Case Study · 05 of 6
Beverage · Spirits · Premium build

PANDAN Rum

PANDAN is a founder-led premium spirits build in a category dominated by legacy houses with eight-figure marketing lines. The brief: translate a genuinely differentiated product into a defensible, distribution-ready brand without spending like the incumbents.

Fractional CMO · Brand strategy
Role
Fractional CMO
Category
Premium spirits
Status
In-market
Challenge§ 01

What was actually broken.

A founder-led premium spirits play needed to translate a strong product into a defensible, distribution-ready brand — without the budget of a category incumbent.

  • / 01

    Strong product, but no clear position against the legacy rum shelf.

  • / 02

    Distribution conversations required a real brand system — not a deck of moodboards.

  • / 03

    Founder budget, founder timeline, no in-house marketing function.

What I did§ 02

The approach, step by step.

/ 01

Fractional CMO seat

Stepped into the CMO role directly. Owned the marketing line end-to-end instead of handing back recommendations.

/ 02

Positioning + identity in one motion

Tied price tier, category claim, and visual identity together so the brand reads coherent on shelf, on bar, and on socials.

/ 03

GTM operating plan

Channel mix across on-premise, off-premise, DTC, and tasting-room — sequenced and budgeted for a founder-stage P&L.

/ 04

Distribution-ready package

Built the materials, story, and proof points distributors actually need before they pour resources behind a new label.

Outcome§ 03

What changed.

Brand system shipped. Live commercial program with a clear position and price-tier — ready for tasting room, on-premise, and DTC channels.

Result · 01

Full brand system shipped.

Result · 02

Live commercial program with a clear position and price tier.

Result · 03

Ready and selling across tasting room, on-premise, and DTC.

Scope of work
  • Brand positioning & price-tier strategy
  • Identity direction
  • GTM operating plan
  • On-premise / off-premise / DTC channel strategy
  • Distributor-facing brand package
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