What started as a workshop on brand engagement quickly became something bigger. ZICO needed clarity and a new position in the market. Once a category leader alongside Vita Coco, the brand was now on its second life after being acquired by Coca-Cola, discontinued, and eventually bought back by its founder. The challenge was to recapture what made ZICO great while giving people a new reason to care.

The opportunity was bigger than coconut water. Traditional sports drinks owned performance but were often loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients. ZICO was 100% coconut water, naturally hydrating, and clean. The new category platform, "Natural Performance Hydration," gave ZICO permission to take on Big Hydration and move beyond competing in just coconut water. "Realness" became the position that brought it to life: real hydration for real athletes.

That thinking reshaped the audience and the brand world. Instead of polished, one-dimensional athlete culture, the focus shifted to people with real stories and a unique point of view, from Bob Becker and Cesar Villalba to Paige Tate and Naomi Osaka. Run clubs, urban cycling, trail running, and emerging sport communities became the cultural inspiration. The result is a younger, rawer ZICO built around performance, people, community, and a product that has nothing to hide.