How to Build a Category-Defining Consumer Brand in 2025: Part I

It's all about the form

As an operator in the consumer goods space, I keep a close eye on which brands are making a splash. These days, there’s always some new, flashy skincare name, celebrity-backed alcohol (alcohol-free as of late) venture, or a high protein option of an already-existing product that hits the market. These challenger brands typically launch with a paid media blitz, burning through funding on Meta and Google before considering what it takes to build a long-lasting brand.

One of the problems? Most of these brands offer little-to-no differentiation. The same product already exists on the market, however this time it has a different label. And a lot of times, it’s not even a well-crafted product to begin with!

Now, it’s not impossible to build a category-defining brand without offering a differentiated product. But it’s certainly not going to be easy, even if you have access to a large customer base for distribution from the jump.

Operating across 15+ brands in the CPG industry, I’ve learned that creating long-term brand equity is rather simple (but not easy).

Create a high-quality product.

A high-quality product will do the marketing for you. Your customers will talk about it, recommending the product to their friends and family (word-of-mouth, the cheapest form of organic marketing). Even better yet, your customers may keep coming back if they like your product (retention marketing). Whether it’s consistently buying the same product or testing out new products that you’ve launched, your customers are satisfied and here to stay for the long run. High lifetime value (LTV), low customer acquisition cost (CAC). That’s the name of the game.

But a high-quality product alone isn’t enough to define a category. To truly stand out, a brand must go beyond quality and introduce something new—a twist that reshapes how consumers engage with a product.

Create a high-quality, innovative product.

There are plenty of great consumer products across the consumer goods landscape. But a lot of times, they tend to be replicas of existing solutions. Do we really need another protein bar or serum?

I’ve noticed a recent trend in CPG brands that have hit escape velocity over the last few years: their core offering is deemed to be a quality product (analyzing reviews/ratings on DTC/Amazon), however what sets them apart from their competition is the form of which they offer their product. The innovation is redefining how we interact with the generic product today.

Check out two category-defining brands that have introduced a new, innovative way to consume their products.

Brand: Graza

Product: Olive Oil

The Form: Squeezable, refillable, plastic bottles

Olive oil is a common kitchen staple. Whether you’re a family of four or a restaurant chef, you’re likely going through olive oil on a regular basis.

Enter Graza: squeezable plastic bottles filled with quality olive oil. Gone are the days of accidentally pouring more olive oil than you had intended in a pan or dropping the glass (or flimsy plastic) bottle on the counter as it slipped out of your hands from last night’s sloppy pour. Graza offers a “sizzle” cooking olive oil, a “drizzle” finishing olive oil, and “frizzle” which is a recently launched high heat cooking oil. I’ve tried the former two and they’ve become a mainstay in my kitchen.

Graza started with a great product (high-quality Spanish olive oil) and innovated through product packaging (squeezable bottle). They aren’t just selling olive oil; they changed the way people interact with it in the kitchen.

Adding to the narrative, their brand aesthetic comes off as “approachable”. Their advertising creative focuses on simple, yet delicious-looking meals, making cooking more obtainable for the average person. No need to be intimidated by the thought of whipping up a tasty dish if you have Graza olive oil by your side.

Case in point, Graza redefined how olive oil is used. They solved the customer pain-points that incumbents hadn’t cleaned up and appealed to a wide audience (anyone who cooks or enjoys olive oil). I also love the frequent “triggers” aspect of Graza, as people interact with olive oil on a regular basis, but that can be the topic of another blog.

Brand: Create

Product: Creatine Monohydrate

The Form: Gummies

Creatine used to be super intimidating. Ten years ago, the only people you’d hear of using creatine were hardcore weightlifters looking to get even more massive than they already were. And it would come in powdered form, in these small plastic tubs with big scientific words on the label that I could barely pronounce. Niche supplement meant for an even more niche crowd. Not a category with a huge total addressable market (TAM).

Fast-forward the past few years. Creatine is now… approachable? And a product that can appeal to the masses? Is there a supplement that has had a better rebrand than creatine in this time span? The stigma has faded.

Create has been at the forefront of the creatine rebrand. They are a supplement brand offering a range of fruit-flavored creatine-infused gummies with colorful packaging. They’ve done an astute job educating the masses on why creatine should be a key component of anyone’s supplement routine (I’m not qualified to explain all the benefits; however, you can check out their primer here).

Create disrupted “how” creatine is consumed. Multivitamins are commonly consumed in gummy form, so why can’t any supplement arrive as a gummy? They created a better product design than what was available on the market and as a result, expanded the TAM.

Ironically, Create went full circle recently by launching creatine in powdered form. But they did so in their own innovative way: launching single-serve creatine “sticks”, a similar format as electrolyte packets, making the original product more convenient and approachable.

Author’s Note: I personally don’t take a creatine supplement, but I’ve started to seriously consider it to support my active lifestyle.

That’s all folks. You want to create the next category-defining consumer brand? Find a product that could be better used in a different form and go from there.

Tune in Friday for a feature on an early-stage brand that has the potential to be the next Graza or Create.