818 Tequila’s Kathleen Braine on Building a Lifestyle Brand with a Celebrity Founder

Summary

Summary of BRAVE COMMERCE Episode 818: 818 Tequila’s Kathleen Brain on Building a Lifestyle Brand with a Celebrity Founder

Podcast Information:

• Title: BRAVE COMMERCE
• Host/Author: Adweek
• Description: MikMak Founder & CEO Rachel Tipograph and Profitero’s President Sarah Hofstadter explore what’s relevant in eCommerce today for the world’s biggest brands. Each episode shares tips worth millions in sales and features interviews with the bravest marketers navigating the latest consumer and retailer dynamics.
• Episode: 818 – Tequila’s Kathleen Brain on Building a Lifestyle Brand with a Celebrity Founder
• Release Date: May 29, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 818 of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tippograph and Sarah Hofstadter welcome Kathleen Brain, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of 818 Tequila, to discuss the intricacies of building a lifestyle brand in collaboration with a celebrity founder, Kendall Jenner. The conversation delves into brand vision, digital commerce strategies, marketing partnerships, and insights into engaging Gen Z consumers.

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Founding and Vision of 818 Tequila

Kathleen Brain begins by outlining the origin of 818 Tequila, emphasizing Kendall Jenner's passion for tequila and her desire to create a brand that resonates with the next generation of drinkers.

Kathleen Brain ([06:20]): "Kendall founded 818 Tequila because she had a love for tequila and wanted to create something for the next generation of tequila drinkers. She wanted to showcase the beauty of tequila as a versatile liquid, not just for shots or margaritas."

Brain highlights Kendall's vision to redefine tequila consumption by presenting it as a sophisticated spirit suitable for sipping neat or in a variety of innovative cocktails, thereby challenging existing stereotypes.

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Collaborating with a Celebrity Founder

The discussion moves to the dynamics of working closely with a celebrity like Kendall Jenner, who plays an integral role in shaping the brand's identity and direction.

Kathleen Brain ([10:31]): "Kendall is the visionary, she is the leader. She is involved in everything from soup to nuts and has been since the beginning. She has a special love for brand and for visual brand identity."

Brain emphasizes the importance of Kendall's hands-on involvement in every aspect of the brand, ensuring authenticity and alignment with the target audience's values and aesthetics. This partnership fosters a strong, cohesive brand identity that resonates deeply with consumers.

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Digital Commerce and Distribution Strategy

Kathleen Brain discusses the shift towards digital commerce, especially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how 818 Tequila adapted to meet the needs of digitally native consumers.

Kathleen Brain ([17:05]): "Our consumer is very online and that they're very digitally native, so we knew it was important to put the emphasis on eCommerce. We partnered with platforms like MikMak, Instacart, and DoorDash to navigate compliance laws while reaching our audience effectively."

Brain explains the complexities of selling alcohol directly to consumers in the U.S. due to regulatory restrictions. By collaborating with intermediaries, 818 Tequila ensures compliance while providing convenient purchasing options for their customers.

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Marketing and Brand Building

The conversation delves into the importance of aesthetic and emotional brand identity in engaging Gen Z consumers. Brain draws parallels with successful millennial brands, emphasizing the necessity of deliberate consumption.

Kathleen Brain ([14:27]): "Brands that are succeeding have leaned into creating touchpoints that communicate a brand visually in a way that older brands didn't. It's about the aesthetic, the visual brand identity, and how that ties into brand storytelling."

Brain highlights the shift from performance-driven marketing to a more creative and emotionally engaging approach. This strategy aligns with Gen Z's preference for brands that offer meaningful and visually appealing experiences.

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Strategic Partnerships: NASCAR Sponsorship

Kathleen Brain elaborates on 818 Tequila's strategic decision to sponsor a NASCAR driver, Tony, and how this partnership aligns with the brand's values and marketing objectives.

Kathleen Brain ([21:20]): "One overlap was being a woman in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated. Our team is female-forward, and Kendall shares that trait. Additionally, the design aesthetics between our brand and NASCAR, especially the 90s and 2000s ephemera nod, created a natural synergy."

Brain explains that sponsoring Tony not only aligns with their brand identity but also helps in reaching a broader and younger audience. Tony's influence as a social media content creator further amplifies the brand's reach and engagement.

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Embracing Lifestyle Branding

818 Tequila positions itself as a lifestyle brand rather than just a product brand, focusing on world-building and community engagement to create a strong, relatable presence in the market.

Kathleen Brain ([24:15]): "We think about creating a lifestyle brand and not just a product brand. We've done it deliberately with an eye to creative world-building and community building."

This approach allows 818 Tequila to differentiate itself in the competitive alcohol market by fostering a loyal community and offering experiences that resonate with their target demographic.

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Insights on Gen Z Consumers

Brain shares valuable insights into Gen Z consumers, emphasizing their preference for deliberate and versatile consumption. This generation seeks products that add value and meaning to their lifestyles.

Kathleen Brain ([08:41]): "Gen Z and the 21+ generation are looking for things that feel beautiful and bring a good vibe to their lives. It's about deliberate consumption, making choices that make you feel good in the moment."

This mindset drives 818 Tequila to create versatile products and engaging marketing campaigns that cater to the sophisticated tastes and values of younger consumers.

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Conclusion and Future Initiatives

In closing, Kathleen Brain reflects on the success factors behind 818 Tequila, attributing it to the team's agility, the brand's clear vision, and the strong partnership between strategy and creativity.

Kathleen Brain ([24:15]): "We've been able to make decisions quickly and impact change rapidly because we're a small, nimble team. This agility is crucial in an industry that's often segmented and slow-moving."

Looking ahead, 818 Tequila plans to continue leveraging digital partnerships and innovative marketing strategies to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading lifestyle brand in the tequila market.

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Notable Quotes

1. Kathleen Brain ([06:20]): "Kendall founded 818 Tequila because she had a love for tequila and wanted to create something for the next generation of tequila drinkers. She wanted to showcase the beauty of tequila as a versatile liquid, not just for shots or margaritas."

2. Kathleen Brain ([10:31]): "Kendall is the visionary, she is the leader. She is involved in everything from soup to nuts and has been since the beginning. She has a special love for brand and for visual brand identity."

3. Kathleen Brain ([14:27]): "Brands that are succeeding have leaned into creating touchpoints that communicate a brand visually in a way that older brands didn't. It's about the aesthetic, the visual brand identity, and how that ties into brand storytelling."

4. Kathleen Brain ([17:05]): "Our consumer is very online and that they're very digitally native, so we knew it was important to put the emphasis on eCommerce. We partnered with platforms like MikMak, Instacart, and DoorDash to navigate compliance laws while reaching our audience effectively."

5. Kathleen Brain ([24:15]): "We've been able to make decisions quickly and impact change rapidly because we're a small, nimble team. This agility is crucial in an industry that's often segmented and slow-moving."

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Episode 818, highlighting key discussions on brand vision, collaboration with a celebrity founder, digital commerce strategies, marketing partnerships, and insights into Gen Z consumer behavior. Notable quotes with timestamps provide valuable takeaways, ensuring the summary is both engaging and informative for those who haven't listened to the episode.

Transcript

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[Kathleen Brain]

I always had a creative bent, right? Like I've always loved creative. I was a creative writing major in college, all of that. But I kind of had honed my skill set at a company that was very focused on the performance of an asset versus sort of the implication or the sense memory of an asset? Kendall really like shifted my thinking because when I came in we were working together on the brand. She had a very strong vision and a very strong and a very strong visual brand identity already developed and a very strong emotional brand that she had already built. So she knew very intrinsically from the beginning what her generation would resonate with. I love working with a founder who really appreciates the importance of brand. That has been the case since the beginning.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Welcome to today's episode of Brave Commerce.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I'm Rachel Tippograph, the founder and CEO of Micmac.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I'm Sarah Hofstadter, president of Profitero, and.

[Rachel Tippograph]

This is a show that talks about what's relevant in E commerce for the world's biggest brand. Sarah, have you ever built a brand with a celebrity? Like a celebrity that has a large stake in the business.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yeah.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Brave commerce. Shut up. I'm sorry. Like that was such a softball. It's almost like you planted it. But I know that you didn't because you don't see yourself as that. Except every time I'm with you, like a million people come over to you all the time. You're almost like a Jenner.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Oh, I wish. But my bank account doesn't say that. But the answer is no, you haven't.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I'm trying to think if I have. Most of the brands that I've worked with, the focus has been more on the brand than it has been on the celebrity. Like you're talking about like a celebrity that represents the brand. Not like a George Clooney Nespresso situation.

[Rachel Tippograph]

No. But like a George Clooney Casamingo situation.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Yeah. So I've done George Clooney Nespresso, not George Clooney Casamigos.

[Kathleen Brain]

Okay. No.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I always find it interesting that when I meet CMOs or even CEOs who are paired with a celebrity who's very involved in the business, I always wonder about that dynamic because typically the CEO or the CMO owns that long term company vision, that brand vision. And when you have a celebrity in the room, I imagine you're defaulting to them.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Yeah, I watched from a distance. I never worked on the brand or anything like that. But looking at Jessica Alba and the Honest company and you kind of feel like it's like one in the same or one of the Paltrow and Goop. You kind of feel like it's one of the same, but it's almost like that brand Persona turns into a product versus a brand Persona, says there's an opportunity in the market. And I think if I put my stamp on it, it will make it that much more relatable.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Yeah. It's just such a fascinating dynamic because it could either go terribly well or terribly wrong. And I think a great example is someone that I have the privilege of working closely with, which is 818tequila, which is founded by Kendall Jenner. And Kendall is very involved in the.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Brand, having a really strong voice in what it does do and what it doesn't do is remarkable. And the level of effort that she puts into it and the level of care that she puts into it, you might think, well then like, what does her marketing team do if she's so all over it? But gosh, it really takes a tremendous partner to bring that creativity to life and marry it to ultimate business outcomes.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Yeah. And so we're going to bring Kathleen brain, who's the CMO of 818 tequila, onto the show. And she works extremely closely with Jenner and you'll really hear about their healthy partnership and how she takes Jenner's vision and brings it to life every single day across multiple channels, creative and commerce. And I think that's also the most interesting thing is to hear how they approach brand building and also how they approach their commercial relationships with their retail partners. It really speaks to this 360 relationship, not just between the two of them, but throughout the entire business.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

If anything, they are a fantastic example of what it means to walk a mile in your consumer shoes.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Well, on that note, let's bring Kathleen onto the show today. We are super excited to have Kathleen Brain, the CMO at 818tequila on the show. Kathleen, we're so excited to get into this brand because some might know it really well and others might be new to it.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yeah. Hi. I'm so excited to be here.

[Rachel Tippograph]

So 818tequila, there is like a, a big story behind it with a big, well known person. So how did the brand get started and, and really what was the insight on why it should exist in the world?

[Kathleen Brain]

Yeah, so I actually started with 818 about two weeks after they launched. So the founding story is obviously much more Kendall's and, and the founding teams, but Kendall Jenner founded 818 Tequila. It launched in 2021, but she had been working on it for many years prior, just sort of perfecting the liquid, perfecting the storytelling. And she founded it because she had a love for tequila and also because she wanted to create something kind of for the next generation of tequila drinkers. So I am a huge George Clooney fan. So I'm not saying this in any sort of way, but like, I am in my late 30s and I was watching ER when I was 10. So I think looking for the next generation to have a celebrity that was founding a tequila was sort of what she was thinking. You know, there are a lot of celebrity founders, but they were all in their 40s, 50s, 60s, so what could she do to sort of bring something to her generation of drinkers and to kind of showcase the beauty of tequila as a liquid? So tequila for some of us, you know, again, destroying my age, but for some of us in the older millennial generation was often thought of as for shots for just margaritas and shots. There were, there were literally songs about tequila that just said, shots, shots, shots, everybody. So that was a, a myth that she wanted to also burst, which was that Tequila wasn't a versatile liquid. So showcasing the beauty of it, that it can be sipped neat, that it can be drank in many different cocktails other than a margarita. And just really showcasing that to the next generation of tequila drinkers was the.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Impetus, I would say, as the prior generation. So I'll show my age. My husband's 50th birthday is next week and I'm like, okay, now I know what we're giving the bartender to serve.

[Kathleen Brain]

It was interesting too, because I was raised when I was 21 plus on Patron, right. So that was our tequila. Every popular song of my era would shout out patron. So it did really feel like there was an opening for a new tequila for that next generation of 21/consumer. And that's what we've really been able to create with Kendall's vision.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I love the white space here as you think about where consumption is heading with younger consumers. You know, there's different interests in just drinking alcohol in general and the fact that you're making something that's very approachable. How have you seen that change the way taste preferences are coming about and the interest in drinking tequila as a category and how you guys are playing a forward facing role on that?

[Kathleen Brain]

Absolutely. It's funny, I get this question every time I do an interview. Our CEO Mike Novy gets this question every time Kendall gets this question.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Wait, so you're saying I'm an original?

[Kathleen Brain]

I'm not saying saying you're an original. I'm saying it's all right, it's all right.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

New generation.

[Kathleen Brain]

It's the very top of the zeitgeist. Like people are talking about this. And we believe very strongly that our ethos as a brand is very aligned to this world of deliberate consumption, especially emphasizing again, that versatility of tequila. So we, every year we do, in the summer we do our Shake up the Classics campaign, which is shaking up the classics, making classic cocktails with tequila in a way that you wouldn't necessarily think about doing. So an old Fashioned with a reposado, a paper plane with an anejo, a negroni with a blanco, really exploring the beauty of the tequila liquid and how you can create different things with it than you might expect. And I think that that ethos of deliberate consumption is very aligned there. It's, you know, thinking about what you're drinking, really drinking something that's going to make you feel good in that moment and make you happy, that you want to put time and effort into, versus kind of just drinking for the sake of drinking. Right. And that is very aligned, I think, to the 21 + Gen Z consumers thinking on that matter. And that's what we're seeing in the data too. It's not that people are full stop stopping drinking, although some are. But it's a lot more of this sober curiosity where instead of just drinking a ton of one thing just again, for the sake of drinking it, it's, oh, you know, maybe I'll have a fun old fashioned with reposado and then I'll switch to a non alcoholic beer and then I'll switch back and I'll have like a fun matcha margarita with blanco. You know, really like exploring and thinking of it as more of a versatility play than just drinking for the sake of it.

[Rachel Tippograph]

And so you joined the brand early on in its inception and you're working with a globally recognized person.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes.

[Rachel Tippograph]

As the cmo, where does the partnership start, stop and finish? With someone who probably has like a really big vision of what they want.

[Kathleen Brain]

This brand to be. Kendall is the visionary, she is the leader. She is involved in everything from soup to nuts and has been since the beginning. I love working with a founder who really appreciates the importance of brand. That has been the case since the beginning. She has taught me so much. I came from my background before 818. I was at AB for a while, manager bush, but then before that I was at Samsung. That was like the big chunk of my career where I kind of had my formative career years. You know, went from manager to director. And at Samsung we were very speeds and feeds. We were very focused on brass tax marketing. I was specifically running digital marketing. So it was very performance driven. And I always had a creative bent. Right. Like, I've always loved creative. I was a creative writing major in college, all of that. But I kind of had honed my skill set at a company that was very focused on the performance of an asset versus sort of the implication or the sense memory of an asset. And Kendall really like shifted my thinking because when I came in, we were working together on the brand. She had a very strong vision and a very strong aesthetic and a very strong visual brand identity already developed and a very strong emotional brand that she had already built. So she knew very intrinsically from the beginning what her generation would resonate with. And we talk about branding all the time. Like she sees every single Instagram post that we put out. She sees every single visual piece of creative. We just did our 818 outpost activation and she saw again, like from mood board to concept sketches to actual sketches she's been involved in the process and we love her. I don't know, it's like I can't even say it without being a nerd. Like we just love her. It's such a blessing to have a founder that cares so much about a brand and that understands it. And I think a lot of times people don't have that type of a founder and they get a founder that cares a ton about supply chain or whatever else and she cares about all of that. But she has a special love for brand and for visual brand identity. And I think you can see that in 818. Through every touch point that we create.

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Kathleen Brain]

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[Sarah Hofstadter]

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[Rachel Tippograph]

And so what has been like the most surprising insight that you've learned from her? From like a marketing standpoint I think.

[Kathleen Brain]

Gen Z and for us obviously 21 + Gen Z. They are looking for things that feel beautiful and that feel like they odd beauty and for lack of A better word, a good vibe to their life. And I think the brands that you see succeeding right now have really leaned into creating touch points that feel like they communicate a brand visually in a way that older brands didn't have to. It actually kind of reminds me, but it's a different aesthetic. Right. It reminds me of my original era as an elder millennial, of the, you know, the Sweet Greens, the press Juicery, the Warby Parker, the soul cycle, the glossier. Like that era of branding where there was a very specific, like, millennial brand look and feel. I feel like we have a similar cohort of brands that has been developed over the past couple of years for this younger generation that really prioritizes the aesthetic, the visual brand identity, how that communicates emotion, and how that ties to the brand storytelling. And that was stuff that I did not have at the forefront of my mind coming into this brand. And I come from Anheuser Busch, so they're very. They're very into branding as well. But it was a lot more about strategy and trade and all those things that are incredibly important in alcohol. But yet Kendall's vision really is what this brand has become, and so it would be nothing without what she brought to the table to begin with.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

You're also undercrediting yourself, so I'm sorry.

[Kathleen Brain]

Oh, I'm. I'm not at all. My team is wonderful. It's myself, and it is our executive creative director, Jenny Brown, who I have to shout out because none of this would be possible without her as well. I always say, like, when she came from Anheuser Busch to join me over at 818, she worked with me at Anheuser Busch on a couple brands there. When she joined us, it really felt like we came into our own as a brand because it was myself from the strategic and leadership side, you know, Kendall with the vision, and then Jenny from a creative executional standpoint and just amazing creative genius, truly like soup to nuts. So I think we've created a really beautiful team, and we've been able to bring Kendall's vision to life across a myriad of different fun worlds and touch points and placements.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

With that, let's pivot over to the other C. We've got creativity and. But there's also commerce.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

And balancing creativity and commerce. That's one of the worlds we need to play in today. And especially knowing that you've launched a brand in 2021, so you're not beholden to the crap of the past.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

And joined, I guess, at the high of the COVID spike of E comm. Penn, how do you think about that? You and McMac are deep partners. You obviously have social commerce at the front of your head. But how do you guys think about your approach to distribution and showing up from a digital commerce perspective?

[Kathleen Brain]

It's so interesting coming from Anheuser Busch, where I was at Anheuser Busch at the onset of the pandemic, obviously alcohol with commerce and you know, I gave you my background, I came from Samsung. So we were selling stuff direct to consumer, but we were also selling through other channels like Best Buy and our carriers and things like that. But alcohol traditionally obviously did not have a major E commerce bent because of the fact that it is not direct to consumer. Specifically spirits obviously are not sold direct to consumer. There's some very rare occasions, but federally are not allowed to be sold dtc. So with COVID I remember being in Anheuser Busch and suddenly being pulled into a lot of meetings because I had this digital background that at the time was more valuable. All of a sudden it was like, oh, actually let's talk about E commerce in a different way. Let's talk about from a pure play standpoint, from a marketplace standpoint, how are we going to show up digitally in a way that we can sell directly to our consumer? Obviously through some sort of intermediary, be it a Mic Mac or if it's a like an Instacart or Uber Eats, something like that. So all of that was very, very important and very, very prioritized at the beginning of the pandemic when I was at AB and then when I came to 818, we immediately realized, I think also that when you're talking to a younger consumer, be it like a 21, 25, 27, 35 year old, you're getting a consumer that's more digitally native as well. So we also knew it was very important for us to put the emphasis on E commerce. So we have great success both with our partnership with Mic Mac which is an amazing tool for specifically alcohol. I don't know if you guys, if your whole founding story is at all based on alcohol, but it's like a perfect fit for alcohol. I don't know if that. Thank you, but no.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I started in beauty and then eventually made my way to alcohol.

[Kathleen Brain]

Okay. It is the use case for it for alcohol is a perfect fit because you can't. For those that don't know, in the alcohol industry you can't sell direct to consumer. So 818 can't sell tequila from ourselves on our website, we can sell through an intermediary like a reserve bar or a GoPuff or what have you, but we can't sell on our own. And then we also can't. You can't technically direct to just one account. If you're running an ad, you can't have that run just to Target or just to Walmart due to compliance laws in the US So we have to have a sort of a site that lets you say, okay, when what Make Mac does so well is you click our ad and it'll tell you, oh, there's actually, you know, there's three accounts near you that are selling 818 that you can buy from online. And it lets you see, you know, what the. And it actually tells you like, oh, this is close by. Or also, you know, you can. The timing that will take to deliver. So it lets you have that option and that optionality as a consumer while still being compliant with all of the respective laws and regulations and restrictions around alcohol. So it's really, really perfect. And that's something that we prioritize a lot at 818 because we know that our consumer is very online and that they're very digitally native and they're looking for ways to shop commerce online and that they're also looking for ways to do it in app. So we work really closely with our partners at like an Instacart or a Doordash and Uber Eats to also do native advertising with them because we know that our consumers are using those apps and frequenting Those apps and GoPuff as well, using those to. To be purchasing their, their alcohol.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Just so the listeners know, that question was not planted.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

It was my question.

[Kathleen Brain]

And it's funny because when I was at ab, there were a couple of different software partners, tech stack vendors, like kind of percolating around and circling around this problem. And there's. There are other people that have a solution, but we've chosen mcmac and we really like it. So I'm just giving a little testimonial here live. But that is the truth. So it seems like a big angle.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Is obviously growing the brand digitally first. I noticed that recently you sponsored a NASCAR driver.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes, we did.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Would love to understand the broader strategy on how you're building awareness, how you decided to even invest in nascar, maybe even versus the wnba.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yeah, a lot of things. First of all, I'm a massive WNBA fan. I live in Brooklyn. I live very close to Barclays center, actually. Just my husband as a gift from my friends. He did like A favor for my girlfriends for Mother's Day. And I. And he, they got him tickets to the Liberty game because we love the Liberty. So we are very excited. Reigning champs. No big deal. But yeah. So I think with Tony, who's our NASCAR driver that we now sponsor, there was a Venn diagram that made a ton of sense. One is a. With our brand and with our founder, a couple things that were overlaps were being a woman in an industry that is traditionally male dominated. So alcohol is traditionally more dominated by men. So is nascar. So both Kendall and Tony shared that. Also our team is fairly female forward at 818. And because of our founder and just because of the brand that we've created and that that also makes a ton of sense with the NASCAR storytelling for Tony. In addition, Kendall is a massive fan of cars. And actually in a lot of our marketing for 818 over the years, we've had cars as kind of iconography and sort of traditional NASCAR iconography that we've used as sort of like a 90s 2000s ephemera nod. I'm speaking to it. Jenny Brown, my creative director, does an amazing job at speaking to this and this is her word, so I'm quoting her here, but we do sort of like a 90s 2000s non design style sometimes for 818. If you look at like our original launch work, it's very like my husband has a shirt from his dad from 2001 that like looks like a design style that we have for 818. And that is something that NASCAR also leans heavily into traditionally. And then I think has had a resurgence with the consumers these days because of that design style. So there's a lot of design esthetic crossover as well. And then of course, you know, we are looking to reach new consumers in that age range. And NASCAR has a very broad audience, but has had a resurgence with a younger consumer recently as well. So how do we reach a broader consumer base with an overlap? That makes sense. Toni is also in her own right, a community and social media juggernaut as well. So that made sense too. You know, she's not just a NASCAR driver, although she's a great NASCAR driver. She's also a social media content creator and influencer. So that also made a lot of sense for us when looking for a partner.

[Rachel Tippograph]

And how are you going to measure the success of that type of partnership? Like, do you look retail sales? Like, what are the metrics?

[Kathleen Brain]

And that's the other piece of it. NASCAR also shows up in a lot of markets that we are growing into specifically like Nashville, Right. So we're having our 818 race where the car will be fully branded 818 in Nashville in a couple of weeks, end of May. And that is a big growth city for us. We were just there with Kendall in March. We did her college spring break tour with her and her friend Harry. We stopped by Nashville. So Nashville is a big growth city. So there's a lot of that as well. And we will look at, you know, things like we're doing an activation around that race in the end of May in Nashville. So we'll look at sales, we'll look at displays, we'll look at things like that. And then we also look at social results, we look at engagement on our posts as well as overall social following growth, things like that, to sort of see how it's growing our audience base.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I love it. I love the way you guys are really zagging in a category that thinks they're zagging, but often is held back by either the past or just held back by presumed norms. There's something about the team that you and Kendall have assembled that is doing it different, but being mindful of the consumer, the category and culture around you. What do you think? Is there a secret to your success beyond your people?

[Kathleen Brain]

I think we are looking at alcohol differently, to your point. I think we look at the category and think about creating a lifestyle brand and not just a product brand. And there are other alcohol brands that are doing this, but I think we've done it very specifically, very deliberately, with an eye to creative, with an eye to world building and with an eye to community building. And that has been very helpful and successful for us. So I also think it's really hard to zag when you're a big ship and we're lucky to be a small ship. That has been very, very helpful and we've been able to make decisions very quickly and impact change very quickly. Even in an industry that is incredibly by design segmented, there's a three tier system. So you're literally, you have your supplier, your distributor, your accounts. You have a full segment that you have to go through to kind of impact change across the board. But we've been able to do it because we have a small, nimble team and we're a company that is moving at a speed that is maybe harder for the bigger companies.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Well, Kathleen, we would love to continue to pick your brain about brand building, but we gotta ask you our famous last question, which is.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes.

[Rachel Tippograph]

What's the bravest thing you've ever done.

[Kathleen Brain]

I feel like this is maybe what a lot of people say, but I don't know. But I had my daughter about 20 months ago and that was definitely the bravest thing I've done. Taking some time out of the workforce. I've been like pretty much grinding nonstop, so even just going on maternity leave felt incredibly vulnerable and I was really lucky to have a company that really supported that and let me have that time. And yeah, just being a working mom in general is very difficult, as I'm sure those that are working moms know on this call. But yeah, so that's definitely the bravest thing that I've done. I'm sure your daughter is proud of.

[Rachel Tippograph]

You and we're excited to see what happens at Nashville in a few weeks.

[Kathleen Brain]

Yes. Yeah. Check us out on Social at Drink818. You can follow along.

[Rachel Tippograph]

If you like what you heard. Tell a friend, write a Review, share on LinkedIn and if you want to dive deeper into more episodes where we explore this relationship between celebrity and executive operating executive, go check out an episode we did live with Tia Mowry, who is from the television show Sister Sister with her CEO Karima. Or go check out an episode we did with the CEO of Versed, major skincare brand with Carey Sullivan with a celebrity business partner as well. Thanks for listening.

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[Sarah Hofstadter]

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[Jackie Cooper]

Hi, I'm Jackie Cooper, Global Chief Brand Officer at Edelman and the host of Touch of Truth, a new podcast launching on the Adweek Podcast Network. My dad gave me this incredibly smart piece of advice. Meet everyone once. As a result, I've met some of the most fascinating and inspiring people on the planet. Now on Touch of Truth, we're coming centre stage and sharing the mic to experience stories of truth, insights and visions for the future that will challenge your way of thinking. Touch of Truth is available wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes come out every Tuesday. I do hope to see you there.