Why 95% of This Brand's Marketing Budget Goes to In-Person Events | Meredith Mills-Merritt of The Original Southside

Episode notes

In this episode, Ally sits down with Meredith Mills-Merritt, founder and CEO of The Original Southside, a premium ready-to-drink gin cocktail inspired by her mom's summer recipe that has grown into 20+ markets, landed on shelves at Whole Foods and Total Wine, and seen shipments grow more than 370% in its second year. Meredith brings a background in prestige beauty brand management that shaped everything about how she built Southside, from putting a full ingredient list on her cans (a rarity in alcohol) to investing in in-person demo and event marketing over digital spend. She opens up about navigating the alcohol industry's notoriously complex three-tier distribution system, how landing early partnerships with the Stanley Cup - winning Florida Panthers and LSU Athletics accelerated the brand's growth, and what she'd tell any aspiring founder sitting on an idea in their notes app right now. Key Takeaways: // 95% of the marketing budget goes to in-person, IRL events, and it's working. Demos, tastings, and events where consumers are already in a consumption mindset are where Southside wins the most efficiently.

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