Build The Category, Not Just The Brand | with Marcus Pedersen | Bottom-Up Cut #009

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Marcus Pedersen builds the aquavit category internationally for Anora.

“We don’t go brand specific, we build the category,” says Marcus Pedersen.

00:00 Why does creating demand for a spirit require a completely different playbook than beer?

00:19 Why does rotation matter less in beer than it does in premium spirits?

02:08 Why does a niche category like Aquavit need to be sold before the brand can be?

03:58 Who is Aquavit actually competing against once it leaves the Nordics?

05:08 How is Aquavit’s traditional-to-modern journey the same one Italian Amaro already made?

06:53 How do you choose which bars to target when a whole category is still unknown?

07:59 Why does a bartender in Milan need Aquavit explained through gin and mezcal first?

10:07 Why do brands fail when they hand bartenders a top-down signature cocktail?

11:43 What is a “local business area,” and why build a city one bar at a time?