Why Your CPG Brand Needs a POV, Not Just a Product
In today’s overcrowded consumer packaged goods (CPG) landscape, simply having a great product is no longer enough. Consumers aren’t just buying what you sell—they’re buying what you stand for. That’s why the most successful CPG brands in 2025 aren’t just innovating products; they’re establishing a point of view (POV) that resonates deeply with culture, consumers, and category whitespace. At Agency Squid, we believe the future belongs to brands with bold perspectives.
From Product to Point of View
A POV is more than a mission statement. It’s a cultural compass that defines how your brand sees the world and how it responds to it. Brands with a POV drive emotional connection, shape consumer identity, and differentiate in commoditized categories. Take brands like Liquid Death or Oatly—they didn’t just enter saturated markets. They exploded by standing for something. A strong POV allows you to:
- Own a cultural niche
- Build loyal communities
- Fuel memorable storytelling
- Win shelf space and digital mindshare
The Data Behind POV-Driven Brands
According to Deloitte, 57% of consumers are more loyal to brands that align with their personal values. Nielsen reports that 73% of Gen Z say they are willing to pay more for a product that reflects their beliefs. POV is a growth engine. Not a nice-to-have, but a necessity.
POV in Action: Agency Squid Case Studies
SixSip Hard Refresher: A Gen Z-focused RTD brand born from a POV that drinking should be about self-expression, not excess. The POV informed everything from packaging to flavor naming to a surrealist social campaign.
White Claw: When Squid helped position the brand, we found whitespace between gendered marketing and dull wellness messaging. The POV? A lifestyle of unfiltered, unapologetic fun—with a nod to health without preaching it.
Costa Farms: We took a plant brand and built a movement around making spaces feel like home. Not with jargon. But with an empathetic, DIY-first POV that resonated with millennials struggling to buy homes.
Why a POV Beats Positioning Alone
Traditional positioning is static. POV is fluid and culturally relevant. It guides creative, informs influencer strategy, shapes social tone, and even drives innovation. At Agency Squid, we use POV as the foundation for:
- Campaign development
- Product innovation
- Retail storytelling
- PR and creator alignment
What Marketers Can Do Now
Audit your brand’s POV: If your positioning could work for a competitor, it’s not a POV.
Build it from cultural truths: Your POV should intersect what your audience believes and what your category ignores.
Infuse it into every channel: Your POV isn’t just for ads—it’s for packaging, email, trade decks, and TikToks.
Be the Answer Before the Question is Asked
Amazon’s “Buy Again” feature makes it easy to reorder without thinking. Venmo’s split-payment feature feels instinctive. The brands that win aren’t the ones shouting the loudest—they’re the ones that remove friction from everyday life.
Own a Micro-Moment
Not every brand can be “the thing” that defines an entire category, but every brand can own a specific moment. Liquid Death isn’t trying to be every type of beverage—it’s owning the irreverent, rebellious hydration space.
Play the Long Game
Occasion-based marketing isn’t about flash-in-the-pan campaigns. It’s about consistency. The reason why Starbucks is synonymous with mornings or Spotify with music discovery is because they’ve played the long game.
Final Thought: The Best Brands Feel Inevitable
Consumers aren’t looking for brands to force their way into their lives. They’re looking for brands that naturally belong there. The moment your brand becomes a habit rather than a decision, you’ve achieved the ultimate win. If you want to do this with your brand, reach out and let’s make it happen.
