From Product to Brand
What Really Launches a Brand in FMCG
I. The Illusion of Launch
In fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), “launch” is one of the most misused terms. Founders, executives, and retailers often celebrate a product’s appearance on shelf as a finish line. In truth, it’s the starting gate. What we call a launch is often just a listing, a transaction, not yet a brand.
In a retail landscape defined by saturation, limited shelf space, and ever-shorter attention spans, turning a product into a brand requires more than PR buzz, influencer campaigns, or even great sales data. It requires strategy, belief, and consumer relevance at every stage.
This paper lays out what truly activates a food or beverage brand in today’s marketplace, not just getting listed, but earning relevance and trust at scale.
II. What We Mean by "Brand"
A brand is not your logo, tagline, or packaging design. A brand is a set of consistent signals, visual, verbal, behavioral that convey a promise and trigger an emotion or belief. In the modern FMCG context, a brand is a behavioral asset. It changes what people choose, how they feel, what they expect, and what they repeat. Without that, you’re just another option on a crowded shelf.
Example: Chobani didn’t invent Greek yogurt. But by combining a clear visual identity, cultural storytelling, and distribution execution, they created a brand category within a category and became synonymous with it.
Additional Example: Tony’s Chocolonely built its brand around the belief in fair trade chocolate, combining impactful storytelling with disruptive packaging and transparency in sourcing. This blend of purpose and design fueled rapid European market penetration.
III. The Strategic Preconditions of Brand Creation
Before launch, a brand must:
Anchor itself in a sharp belief system. (E.g., OLIPOP = digestive health + soda nostalgia)
Match product design to audience need.
Have the commercial infrastructure to scale what works.
Framework: Brand readiness is not a creative checklist. It is a strategic alignment between belief, consumer insight, product truth, and execution ability.
Additional Reference: Youngme Moon’s work at Harvard Business School emphasizes how true differentiation stems from deeply embedded brand beliefs, not just surface-level traits.
IV. Brands Are Built in Layers
There is no one moment where a product “becomes a brand.” It’s a layering process:
The shopper sees the pack and forms an impression.
The consumer tastes the product and forms a memory.
The community shares it and forms meaning.
Each of these steps requires precision. A misstep at any point can halt the transition from product to brand.
Example: Liquid Death’s packaging caught the eye, but it was the irreverent brand tone, digital consistency, and content strategy that built community and memory, turning canned water into a lifestyle brand.
Additional Example: RXBAR’s early growth was propelled by minimalist packaging that spoke directly to clean-eating consumers and a bold voice across Instagram and fitness communities. Their success came from aligning identity with value clarity.
V. What Truly Launches a Brand
Let’s be clear: retail placement does not equal brand presence. What really launches a brand is:
Message clarity: Instantly understandable value
Emotional relevance: A clear why, not just what
Repeat performance: Delight on the second use
Consistent voice: From packaging to social to trade
Brand creation is about memory. Your launch should be designed not for attention, but for recognition.
Tip: Create an MVP brand experience, one that can scale without being reinvented in every channel.
Case Reference: The rise of SmartSweets, a better-for-you candy brand, came from sharp messaging, strong retail velocity, and an unrelenting focus on sugar reduction benefits.
VI. The Role of Founders and Leadership in Brand Creation
In early-stage brands, the founder’s presence often plays a critical role in brand transmission. Their beliefs, tone, and energy often fill the gap between what’s written on the pack and what’s felt in the market. But that cannot scale indefinitely. The goal of strategic brand building is to institutionalize the founder’s conviction into systems, creative briefs, onboarding, sales decks, brand books.
Example: Ben & Jerry’s started with two founders, but the values became encoded in product naming, brand voice, and community actions.
Example: KIND Snacks, under founder Daniel Lubetzky, embedded social entrepreneurship into its operating model, allowing its brand mission to scale beyond the founder’s visibility.
VII. From Product to Brand Is a Shift in Intent
To launch a brand is to build an asset and not just a sales vehicle.
It’s the shift from:
Listing to lasting
Packaging to promise
Trial to trust
Every product is an offer. Every brand is a story. And the work of brand building, the real work, begins the moment your product hits the shelf.
References
Holt, D. (2004). How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding. Harvard Business Press.
Sharp, B. (2010). How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know. Oxford University Press.
Ritson, M. (2021). Mini MBA in Brand Management. Marketing Week.
Moon, Y. (2010). Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd. Crown Business.
Case studies: Chobani (Forbes), Liquid Death (Fast Company), Ben & Jerry’s (Harvard Business School), RXBAR (Inc), SmartSweets (Business Insider), Tony’s Chocolonely (Nielsen Base).
