AI Summary
→ WHAT IT COVERS Denetrias Charlemagne explains how Avec Drinks sold 100,000 units in year one through earned media, strategic partnerships, and creative pandemic-era activations instead of paid advertising. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Launch strategy pivot:** When COVID eliminated festival marketing plans, Avec invested launch budget into building a premium website experience and strong branding rather than defaulting to Facebook ads. - **Earned media first:** Avec spent zero dollars on paid advertising for six to seven months, instead hiring a food and beverage PR specialist to generate press coverage that drove the entire first year business. - **Partnership scaling:** Avec acquires customers through strategic partnerships with complementary brands like clean beauty companies and nonalcoholic spirits, targeting audiences who care about clean ingredients across multiple product categories. → NOTABLE MOMENT Avec created a six feet apart bar installation during the pandemic, building custom tables that allowed socially distanced gatherings while generating buzz for their launch in New York. 💼 SPONSORS None detected 🏷️ DTC Launch Strategy, Earned Media Marketing, Beverage Industry