Build The Category, Not Just The Brand | with Marcus Pedersen | Bottom-Up Cut #009

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis! Marcus Pedersen builds the aquavit category internationally for Anora. “We don’t go brand specific, we build the category,” says Marcus Pedersen. 00:00 Why does creating demand for a spirit require a completely different playbook than beer? 00:19 Why does rotation matter less in beer than it does in premium spirits? 02:08 Why does a niche category like Aquavit need to be sold before the brand can be? 03:58 Who is Aquavit actually competing against once it leaves the Nordics? 05:08 How is Aquavit’s traditional-to-modern journey the same one Italian Amaro already made? 06:53 How do you choose which bars to target when a whole category is still unknown? 07:59 Why does a bartender in Milan need Aquavit explained through gin and mezcal first? 10:07 Why do brands fail when they hand bartenders a top-down signature cocktail? 11:43 What is a “local business area,” and why build a city one bar at a time? 12:30 Why does on-trade matter differently in a dark market versus an open one? 15:27 Why has Chris Maffeo abandoned “target consumer” in favor of “target occasion”? 16:24 Why are Swedish students now doing low-ABV shots instead of full-strength ones? Find all episodes featuring Marcus Pedersen at themaffeodrinkspodcast.com. Bottom up. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom. Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section. You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.