OLIPOP’s Steven Vigilante on meeting your audience where they consume content
Steven Vigilante, Director of Strategic Partnerships at OLIPOP, discovered something that changed how challenger brands compete: when your audience lives on YouTube, that's where your media strategy lives too.
The prebiotic soda brand scaled from 40 stores in LA and SF to 65,000+ retail locations nationwide by treating creators like media infrastructure rather than celebrity endorsements. While legacy soda brands spend millions reaching broad audiences through traditional channels, Vigilante says OLIPOP built partnerships that reach their exact demographic where they actually consume content.
"YouTube is the new TV, 45% of YouTube is watched on the big screen now, not on the small screen. If you want to be relevant with the next generation of soda drinkers, or the youth of America, that's where you have to be."
Their strategy works because OLIPOP knows their customer: younger consumers who choose YouTube over cable, creators over commercials, and authentic content over polished advertising.
Key Takeaways:
- Speed > budget: Quick moves create bigger wins than big spending
- YouTube = TV for Gen Z: 45% of viewing happens on big screens now
- Creator partnerships scale: Treat influencers like distribution channels, not talent
The audience behavior-led media strategy
OLIPOP's media philosophy starts with a simple principle: meet your audience where they already consume content. For younger soda drinkers, that means YouTube, TikTok, and creator-driven platforms rather than traditional television.
This demographic insight drives every media decision. Instead of trying to reach everyone through broad channels, OLIPOP focuses resources on platforms where their core customers actively engage.
"We are always trying to be in a piece of content that someone is electing to watch, as opposed to interrupting content that someone is electing to watch," Vigilante adds.
The data supports this focus. YouTube creators consistently deliver better engagement than traditional advertising for OLIPOP's demographic. Food and beverage companies using creator-driven content see 12x higher engagement rates compared to brand-generated content.
Traditional measurement often misses this value by comparing surface-level CPMs without factoring in attention quality.
"We're paying them a fraction of what you'd pay to buy that same amount of eyeballs on a linear TV ad,” he explains. “Mind you, 85% of TV ads fail to get to the “attention threshold” so your implied CPM is 5 or 6 times higher than what you get quoted."
Building speed into structure
OLIPOP gains an upper hand from organizational design that enables rapid cultural participation.
When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got engaged, the brand had related content in market within minutes.
This speed stems from structural decisions:
"Our team moves at a fast pace, and we often use real-time tools like group chats, voice notes, and quick calls to streamline collaboration."
The company built internal processes around velocity rather than consensus. Direct communication channels between decision-makers and content teams enable same-day cultural responses instead of weeks-long approval cycles.
"We have a group chat with our social team, and we're always yapping about stuff," Vigilante adds, describing how real-time communication creates opportunity windows that competitors miss.
Campaign optimization happens based on cultural feedback rather than predetermined quarterly plans. "We can do something in a month that could potentially take a large, legacy brand 6 to 12 months, and even things as small as testing new UGC platforms," he points out, noting how structural agility enables continuous optimization.
Five principles that reimagine big budgets
OLIPOP’s principles work because they flip traditional media thinking on its head. Instead of trying to match legacy brands dollar for dollar, challenger brands can outmaneuver them through speed and authentic relationships. The window for this approach is closing as more brands catch on.
- Focus on engaged attention over total reach
Authentic creator content generates active engagement from audiences who choose to follow that creator. This self-selected attention delivers higher conversion rates than interruption-based advertising that reaches passive viewers. - Treat creators like distribution channels
YouTube creators function as production studios that deliver integrated content at television-quality levels. "You can get a full 30-60 second or 90-second integration, where people are actually paying attention to it, and you're getting the endorsement from the creator." - Master your response time hierarchy
Identify which cultural moments, platform trends, and creator opportunities your brand can respond to faster than competitors. Build organizational structure around speed rather than consensus. - Treat speed as media infrastructure
Internal decision-making processes determine external campaign capabilities more than budget size. Optimize for velocity in legal, creative approval, and budget allocation systems. - Build relationship-first partnerships
Start creator relationships through organic product sampling rather than transactional campaigns. "We’d rather pay a real customer than an influencer all day, every day,” Vigilante adds. “Maybe they don't have the reach, but they might have a ton of influence at their PTA program at their kid's elementary school."
The next wave of media buying will prioritize authentic relationships over broad reach.
Legacy brands will adapt to creator-first strategies once they see the efficiency gains, but early movers gain relationship advantages that compound over time.
FAQs
Q: How do we measure creator partnership ROI compared to traditional media?
A: Factor in attention quality when comparing CPMs. Traditional media often has high ignore rates, making real costs significantly higher than quoted rates. Creator content reaches people who actively choose to engage, delivering better attention quality at lower true costs.
Q: What changes help teams respond to culture faster?
A: Speed up approval with dedicated in-house legal help, let decision-makers talk directly to creators, and build flat team structures. OLIPOP's group chat system with social teams and executives enables same-day cultural participation instead of weeks-long approval cycles.
Q: How do we find the right creators for long-term partnerships?
A: Start by gifting products and watch for organic posts. Creators who share your brand without payment show real interest and audience fit. Organic engagement signals stronger partnership potential than follower count or engagement rates alone.