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That's What I Call MarketingThe Marketing Podcast Author: Conor Byrne
Conor Byrne hosts That's What I Call Marketing meeting some of the most incredible marketing minds in our industry, CMO's, founders and marketing leaders from across the globe, this podcast tackles the big issues facing marketers today, as well as providing inspiration by hearing the incredible stories marketing leaders share of their journey to the top. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Marketing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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S5 Ep2: Building a New Category Around a 2,000-Year-Old Drink
Episode 2
Monday, 19 January, 2026
What happens when a radio comedian, a senior drinks marketer, and a 2,000-year-old Roman hydration recipe collide?In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate — a sugar-free, hypertonic hydration drink inspired by ancient Roman Posca.Posca isn’t a nostalgia play. It’s a sugar-free, hypertonic drink inspired by a Roman solution to unsafe water — rebuilt for modern life, modern habits, and modern expectations. That means confronting everything from flavour and formulation to packaging, positioning, and retail resistance.Along the way, Merrick and Ed unpack a set of ideas that matter far beyond drinks:Why liquid still matters more than marketing.Why category creation is harder than brand building.Why refusing “me-too” formats can slow growth — but protect belief.And why brands should aim for humour, not jokes.Merrick explains why jokes age quickly, but a sense of humour travels across audiences, occasions, and time and how that thinking shapes Posca’s tone, creative decisions, and internal culture. It’s not about being funny. It’s about not taking yourself seriously while taking the product seriously.They also discuss building brand in-house rather than outsourcing belief, measuring brand as a startup using Tracksuit, balancing mental and physical availability, and what it really takes to scale a challenger brand globally without losing the story that made it matter in the first place.This is a conversation about founders, flavour, brand discipline, and the uncomfortable decisions that come with doing something genuinely different.3:50 – From radio comedy to drinks founder5:50 – Why the liquid comes first7:50 – The Roman origin of Posca10:50 – Turning history into a brand story14:50 – Ancient wisdom meets modern science16:20 – Building brand from the inside out19:50 – Tone, humour, and taking the product seriously23:50 – Building a category, not fitting one29:50 – Brand vs physical availability32:50 – Measuring34:50 – Global expansion strategy38:50 – The hypertonic breakthrough moment44:50 – Risk and belief Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
