The Retail Reality Check with Liz Ahern of Brand 555

There are people who talk brand and then there are people who’ve built them. Liz Ahern is the latter. She helped scale Chamberlain Coffee, spent years in Red Bull, and now advises fast-growing companies as a fractional CMO through her consultancy, Brand 555 Marketing.

I brought her in this episode of Above the Fold to talk about the difference between creating hype and creating something that lasts. We went deep on retail, community, velocity, influencer strategy, and why most brands right now are chasing the wrong stuff.

Let’s get into it.

Community Is Not A Comment Section

Liz started at Red Bull in ops and strategy, but fell in love with the culture-building side of marketing. And that lens—thinking through the full marketing mix and always coming back to the consumer is what’s made her work so consistently sharp.

We talked about something a lot of brands forget: Community isn’t just your followers. It’s not just your audience. It’s the people who care enough to engage, give feedback, and show up. Community is active. Audience is passive.

The best brands? They know how to tell the difference. And they reward the former without forgetting the latter.

The Creator-Led Myth

Look, it’s tempting. You see a big name. You assume it’s going to convert. But as Liz put it, “just because someone can move markets doesn’t mean they should.”

She’s worked with creator-led brands and knows firsthand that name recognition will get you press but not necessarily product-market fit. A big platform might drive awareness, but if the product doesn’t taste good, work well, or serve a real need, it’s not going anywhere.

The difference between a one-hit-wonder brand and one with real staying power? Listening. Actually taking feedback. Not launching in a vacuum.

Field Marketing Is Back (And Better Than Ever)

Post-pandemic, consumers want in-person experiences again. And the brands that are showing up offline are winning big.

From pop-ups to community dinners to Coachella-style brand houses, the old-school field marketing playbook is suddenly feeling very fresh. But this time around, it’s not about influencers sipping cocktails on couches. It’s about real fans getting face time with the brand.

Liz called it early, field marketing isn’t dead. It’s evolving. And brands that can balance physical presence with digital depth are setting themselves up for long-term relevance.

Packing Is Your Only Conversation In-Store

One of the best takeaways: your packaging at retail is doing all the talking.

Liz recommended doing a shelf audit before launching anything. What else is on that shelf? What color stands out under fluorescent light? What are the key callouts someone actually sees?

Minimalism might be pretty online. But maximalist storytelling might be the thing that drives trial in a crowded aisle. You need to be visually distinct and clear about benefits.

It was during this part of the convo that I literally had an epiphany about my own brand’s packaging. So yes, she’s that good.

The Value Of Fractional Leadership

I’ll be honest, Liz makes a pretty strong case for why more brands should bring in a fractional CMO.

Not because it’s trendy. But because having someone who’s not in the day-to-day can actually help you see the big picture again. Especially when that person has deep experience across categories and knows how to help you operationalize your brand positioning, not just vibe it out.

She’s not coming in to hand off a deck and bounce. She’s thinking like a coach. A translator. A strategist who cares enough to become your customer and stay obsessed with the outcome.

This Is The Work

Building a brand that lasts isn’t about hype cycles or viral giveaways. It’s not about paying a macro creator to hold your product once.

It’s about listening. Testing. Evolving. Being clear on who you serve and why they should care. And then showing up everywhere that matters to make that true.

Liz gets it. And if you want to get it too—you should listen to the episode.

Catch the full interview with Liz Ahern on Above The Fold. Wherever you’re building, we’re rooting for you to build better.