Turning a startup into a brand requires more than visibility – it needs relevance. In the latest episode of Join The Ride ➔ Brands in Motion, Posca Hydrate’s Ed Stening shares how the brand is showing up in moments that actually connect.
“Merrick just made something in his kitchen that he thought would work for his family, and that was the coolest thing about it.”
For Ed Stening, co-founder and CEO of ambitious beverage disruptor Posca Hydrate, that origin story says everything about how the brand approaches marketing today.
In this episode of Join The Ride ➔ Brands in Motion from Uber Advertising, Stening joins Michael Levine, Head of APAC at Uber Advertising, to unpack how his small startup is finding ways to stand out in one of the most competitive categories in the market.
At its core, Posca Hydrate wasn’t built in a lab or a boardroom – it was built out of instinct. Co-founder Merrick Watts found the recipe for the ancient Roman drink online while researching a standup show into wine and tried it out at home, eventually approaching Stening, while he was at beverage giant Lion, with the idea.
As Stening explains, while the market wasn’t right for it at the time, that moment would eventually come: “We launched Posca Hydrate because we were starting to see strong trends in beverages towards hydration, gut health and zero sugar. Posca Hydrate has all these components, which is fantastic.”
From there, the opportunity became clear – not just in the product, but in how and where the brand showed up. But with limited resources and a crowded market, Stening knew the brand couldn’t rely on traditional playbooks.
This thinking gave birth to one of the most unique launch moments Australia has seen.
Stening explains: “We needed to be relevant very quickly. It just so happened that the Gladiator II premiere was happening in Sydney. Merrick, because he’s famous, somehow got a ticket and turned up in a full gladiator outfit with Posca written across the front.
Before that minute no-one had heard of Posca, we signed tons of NDAs with people and kept it so quiet, so when Merrick got onto the red carpet the security guards had no idea he was repping a brand.
“The engagement was well above our expectations. Because Posca is a Roman drink, that premiere had all the connective factors for us to make a great splash with just the cost of the outfit.”
For Stening, it was proof that when the idea is right, scale doesn’t have to come from spend. That same principle extends to how Posca Hydrate approaches partnerships.
Rather than chasing exposure, the brand is deliberate about how it collaborates and who it collaborates with.
He says: “If we’re not making content, if we’re not truly in partnership, then for us, it’s a walk away.”
When the fit is right, however, the brand leans in fully. It is a proud sponsor of Wheelchair Rugby, which Stening calls a “no brainer”: “They call it ‘murder ball’. It’s almost like the chariot racing from Roman times. Being able to support the sport has been massive.
“Outisde of that every athlete in wheelchair rugby has their own back stories, so being able to support the sport has been massive for us.”
These moments aren’t just about visibility – they’re about building something more enduring. That’s where Stening sees the challenge – in shifting strategy from one-off success to something more scalable.
He explains: “I’m a systems thinker. I’m always trying to figure out how to replicate experiences and how to structure the business so not only are we fast moving, but that the team is empowered to jump on things in the moment.
“Anyone can get lucky but you can’t get lucky twice.”
For a brand built on an ancient recipe, it’s a modern approach – one grounded in instinct, connection and the ability to move when it matters.
Watch the full episode of Join The Ride ➔ Brands in Motion on B&T’s YouTube channel. You can also catch up on recent episodes featuring Naysla Edwards (Amex), Leandro Perez (Salesforce) and Kate Hornstein (BYD).
