Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Victoria Dickerson, and Claudia Scott sit down with Erin Campbell, co-founder of Gen Z Water. Erin joined the podcast last year after Gen Z Water won the People’s Choice Award at Startup Crawl 2022, and she’s back this week to share what she’s been up to since. Throughout the episode, Erin discusses the unique challenges of marketing water, how she found her ideal niche in the Gen Z market, and the benefits of taking risks as an entrepreneur.

Show Notes

(1:17) Introducing Erin Campbell and Her Origin Story

(6:47) Marketing Water

(12:39) Connecting with Gen Z Customers

(20:53) Leaning into Risk as a Startup

(26:28) Building to Sell

(31:10) What’s Erin up to Now?

(33:06) Advice to the Younger Self and Closing Thoughts

Links

Caleb Talley

Victoria Dickerson

Claudia Scott

Erin Campbell 

GEN Z Water 

Quotes

“With the insights and the data and the research that we did during the pandemic, it was incredibly clear that that fit, filthy-rich, famous brand imagery was a huge disconnect from the value system of the Gen Z generation, [and] much more inline with the aspirational millennial generation.” – Erin Campbell, (13:22) 

“It landed so well because I feel like we did it with such intention. There is a story, there is a reason, there is a strategy, there is a data point, there is an insight behind every decision that we made. So, to that risk point, they’re informed, and they’re educated risks. They’re not just careless; they’re very calculated, and we made sure that we had a reasonably data-informed argument that would justify that risk.” – Erin Campbell, (22:46)

“I don’t know if [my] younger self would have been ready to hear, ‘just take risks.’ I think she had to go through the whole process to get to where I am today.” – Erin Campbel, (34:29)

Marketing Water: How Gen Z Water Found Their Niche

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Victoria Dickerson, and Claudia Scott sit down with Erin Campbell, co-founder of Gen Z Water. Erin joined the podcast last year after Gen Z Water won the People’s Choice Award at Startup Crawl 2022, and she’s back this week to share what she’s been up to since. Throughout the episode, Erin discusses the unique challenges of marketing water, how she found her ideal niche in the Gen Z market, and the benefits of taking risks as an entrepreneur.

“I don’t know if [my] younger self would have been ready to hear, ‘just take risks.’ I think she had to go through the whole process to get to where I am today.” – Erin Campbel, (34:29)

Marketing to a Gen Z Audience

When Erin left her job and co-founded Gen Z Water, she knew she was in for a challenge. After all, how do you market water? In recent years, water companies have used consistent brand imagery to market to what Erin calls the three F’s: hyper-fit, super famous, and filthy rich. Through ad campaigns with athletes and celebrities, water brands have been appealing to an audience full of aspirational dreams.

“With the insights and the data and the research that we did during the pandemic, it was incredibly clear that that fit, filthy-rich, famous brand imagery was a huge disconnect from the value system of the Gen Z generation, [and] much more inline with the aspirational millennial generation.” – Erin Campbell, (13:22) 

Erin and her team spent the majority of the pandemic researching marketing trends and consumer data, and they found a niche their water brand could capitalize on—Generation Z. The modern marketing tactics were proving ineffective with the rising generation of young adults, and no one had stepped up to capitalize on the new market. By recreating the nostalgia of the 90s for a generation that barely—or never—experienced them, they quickly made their mark in the water market. 

“It landed so well because I feel like we did it with such intention. There is a story, there is a reason, there is a strategy, there is a data point, there is an insight behind every decision that we made. So, to that risk point, they’re informed, and they’re educated risks. They’re not just careless; they’re very calculated, and we made sure that we had a reasonably data-informed argument that would justify that risk.” – Erin Campbell, (22:46)

Because it was a young startup, Erin had the freedom to take calculated risks with Gen Z Water. While larger brands are forced to make safe decisions, startups have the opportunity to take informed risks that can catapult them to market success. 

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