Latest / The Marketing Brief / Marcel and Brian Explore the Founder's Journey and Drawing Inspiration from Culture (S1 E27)
Transcript
- Brian Aucoin: to the marketing brief. I am your host, Brian Acquan, and this is the podcast where we briefly touch on topics across the marketing landscape. As always, we're joined by an industry expert and we're really excited to be joined by Marcel Dios today. Marcel, thank you for joining us and welcome into the pod. Marcel Dios: Thank you. Thank you for having me, Brian. It's fun to just have a conversation. Brian Aucoin: you are an entertainment guy turned CPG entrepreneur. So how do you introduce and how do you how would you introduce yourself to listeners of the podcast? Marcel Dios: Well, I mean, I think the best way, and I've been wrestling with this like idea of how to introduce my background, but the best that I've come up with is that I am a life learner. I'm an eternal life learner. I love to just be in the moment and learn about not being afraid of learning new things. And I think that's... I don't know why it's just part of my ethos, but it's something that I've even wrestled with over the years because I do come from entertainment, but I've touched on different sex of entertainment and then coming into CPG was very organic in the way that it happened and almost at a time of need. that I guess, yeah, that's just the best way to say it is I'm I'm here to learn. and surf. Brian Aucoin: Well, I love that I consider myself a life learner too. I think the rate of change we're going through in terms of technology, in terms of how consumers are interacting with businesses and services, I think it's a good place to be. So you have a product now that's out, it is out, right? Cooley Purple, this is what it's called. Marcel Dios: Yeah. Well, we were it's fully purple up but yes, it is the same same notion. Yes, we're actually going through a Tiny evolution of the brand which is if it's gonna happen but it's this is like the time for it to happen and Brian Aucoin: purple corn, which is unique to Peru and you assume a Peruvian and you bring the Peruvian culture through there. Can you tell us just kind of how Peru affects this product and how you kind of bring that culture forward? Marcel Dios: Yeah, I am. Yeah. mean, so Peru is one of these places on earth that happens to have a very wide and diverse culinary experience. I always open up with this fun fact. Peru was ruled by a Japanese man as a president of Peru for many years. And It, because of that, I Peruvians tend to be a little bit more open to the fusion of other cultures and, um, but also finding the roots and what was started by the Incas, you know, in, the, the 12, 13, 1400s. Um, and then what happened when the Spanish Inquisition came knocking on our door and then we were. and kind of forced to, redesign a lot of our culinary experience. So, and, and purple corn, like this is another fun fact that most people don't know about Peru and it's sort of natural habitat and what it can offer us as a, you know, what the earth can offer us is, the potato is a very predominant Peruvian crop. In fact, the potato doesn't exist or didn't exist at the time anywhere other than Peru. Quinoa is another super grain that hails from Peru. Very widely used in the Incan Empire. Both of those. Tomato. So there's just a lot of, a lot of blessings that we've received from, from Brian Aucoin: Mm-mm. Marcel Dios: just the land and also the ability of the Incas to cultivate the land and treat it well. it's, it's very, it's, it's almost it's God, you know, they, the Incas, their main God is Inti, which is the sun God. So the sun is essentially their God and they know that they need the sun to grow and, and just flourish. So, Brian Aucoin: huh. Marcel Dios: Many, many years later, my mom and my grandma would meet on my dad's side, my grandmother on my dad's side. And they had always a sort of a ballad in the kitchen. They were always trading ideas and, that's too much salt. No, you're crazy. That's you need more salt. Or, no, this is too much onions or this too much garlic. Or, no, you don't. So there's always a a beautiful sort of dance between them and the chicha morada, which is the quintessential drink that is made and has been made by the Incas and other Peruvians for many years thereafter. I grew up drinking it differently than most Peruvians know it because my grandparents, my mom and my grandmother did something different to the process. And yeah, right. Brian Aucoin: some modifications. Marcel Dios: But you know, it's a very simple brew to make. mean, you take the corn and you put it in water and you boil it and then you put all kinds of spices and pineapple skin and apple skin if you want, some lime juice, cinnamon and all this stuff that goes in it. And out comes this amazing, highly natural antioxidant drink that Most people have not had, know, I would say a giant portion of the world has not experienced this yet. So, and we don't really position, I mean, it wasn't like, this is a functional drink. No, for us, it was just a matter of fact. was just, it was our Coke. It was, you know, Pepsi, not the drug, but it was our Coca-Cola. It was our Pepsi. Brian Aucoin: Yeah, I would imagine. Consumed all through the day or at any Marcel Dios: that was easy. Brian Aucoin: any time in the day. Yeah Marcel Dios: Yeah, I mean, I think most people, because in Peru they have, you know, almuerzo, which is the lunch. But almuerzo is really heavy. you're talking about a big plate and, and yeah, you would make it for, for the, you know, the lunch or the, on the weekend. If it was really hot, you would make chicha morada and it quenched your thirst successfully. Yeah. And then sugar. Brian Aucoin: Nice. Marcel Dios: to their own liking. Of course, in my household, sugar is abused. But I, no, mean, all jokes aside, it's just one of those unique tasting experiences that you're not gonna understand until you have it. Brian Aucoin: Yeah. So then how do you go from bringing that as a CPG product, right? And finding your market. How do you, how do you find people that it appeals to? Like, I guess I'm most interested in the marketing aspect of how you're bringing it to the U S. Marcel Dios: Yeah, I mean, education, as you know, is expensive, we are, for me at least, you know, the trajectory of landing a successful product, and I used to do this a lot in music, it often begins way before anything that you're doing. It starts really with these sort of organic relationships where you're talking about something and then... next thing you know, now you've accomplished one conversation and you may go out tomorrow and maybe you'll be inspired to ask a Mexican restaurant, hey, do you know Chicha? And then what? No, I don't know. And a lot of Mexicans don't know Chicha Morada, but, and they're like, no, what is it? Oh, it's this thing in Peru. Oh, Peru, oh yeah, maybe there's a Peruvian. And so there's this symbiotic connection to these sort of organic moments where you really build. the education around something like this. But for us, beyond that, you now that we've launched and our product is in hand and in stores, really just demos and on ongoing, you know, we look at the first even six pallets as our marketing dollars at work. not, you know, we have zero expectation of ever making any. So we're just burning through money to prove that this can work. And, and the only way that it's going to work is if I have a sort of a platform to pass out our drink, which is, you know, right now we're, our offices are based at a industrious and industrious has all kinds of different locations throughout the country. And, I sent an email out and I said, Hey guys, I know that you carry coke and diet coke and Sprite, but, do you mind taking some product from us? And they said, yes. And, next thing you know, I'm, supplying most of the Southern California, industrious offices or, and self-delivering too. And that's the other grind. It's like, you gotta, you know, I'm stuffing my SUV full of coolies and I'm driving around town. Brian Aucoin: Yeah. Marcel Dios: All I really need now is if my lease if I didn't have a lease I would probably do this sooner, but even just like a magnet Just yeah, you know what? think I'm gonna put a magnet on my car just whenever I'm out delivering stuff because you kind of have to you know It's it's you know free marketing boom like make people know that you're here so yeah, yeah education is exactly education is just Brian Aucoin: Absolutely. You're traveling billboard for sure. Marcel Dios: the marketing, part of it is, tricky too, because I mean, look, I, you know, that when the big agencies get together and they're like, okay, well, let's say in the case of like Apple, how are we going to market this thing? You know, then you've got super amazing artistical minds coming into play. Like Ridley Scott, think directed the first Apple commercial. Brian Aucoin: 1984. Marcel Dios: and yeah, and so, I mean, wow, right. What a, what a way to crack that open. But, but to get to that point internally, there were probably countless of evolutions, but I think what's probably the most constant is what are you offering that other people are not? Why would a stranger stop and say, Brian Aucoin: announcer's note. Yeah. Marcel Dios: Sure, tell me about Cooley. so another fun fact is Cooley is a catch-all word for purple. Yeah, so if go down to Peru and you want to flex your Quechua and you say Cuyi, which is because of the two L's, it's pronounced with the Y, Cuyi. And they'll be like, okay, Cuyi what? Cuyi corn, Cuyi corn, Cuyi corn, I'm looking for the Cuyi corn, please. Yeah, but that, yeah, that even right down to that, I wish people knew what... Brian Aucoin: Queen. Now, I'm out of words. Yeah, that's awesome. Marcel Dios: So then I could be like, just Kuli. But the Kuli by itself is unfortunately, it sounds like a fun word, but it's more than that, right? There's a foundation to that. And so that's the other part of the education and onward and upward. Brian Aucoin: Yeah. Would you, you mentioned Mexican restaurants. Is that a place that you've seen some traction? Like what audiences are kind of responding? Marcel Dios: No, right now. mean, I just use that as a as an example. no, I mean, we're we're we're happy to I mean, I think Mexican restaurants would love our product, but you know, they also do their own internal like when you go to a restaurant, you're having a Apache, for instance, or you're having more authentic Mexican drinks and they all make it in house. So they don't they don't mess around with all this stuff. But but yeah, I mean, right now we're at Lassence and Brian Aucoin: example. Marcel Dios: getting ready to demo our product and just put liquid on lips as much as possible so that people can be like, I like this. mean, here at Industrious, wish VCs could base the success of Cooly based on what's happening here in Industrious because they're running out. It's just like... Please, BCs, me some, give me five million dollar runways so can prove this to you on a national level. But that's what's happening. It's such a new drink. Very exciting. Yeah. Brian Aucoin: That's awesome. Well, that's all very exciting. Something I always ask my guests is what you're excited about. So obviously this is an exciting time for you. Is there anything else that you're kind of looking forward to either in your personal life or as you continue this journey? Marcel Dios: Yeah, you know, I kind of Not because of where we are in a emotional and, and, know, we'll just say emotional climate. I've always been somebody that has been very, very lucky and blessed to have people teach me and lead me to learn and improve from what I do. And I wouldn't be here if it weren't for those people. I also would not be here. If it weren't for other brands that helped along the way. I hope I can pay it forward one day to an aspiring CPG founder that wants to introduce something interesting to the world. cause yeah, I, I, that's, think getting, getting to know the community for me is one of the best experiences in this, obviously growing the brand is probably. top reason, right, of excitement. beyond that is meeting people like you, meeting people like my previous conversation, meeting other brands. You know, the brand actually, I hope she doesn't kill me for saying this, but the brand that I was going to invest was a company called Laurel's Coffee. It's a half caffeinated coffee company. And I love that. I was like, wow, I I don't drink, caffeinated coffee anymore because my body's like, no, you're done with that. But have caffeinated. Sure. I could do that. And it was through that knowledge. And even after I told her, this is probably one the most difficult things I've ever had to do, cause I don't like like people down, but I had to tell her, you know, I'm so sorry. I got to do this other thing. And you would think that she would just like slam her door and quit. Should have, but she didn't. And was very graceful and willing to share contacts and help me steer in that right direction. The boys from Leisure Hydration as well. I I called, called them one day and was like, Hey, I love you. I've been a fan of Leisure Hydration at this point for like maybe a year, almost a year. Brian Aucoin: Awesome. Marcel Dios: I was like, this is an interesting product. What, you know, what can you tell me about this? And, they brought me into their offices and they shared so much knowledge. Steve and Alex are very, you know, yeah, just everybody, everybody that I've met. And I hope again, I get to one day pay it forward. Brian Aucoin: That's great. Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty sure you play no small part in this, know, identifying yourself as a life learner. I think when you can be confident in who you are and what you want, like the universe really does kind of cater to that. So I'm sure you've played no part, no small part in bringing these people together. How can people find Cooley? How can they find people? You know, I've got a lot of friends in Los Angeles, but how can people find the drink? Marcel Dios: I'll be standing on the corner of Westwood and Wilshire wearing a, wearing a llama suit. And I'll just be passing those out. yeah. Well, I, I, I tried to get some of our like early campaign work and I found a farm that could actually do this, but it's so expensive at the beginning stages to pull something off like that. I mean, you're talking like, like five brand just to get a llama and Brian Aucoin: At what time? Well, I must say, good marketing. Marcel Dios: Then I had to pay an extra fee to bring it into the space that I wanted to, blah, blah. But to answer your question, they can find us on our website. Right now we are fulfilling orders through our DTC. And we are also at Lassence all throughout Southern California. Wherever there is a Lassence, that's where we'll be. We will be launching at Bristol Farms beginning of June. Brian Aucoin: Namaste. That's exciting. Marcel Dios: all Bristol Forums will have our product and, Erawan, hello. Brian Aucoin: Yeah, get on this, Arwan. Yeah. Marcel Dios: Our website is drink, drink, coolly.com. all it is. Yeah. that comes yet. Yep. K U L L I. And there is two case in there just to make sure it's not a fancy way to merge the two words together. There's two case. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, Brian, this is great. Thank you so much for having me. I I'd love to stay connected and Brian Aucoin: Drinkcoolie.com K-U-L-L-I, all right. still need the K from drink. Yes. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Marcel. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. We will. Well, you've been a joy to have on the marketing brief podcast. I'm your host Brian Aucoin and stay curious everyone. Marcel Dios: Learn more about your mission. Thank you.