A Lesson I Still Carry From My Topo Chico Days.

There is a lesson I still carry from my days working with Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water.

We were never trying to sell a beverage. We were building a world.

Something aspirational, but still reachable. Real people. Real moments. Music. Energy. Life happening around the edges.

The mist green glass bottle was just there. On the counter. In the background. Part of the scene. That was intentional.

We were not pushing a product. We were building a lifestyle. The brand earned its place by belonging, not by yelling.

Here is the part I am still proud of.

For the entire 12 year run, right up until I left, we never paid for influencers. No access fees. No placement agreements. No financial transactions just for the product to be seen with the influencer. We focused on putting the brand around the right people, in the right places, at the right moments. Then we stepped back.

And the brand started showing up on its own. Naturally. Organically. Again and again.

People with real visibility wanted to be associated with it. Not because they were paid. Because they actually loved the product and liked the world we were building. You cannot buy that. It only happens when the story is strong enough that people choose you.

Things change. Growth adds pressure... and boy does having The Coca-Cola Company buy your little brand add pressure. The bigger it gets, the louder the noise gets telling you to push harder.

We adjusted, but carefully.

Our rule was simple. The brand is the co-star. Never the lead. Present, yes. Obvious enough, sure. But never beating people over the head.

I still believe in that.

Brands that last do not turn themselves into transactions. They protect the story. They trust the audience.

Even now, I still see TOPO CHICO showing up on social in ways that feel very familiar. It is pretty clear organic social is not a priority for the current leadership, so when it pops up, I do not read it as some new strategy. It feels like residual gravity, momentum from relationships and moments that were set in motion years ago.

I recognize the people in the photos. I know the artists. I know their teams. I know those relationships from back when the work was being done every day. Seeing that loyalty still show up, quietly and without prompting, means more to me than most people would ever know. Most will never hear the backstory on these individual relationships, and that is fine. The fact that the work is still bearing fruit is one of the proudest things I have done in my career.

If the lifestyle is real, the brand does not need to beg for attention. It earns it.