When Your Brand Stops Being Yours: Redefining Your Serve & Occasion After 15 Years | Mark Ward, Founder of Regal Rogue | 128

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!This episode sits on one hard truth: the minute you launch, the brand stops being yours. Mark Ward founded Regal Rogue and has spent fifteen years watching venues and drinkers redefine his vermouth’s serve and occasion, from a keg spritz that started in an Australian bar to a Negroni twist a Brighton restaurant will not let him change.The conversation covers the pilot-not-dictator model of brand ownership, the “invisible reputation” that has to stand up when you are not in the room, why bottom-up market observation beats top-down playbooks, what it means to win your home turf, and the surprisingly radical idea of scrapping every product but one.It is a fifteen-year founder’s account of following the market instead of fighting it.Timestamps:00:06 The Bottom-Up Mentality in Business00:42 Consumer Feedback and Brand Adaptation01:25 Innovative Serving Ideas02:23 Challenges in the Vermouth Market04:41 Brand Stories and Market Strategies17:07 The Importance of Home Market Presence22:21 Finding the Right Channel and Occasion28:30 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 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.