Liquid I.V. Hires Poppi’s Jenny Danzi as Chief Marketing Officer

By Daniel Okafor

Liquid I.V. hired Jenny Danzi as chief marketing officer after more than 17 years at PepsiCo, which acquired Poppi for close to $2 billion last year.

The Unilever-owned hydration company said in a LinkedIn post that Danzi joins its leadership team. Liquid I.V. highlighted her experience tapping consumer interests and using brands to shape culture.

Liquid I.V. said in its LinkedIn post: “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.”

At Poppi, the better-for-you soda brand, Danzi led integrated brand, creative, culture and media teams. Before her stint at PepsiCo’s functional beverages arm, she served as head of brand marketing for Pepsi. She announced her departure from PepsiCo earlier this month.

The strategic fit

Liquid I.V. is expanding its international presence while contending with rising private-label competition. Product innovation and partnerships in sports and music sit at the center of its strategy for reaching Gen Z and millennial consumers.

The mechanism behind the appointment is direct. Danzi’s Poppi role covered brand, creative, culture and media, matching the capabilities Liquid I.V. says it needs for international expansion and its push toward Gen Z and millennial consumers.

PepsiCo’s beverage volumes declined 2% year over year in the key North American market in Q3. The result disappointed analysts. CEO Ramon Laguarta placed fresh emphasis on turning around soft drinks.

Campaigns turn partnerships into product messages

Liquid I.V. focuses on powdered hydration packets that can be mixed into drinks. Its marketing slate has been busy this year, including a partnership with the box office hit “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

The brand also unveiled a campaign around McLaren Racing, tapping Formula 1 popularity. “Thirst For More” features drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It promotes a sugar-free variant of Liquid I.V.’s Hydration Multiplier product.

The McLaren campaign connects a sports property, two Formula 1 drivers and a sugar-free product offer, fitting Liquid I.V.’s stated plan to pair partnerships with audience-building activity.

Unilever’s numbers show a mixed portfolio

Unilever reported underlying sales growth of 5.2% and volume growth of 2.9% in Q3 earnings released Wednesday. Liquid I.V., which Unilever acquired in 2020, is now the largest brand in the CPG company’s health and wellbeing portfolio.

The larger beauty and wellbeing segment containing Liquid I.V. grew underlying sales 5.7% in Q3. Unilever attributed the growth largely to beauty. Wellbeing declined and was down 1% year to date.

Unilever’s figures do not isolate Liquid I.V.’s own Q3 performance, but they show that its largest health and wellbeing brand sits inside a division where growth came largely from beauty rather than wellbeing.

What does Danzi’s hire change for Liquid I.V.?

It gives the brand a CMO with direct experience across the functions needed for its next phase: brand building, creative work, culture and media execution. Her background also arrives as Liquid I.V. expands internationally and faces more private-label rivals.

The announcement sets no financial targets, geographic priorities or product launches for Danzi. Her campaigns will provide the first test. For Liquid I.V., the stakes are concrete: turn Danzi’s cultural reach into sustained international growth before private-label rivals gain more ground.