A Look Inside AG1s Brand Playbook

A sit-down with AG1's CMO, Paulie Dery

Author

Carlo Palomino
September 05, 2025

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! The inflatable pool is deflated, the sunscreen’s expired, and somewhere in the distance, a school bus just honked the death knell of summer. It’s post–Labor Day, which means we’re all pretending to be “refreshed” while quietly mourning the fact that daylight is already packing up its things by 7:30 PM.

Half of you are still wearing linen like it’s July, the other half just ordered a $9 pumpkin spice latte with zero shame. Wherever you land on the seasonal identity crisis, consider this your official permission slip to procrastinate—but, like, strategically.

Every Friday, we deliver sharp insights from the CMOs behind the brands you binge, buy, and can't stop quoting. From killer collabs to campaigns that broke the internet (on purpose), we’re here to keep your marketing playbook fresh—and your inbox 12% funnier than it needs to be.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A sit-down with AG1 CMO, Paulie Dery

  • Apple’s makes another emotional marketing masterpieces

  • Top 5 brand TikToks to steal from

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone who’s redefining what it means to lead with creativity at scale, it’s Paulie Dery, Chief Marketing Officer at AG1. From shaping Uber’s brand during a corporate crisis, to transforming Yeti into a lifestyle juggernaut, and now building AG1 into a global health powerhouse, Paulie’s career has been one long masterclass in trusting instinct over conventional wisdom.

He began his career in the agency world, rising through the creative ranks before taking a leap into brand-side marketing. Each move, from Uber’s IPO-era turbulence to Yeti’s evolution from Texas cult brand to national lifestyle icon, came with raised eyebrows from skeptics. At nearly every turn, people told him the decision was a bad one, but those risks became the very stages where his best work happened.

At AG1, he saw another chance to take a brand on the verge of transformation and scale it without losing its soul. For Paulie, it always comes back to product. He’s blunt about his criteria: “I’m not a good enough marketer to market a bad product.” AG1’s premium positioning, backed by science and habit-building, gave him the perfect foundation to craft stories that resonate far beyond the category.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. In a crowded wellness market filled with knockoffs and overblown claims, Paulie focuses on equipping loyalists with the facts and the narrative to stand by their choice, turning customers into advocates. He also sees the real power of the brand in habit formation, particularly in “owning the morning.” If AG1 can anchor the first choice of the day, he knows the rest will follow.

And while most marketers get lured into the safety of middle-of-the-road campaigns, Paulie’s mantra is to push harder. He points to brands like Liquid Death as proof that creativity can turn even the most commoditized product into a cultural phenomenon. In his words, “Be the best, be the worst, never be the middle.”

Paulie’s Takeaway

The core of his philosophy? Back the best products, trust creativity, and never settle for the middle. For Paulie, the sweet spot is joining brands at moments of inflection, when bold moves matter most.

To hear more about how Paulie is scaling AG1 into a global lifestyle brand and why Joan of Arc is on his dream dinner guest list, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team