Launching a new product or brand takes work. Ask anyone who’s done it. It requires a blend of innovation, marketing understanding, and strategic execution. On the latest season of our podcast Dig In, we were lucky enough to talk to some key leaders in the industry who have all successfully navigated this landscape. Their experiences highlight key strategies and lessons that can be used as a guide for other businesses in their own product launches.

We spoke to three product leaders:

• Oksana Sobol, Sr. Director, Insights Lead, at the Clorox Company – diving into the launch and success of the Clorox Free & Clear product line
• Sarah Dibblee, Brand Team Lead, Zarbee’s, at Kenvue – discussing how to launch an established brand in a completely new market
• Lucienne Castillo, Sr. Director, Consumer Insights & Strategy, at the Pabst Brewing Company – discussing the re-launch of Not Your Father’s Hard Soda Pop

Through these leaders’ lived experiences, we can learn how some of the best brands navigate a launch.

Clorox: Synthesizing real-life and product innovation

When you go to any store that sells cleaning products, you can be sure to find Clorox on the shelves. It’s long been a brand that’s synonymous with trust and cleaning expertise. This reputation was further solidified during the pandemic when consumers relied on cleaning products (including Clorox), to safeguard their health. While all the cleaning habits from the pandemic may not have continued (who else disinfected their groceries?), it did change cleaning habits. According to a study based in the US in 2021, 69% of respondents were going to continue their increased disinfecting habits. As consumer expectations evolved, especially among young families, Clorox recognized the need to offer products that provide effective cleaning while being gentle enough for use around children, pets, and food contact surfaces. This led to the creation of the Clorox Free and Clear line, designed to meet these specific needs in the market.

“Clorox being so trusted means also evolving with people’s changing expectations. And so we know that now, especially for young families, that means offering cleaning power when you need it, while being gentle yet effective in situations when that is what’s important to them.” – Oksana Sobol

Key Strategies

One of the primary strategies behind Clorox’s success is real-world experience. Although it may seem too simple, you can learn about consumer behavior right at the point of purchase. Oksana Sobol, the insights lead at Clorox, was out at the grocery store one night and noticed a lack of natural and clean, disinfectant products. This direct observation, combined with further data analysis, revealed a gap in the cleaning aisle for products that offered gentle yet effective cleaning solutions.

“A very obvious yet I think surprisingly under-leveraged tool in market research these days and that is get out into the field. That is where the consumer is. That is where the retailer is. That is the real world with its power to surprise and inspire. And tools are a proxy to that at best. There’s no substitute to being out there.” – Oksana Sobol

Clorox leveraged its existing brand trust to introduce the new Free and Clear line as a natural extension of their product range. Maintaining the brand’s reputation for reliability, this strategy ensured consumers felt confident in the effectiveness and safety of the new products.

Lessons Learned

The synthesis of insights from real-world immersion, consumer data, and instinct proved to be a powerful formula for Clorox. This holistic approach allowed the company to identify unmet needs and inspire innovative solutions. Furthermore, Clorox’s commitment to evolving with consumer expectations underscored the importance of decision-centric innovation that maintains the consumers’ trust and relevance of the brand.

“What gave us confidence was hearing ‘I trust Clorox to offer me a product like that. I want a product like that from Clorox as something that can tackle anything from greasy food spills to stinky playroom messes while being powered by plant-based ingredients and formulated without dyes bleaches ammonia’.” – Oksana Sobol

Kenvue: Launching a new brand in Canada

Kenvue, formerly part of Johnson & Johnson, acquired the Zarbee’s brand with ambitious plans to expand it into Canada. Zarbee’s is a children’s medicine brand with the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Cough Syrup Brand in the U.S. For Babies & Children 12 & Under. Sarah Dibblee, the brand team lead for Zarbee’s in Canada, was tasked with adapting and introducing this familiar U.S. brand to a new market, a challenge that required careful strategy and execution.

Key Strategies

Kenvue’s approach to launching Zarbee’s in Canada was rooted in thorough market research and a deep understanding of the new consumer base. Through their qualitative and quantitative research, they learned that some of the existing creatives from North America didn’t resonate with the Canadian market due to their lack of brand awareness. By leveraging their brand equity in the US, they created a completely new creative campaign, called for the love of all that they can be.

“We know that a cough or a sore throat can really get in the way of a child and the potential that they have. And so our creative approach really allows us to speak to that. It is a differentiated way to speaking to the category that we haven’t seen competitors do. And it also allowed us to introduce the new brand with a relevant story to things that parents were going through at the time.” – Sarah Dibblee

A comprehensive 360-degree integrated communications plan was central to their strategy. This plan focused heavily on digital platforms such as connected TV, social media, and lower funnel placements to build brand awareness and differentiation. Zarbee’s has distinct brand imagery that is focused on the color yellow, bees, a bee trail, and the logo. The use of these distinctive brand assets and colors helped to create a strong, memorable brand identity in the Canadian market.

The most important part of their launch strategy was to make it meaningful for consumers.

“Through partnering with influencers and health care providers and generating an authentic recommendation among family and friends really meant that consumers would hear about this Zarbee’s brand and be intrigued.” – Sarah Dibblee

From an easy-to-find perspective, they partnered with key grocery, drug, and mass market retailers that were tailored to each account. This included really unique in-store displays and floor stands, couponing programs, and unique out-of-aisle activations.

“By activating out-of-aisle, this allowed us to build relevance for the consumer in other places as well as just generate awareness in places that you wouldn’t necessarily think of a cough cold brand.” – Sarah Dibblee

Lessons Learned

Tailoring strategies to fit the unique characteristics of new markets is essential for success. Kenvue’s experience demonstrated the value of a cohesive marketing and retail strategy that combines strong campaigns with effective in-store executions. Their ability to adapt and pivot based on consumer feedback and market conditions was crucial in overcoming challenges and achieving their goals.

Pabst: Resurrecting their Hard Soda

Beyond beer. It’s where consumers are and where many alcoholic ready-to-drink (RTD) brands are heading. This created the perfect opportunity for Pabst to revive their brand, Not Your Father’s Hard Soda Pop. They decided to blend nostalgia with modern innovation to create a durable product that resonates with today’s consumers. The challenge was to balance the brand’s already rich heritage with contemporary consumer preferences to create a product that stands out in the market.

Key Strategies

Not Your Father’s Hard Root Beer had originally launched nationally in 2015 and was the number-one-selling item. In 2024, Pabst decided it was time to reinvigorate the brand and re-launch a new hard soda. They leveraged the emotional connection and nostalgia associated with the brand while incorporating modern elements to appeal to a broad consumer base.

“When we started testing the concept, we didn’t know if it was going to be under the Not Your Father’s brand. You know, we wanted to confirm that that was still the right brand to bring this product back in with. And through a lot of research and work, we found the solutions which really drove us to Not Your Father’s Hard Soda Pop.” – Lucienne Castillo

Through quality product and innovation testing, combined with consumer research, Pabst was able to create a product that consumers really wanted.

“We did true ideation with consumers. We checked to see which flavors people wanted to see, what were the true drivers of purchase that would interest somebody in a hard soda? Were people into hard soda? We wanted to validate that as well. So it’s a lot of asking the why behind to help validate some of our assumptions but also helped pivot the trajectory of the concept.” – Lucienne Castillo

Marketing and branding efforts played a significant role in the resurrection of Pabst’s hard soda. By creating a compelling narrative that highlighted the brand’s history and values, Pabst was able to connect with both new and loyal customers on an emotional level.

“So we also want to drive a connection with consumers and have a little bit of consumer empathy. ‘I love that flavor or that reminds me of when I was young’, nostalgia definitely played a part, but I would say it was more so making sure that we had the right flavors that brought both excitement but also would drive repeat purchases.” – Lucienne Castillo

They also leveraged in-home usage testing, creating a beverage product that consumers could reach for and drink over and over was important for ensuring a sustainable innovation. By not just sampling three-ounce pours, they could see if the consumers enjoyed drinking more than one can.

Lessons Learned

Pabst’s experience underscored the importance of learning from their past brand launches and balancing nostalgia with innovation to create their latest RTD. Through engagement with consumers and ensuring they were making a quality product that would be bought multiple times, they were able to create a powerful brand appeal that attracted diverse consumer segments. Building a strong brand story and engaging with consumers on an emotional level proved to be effective in enhancing consumer loyalty and driving success.

What does this mean?

The experiences shared by Clorox, Kenvue, and Pabst highlight essential strategies for successfully launching new products and brands. These companies demonstrated the importance of deeply understanding consumer needs, leveraging existing brand trust, and adapting to market-specific dynamics. By immersing themselves in real-world observations and combining them with data-driven insights, they crafted products that resonated with their target audiences. Their success was further bolstered by cohesive marketing strategies and strong retail partnerships, which ensured visibility and accessibility in competitive markets.

At the heart of these product and brand launches is a commitment to decision-centric innovation. Whether it’s Clorox’s approach to evolving with consumer expectations, Kenvue’s tailored marketing for a new market, or Pabst’s blend of nostalgia with contemporary tastes, each brand focuses on creating meaningful connections with their customers that are able to drive action. These stories illustrate that while the challenges of product launches are many, a clear understanding of the market and a strong, authentic brand narrative can lead to significant success and lasting consumer loyalty.