Originally published November 16, 2020. Updated June 17, 2026.
TikTok is treated as a direct-response channel and underused as a brand-building surface. The Stanley Quencher case alone — sales went from $73 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023 driven principally by TikTok-led brand consideration — proves the brand-equity thesis. Liquid Death's $1.4 billion valuation, Poppi's $1.95 billion acquisition by PepsiCo in 2025, and the broader beverage-category disruption all relied on TikTok as a multi-year brand-building investment, not a quarterly performance channel.
The brand-equity case
The frameworks from Mark Ritson, Byron Sharp, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute apply to TikTok the same way they apply to television, print, and out-of-home. Mental availability — the ease with which a brand comes to mind in a buying situation — is built through sustained, broad-reach, distinctive creative over time. TikTok produces all three inputs at lower cost than any other consumer media channel.
Mental availability. A consumer who has seen Stanley, Liquid Death, Poppi, or Olipop on TikTok 30 times across 18 months has the brand cached in long-term memory. The next grocery-store purchase decision benefits from that cache.
Broad reach. The For You Page is the broadest organic reach mechanism in consumer media. A single viral piece can produce 50M+ impressions across two days. Sustained presence produces sustained reach at a CPM far below television and YouTube.
Distinctive creative. Mascot accounts, sound-design discipline, and the platform's native creative aesthetic produce brand-distinctive content that consumers recognize. Liquid Death's tall black can, Stanley's pastel-color drop cadence, and Poppi's branded-soda visual identity all benefit from TikTok's distinctiveness reward.
The named winners
Stanley Quencher. The 1913-founded Stanley brand built the Quencher tumbler into a cultural object through Terence Reilly's marketing leadership starting in 2020. Sales went from $73 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023. The mechanism was sustained TikTok demand against limited-edition color drops, validated by the November 2023 car-fire incident response — a brand-equity event, not a sales-channel event.
Liquid Death. Mike Cessario built the brand on TikTok and YouTube content investment before broad retail distribution. The brand-equity foundation supported the 2024 $1.4 billion valuation round and sustained DTC growth. The investment thesis was always brand, not direct response.
Poppi. Allison Ellsworth and Stephen Ellsworth built Poppi through TikTok content, the 2018 Shark Tank appearance, and sustained creator partnerships. PepsiCo acquired the brand for a reported $1.95 billion in March 2025. The acquisition multiple reflected brand equity, not sales velocity alone.
Olipop. The challenger to Poppi, founded by Ben Goodwin and David Lester in 2017. Sustained TikTok and Instagram content investment supported the 2024 $1.85 billion valuation round.
Chamberlain Coffee. Emma Chamberlain's coffee brand built equity through her own platform presence and sustained brand-content investment. The brand has outperformed competing creator-led beverage launches.
The counter-case: DR-only collapses
The brands that treated TikTok as a pure DR channel without parallel brand investment have not produced the same outcomes.
Allbirds. The 2021 IPO peak gave way to sustained sales decline. The TikTok presence was DR-skewed and never produced the cultural traction the brand needed for category leadership against new entrants.
Casper. The 2020 IPO and 2021 take-private was a DTC cautionary tale. TikTok investment was minimal and DR-oriented; the brand-equity foundation never built.
The pattern. Brands using TikTok exclusively for performance acquisition produce predictable but capped LTV outcomes. Brands using TikTok for sustained brand-building plus performance produce category-defining outcomes — Stanley, Liquid Death, Poppi.
The CMO discipline
Three operational commitments separate the brand-building TikTok operators from the DR-only operators.
Multi-year planning horizons, not quarterly campaign cycles. Stanley's Quencher rebuild took 4 years from 2019 to peak 2023. Liquid Death's brand foundation took 5+ years.
Creative budget allocated to distinctiveness, not just to creative production volume. The brands win on memorable creative, not on impression count.
Brand-tracking measurement — unaided awareness, mental availability, consideration — alongside DR measurement. Without brand-tracking, the CMO cannot prove the brand-equity case to the CFO.
The numbers
- $73 million → $750 million — Stanley sales 2019–2023.
- $1.4 billion — Liquid Death 2024 valuation.
- $1.95 billion — Poppi acquisition by PepsiCo, March 2025.
- $1.85 billion — Olipop 2024 valuation.
- 4 years — Stanley Quencher brand-build cycle to peak.
- 50M+ — viral-cycle impressions a single piece can produce in 48 hours.
FAQ
How much did Stanley sales grow during the TikTok-led brand build?
From $73 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023 — roughly 10x in four years, driven principally by sustained TikTok consumer demand.
What was the Poppi acquisition price?
PepsiCo acquired Poppi for a reported $1.95 billion in March 2025.
Can TikTok build long-term brand equity?
Yes. The Stanley, Liquid Death, Poppi, Olipop, and Chamberlain Coffee cases all demonstrate sustained brand-equity outcomes from multi-year TikTok investment.
Which brands failed using TikTok as a DR-only channel?
Allbirds and Casper both treated TikTok as performance acquisition without parallel brand investment and underperformed against category competitors.
What brand-equity frameworks apply to TikTok?
Mark Ritson, Byron Sharp, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute frameworks on mental availability, broad reach, and distinctive creative all apply directly to the platform's mechanics.
