... weirdly aspirational.
Lesson: Humor is a superpower — especially when your product lives in a category that’s usually boring or overlooked. Entertain first, educate after.
Olipop’s secret weapon? People love showing it off.
- Social Media Presence: Olipop has cultivated a strong following on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, with 347K followers on Instagram and 507.8K followers on TikTok , where fans share their favorite flavors and creative ways to enjoy the soda.Instagram
- Customer Engagement: Fans post Olipop “lineups” and taste-test videos, turning their fridges into curated displays of every flavor like it’s Pokémon.
- Community Feedback: The brand has built tight feedback loops with their fans — running limited flavor drops and then actually listening to what the community wants more of.
Lesson: Make your product shareable and give your community a say in where it goes next. Giving your audience this mic to co-create has endless space for creativity.
Olipop’s approach hasn’t just built a community; it’s driven impressive growth:
- Revenue Growth: The company is on track to hit about $500 million in sales this year, more than double the $200 million it generated in 2023.
- Market Presence: Olipop is sold in over 50,000 stores across the United States.
- Valuation: Following a $50 million Series C funding round, Olipop's valuation reached $1.85 billion.
Product Popularity: Olipop has become the top nonalcoholic beverage brand in the U.S., both by dollar sales and unit growth.
Olipop didn’t just rebrand soda. It redefined it — by blending nostalgia, health, and internet humor into a can that practically markets itself.
So next time you’re looking for inspiration on how to build community, create viral love, or turn a low-interest category into a cultural conversation, crack open an Olipop.
It’s bubbly, it’s gut-friendly, and most importantly — it’s brilliant marketing in disguise.
