Liquid I.V. Hires Former Poppi CMO Jenny Danzi to Lead Brand

Jenny Danzi, the marketer who led Poppi until PepsiCo bought the soda brand for close to $2 billion, has joined Liquid I.V. as chief marketing officer. The Unilever-owned hydration brand announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post.

Danzi spent more than 17 years at PepsiCo. She led integrated brand, creative, culture and media teams at Poppi, the better-for-you soda brand, and before that served as head of brand marketing for trademark Pepsi. She announced her departure from PepsiCo earlier this month.

Why does this hire matter for Liquid I.V.?

Liquid I.V. credited Danzi with a track record of tapping consumer interests and using brands to shape culture. The quote from the LinkedIn post signals exactly what the brand wants from her tenure.

"As Liquid I.V. continues to grow and push the boundaries of what a hydration brand can be, Jenny brings exactly the kind of consumer obsession, cultural instinct and creative ambition we believe can help take us there," the post reads.

The appointment puts a cultural-marketing specialist over a brand fighting on two fronts. Unilever is expanding Liquid I.V.'s international presence while the brand contends with rising private-label competitors. Product innovation and partnerships in sports and music anchor its strategy to reach Gen Z and millennial consumers (the demographic cohorts born after 1981).

What was Danzi's record at PepsiCo?

Danzi leaves PepsiCo as the company struggles in beverages. PepsiCo reported North American beverage volumes down 2% year over year in Q3. The results disappointed analysts and pushed CEO Ramon Laguarta to place fresh emphasis on turning around soft drinks.

Her Poppi chapter ended differently. PepsiCo acquired the functional soda brand for close to $2 billion last year, capping a run in which Danzi built its integrated marketing operation across brand, creative, culture and media.

How active has Liquid I.V. been in marketing?

The brand has run two high-profile plays this year. It partnered with the box office hit "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." It also launched a campaign around McLaren Racing to tap Formula 1's popularity.

The campaign, called "Thirst For More," features McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It promotes a sugar-free variant of Liquid I.V.'s Hydration Multiplier, the core product line of powdered hydration packets mixed into drinks.

What do Unilever's numbers say about the stakes?

Unilever's Q3 results, released Wednesday, frame the pressure on the wellbeing unit. The company posted underlying sales growth of 5.2% and volume growth of 2.9% overall.

The beauty and wellbeing segment that houses Liquid I.V. grew underlying sales 5.7% in Q3. But growth came largely from beauty. Wellbeing declined and is down 1% year-to-date.

Liquid I.V., acquired by Unilever in 2020, is now the largest brand in the company's health and wellbeing portfolio. That makes Danzi's mandate clear: restore momentum to a portfolio laggard while holding off private-label pressure at home and building the brand abroad.