Two different mistakes to avoid, and the second is the costly one.

@behindthebusinessshow

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Promoted product

Poppihttps://drinkpoppi.com/ ↗

Why it worked

The video leverages a high-stakes 'failure' narrative ($17 million mistake) to capture attention, providing genuine business insights that make the brand story compelling rather than purely promotional.

Summary

Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth discusses the strategic decision to use expensive sleeved packaging to build brand recognition in the early days. She explains how this choice eventually cost the company $17 million before they were able to transition to more cost-effective printing methods.

Structure

1Host introduces the topic of packaging mistakes
2Founder explains the rationale behind early branding choices
3Founder reveals the $17 million cost of the packaging strategy
4Founder explains the technical difference between sleeved and printed cans
5Founder offers advice for startups regarding packaging

Product placement

Poppi is the subject of the interview, with the founder discussing the company's branding and packaging history.

On-screen text

Original caption

"It ended up costing us about $17 million that year." There’s something refreshing about hearing founders talk candidly about the decisions they got wrong— and what they learned from them. In this episode, Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth opens up about the packaging choice that helped build Poppi’s brand, which also became one of its costliest mistakes. Stream the full conversation — links in bio . . . #startup #branding #marketing #retail #femalefounder

More from @behindthebusinessshow

More breakout videos from this creator.

POPPI CO-FOUNDER ON THE PACKAGING MISTAKE THAT COST IT $17 MILLION BEHIND THE BUSINESS Michelle Toh Journalist | Host, Behind The Business Allison Ellsworth Poppi co-founder FOLLOW BEHIND THE BUSINESS WATCH/LISTEN BEHIND THE BUSINESS with Michelle Toh

Transcript

You were maniacal about the branding and packaging to the point where I think it was even like the trays in the supermarkets, is that right? Yeah, but I think it was not just me. It was me, but of the four of us, like we all four felt that way. And so it was down to the sleeve of the can. Is it pop off the shelf? We don't want brown trays, they have to be color trays and all those things cost more. We didn't want shrink and tray over a beauty box. Beauty boxes are way more expensive. That was because we were investing in brand building at the beginning and those were the things that the consumer was connecting with was those like high-end brand building activities that over time you could scale back. But at one point, we stayed in sleeved cans too long and it ended up costing us about $17 million that year. So the year we switched, we ended up saving $17 million. We did scale during COVID, take that into account as well. And for those who don't know, what are sleeved cans? If you see like a regular can, it's printed, you can't actually take the label off. A sleeved can is like almost this film that goes over it and it's suctioned to it and you can actually remove it and recycle it and do all of that good stuff. But most businesses can't go directly to printed cans. Now there's digitally printed cans and you can get like a pallet of it. They've made it a little bit easier, but most people have to start with sleeved cans if you're at a startup level.