In 2017, Dragon Rouge brought me in to lead innovation strategy for Rubicon. The question was urgent: what's the future of this brand? We orchestrated a major consumer workshop, generating twenty distinct concepts across multiple territories and consumer segments. I was there conceptualising in real time, pushing thinking in the room. Street Drinks emerged as one direction, but it wasn't the obvious one. It was the brave one.

I spent the week after visualising all twenty concepts to a consistent level of finish. We ran both ethnographic and quantitative testing. Street Drinks performed at the top. Sharbat, Agua Fresca, Nimbu Pani, Bissap. Four authentic street drink platforms, each culturally rooted, each with distinct visual and flavour territories. The testing didn't just validate the concept. It proved the strategy was right.

Dragon Rouge then led the design phase and won the full execution. They explored ten design directions across the range. My original visual direction tested strongest. It went straight into production artwork. On shelf within twelve months. It's been a consistent performer ever since. Which tells you everything you need to know about the power of getting the strategy right at the start.