Bridget Hirst, Head of Brand at DASH Water, joins us to explore how a young soft drinks company is preparing to take on the giants.

She explains the mix of discipline and creative instinct behind DASH’s rise, shaped by her years on Lucozade and Ribena at Suntory and sharpened through her work at Proper Snacks.

Bridget talks through why DASH has stayed focused on its core range while other brands chase trends, how the team models shifting consumer behaviour as people move away from both sugar and artificial sweeteners, and why taste remains the real battleground in soft drinks.

She also shares the story behind DASH’s first TV campaign, a creative risk that could have gone either way and instead became a defining moment for the brand.

This episode looks at the practical side of challenger growth. How to prioritise. How to avoid dilution. How to build a brand people are proud to be seen with.

For anyone interested in the thinking behind bold creative leaps or in the mindset required to scale a challenger, Bridget’s approach offers rare clarity.

🎧 Beyond the Brand is brought to you by ⁠Sampl⁠, the smarter way for brands to turn product trial into measurable growth.

Olivia Mae Hanlon turned a one woman side project into Girls in Marketing, a global community of more than half a million marketers.

Now as co-founder of Passata, an AI productivity tool built to make work more personal and effective, she is redefining what balance looks like for modern founders and marketers.

In this episode, Olivia joins Adam Wright to talk about the realities of building a business around your passion, how to create a community that grows with its members, how to recognise the signs of burnout before it takes over, and how to find purpose again when your work becomes your identity.

This is an honest conversation about growth, leadership and the pursuit of balance in a world that celebrates busyness.

Connect with Olivia Mae Hanlon

LinkedIn | Instagram | Girls in Marketing | Passata

🎧 Beyond the Brand is brought to you by Sampl, the smarter way for brands to turn product trial into measurable growth.

In this episode of Beyond the Brand, Adam Wright and Matt Huntly chat with Rossana Doldi, Marketing and Strategy Director at Church & Dwight.

Rossana has shaped global brands across P&G, Reckitt, and now Church & Dwight, where she oversees everything from beauty icons like Batiste dry shampoo to trusted healthcare brands like Anusol, as well as intimate skincare products such as Femfresh.

She shares how her luxury roots inform mass-market creativity, how to drive attention in crowded categories, and how to reframe stories in even the most awkward spaces.

Key takeaways
▶ Emotional framing, humour, and simplicity are key to breaking through in ‘unsexy’ or taboo categories.
▶ Value doesn’t mean cheap. Consumers want a psychological ROI and actively mix channels to find it.
▶ Great campaigns repeat one clear message over time. Brands often lose attention by trying to say too much.

Why listen
▶ Hear how a leading FMCG brand leader balances global strategy with local creativity
▶ Learn how to adapt marketing strategies across different categories.
▶ Get practical examples of how to use humour and reframing in brand storytelling.
▶ Understand the role of AI in shaping trends, insights, and media planning (without losing the human)

One final thing....

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