Healthy Soda Wars on YouTube: What Every CPG Advertiser Can Learn

YouTube has become the most important battleground for countless Food & Drink advertisers, and healthy soda brands are the newest competitor set vying for the rapidly expanding discovery, attention, and purchase-intent generated on the platform.

Healthy soda brands are having a moment. The grocery aisle seems to be packed with a new “better-for-you” soda every month – but only a select few have broken through into mainstream culture. One of the biggest engines behind these breakout successes? YouTube.

With 41B+ category views and an +8% YoY increase in 2025, YouTube has become the primary channel driving consumer discovery, cultural relevance, and purchase intent for these functional CPG beverages.

Below, we break down what top three healthy soda competitors – Poppi, OLIPOP, and Culture Pop – are (and aren’t) doing on YouTube, and the strategic lessons every CPG advertiser should take away.

Key Takeaways for Advertisers

• YouTube is now the top discovery engine for healthy CPG, reshaping category perception and brand consideration.
• Short-form, cultural relevance, and sensory-first creatives are driving disproportionate results for beverage brands.
• Contextual alignment with cultural moments and brand narratives matters just as much as (and sometimes even more than) creative quality.
• Healthy soda competitors under-investing in YouTube are missing out on critical brand lift opportunities.

Poppi Is Dominating YouTube

Poppi is driving considerably more engagement on YouTube than its competitors, presumably from deeper investment and focus. As of Q4 2025, Poppi had:

• 37.7M YouTube views in 2025 (vs. ~2M for both OLIPOP and Culture Pop)
• 1.21% engagement rate, outperforming:
  • OLIPOP by +116%
  • Culture Pop by +5,950%

Here’s some insights into why Poppi is winning – and what brands should replicate.

1. Poppi Owns Seasonality, And Leverages It for Efficiency

Poppi increased spend significantly during summer months when beverage intent peaks, generating 3x more views than in non-summer periods.

Advertiser Takeaways

• Align media spend with seasonal consumption spikes.
• Refresh creative to match contextual moments (summer, holidays, wellness resets).
• Use seasonal bursts to achieve lower CPAs and higher audience resonance.

2. Short-Form Is Poppi’s Superpower

Poppi produced all top three most-viewed healthy soda ads in 2025.
A standout: a 9-second YouTube Short with 5.3M views and an impressive 1.63% engagement rate.

Advertiser Takeaways

• Build Short-form-first creative. It consistently outperforms horizontal for CPG.
• Use fast hooks, bright visuals, and sound cues to win attention quickly.
• Repurpose top-performing TikTok/Reels creative. These travel well on Shorts.

3. Cultural Relevance & Trend Tapping Expand Reach

One of Poppi’s top-performing Shorts ties into the Minecraft Movie, earning 3.3M views and a 1.93% engagement rate, thanks to smart cultural alignment.

Advertiser Takeaways

• Insert your brand into cultural moments consumers already search for.
• Use YouTube’s search behavior to guide what cultural hooks to leverage.
• Trend-reactive creative helps brands punch above their weight and reach broader audiences.

4. Story Validation on YouTube Drives Search Lift

Consumers are deeply invested in origin stories. The #2 most searched term for Poppi on YouTube is “Shark Tank” – specifically, the episode where the founders were denied funding for their idea. One Short of the episode garnered 11M+ views.

Advertiser Takeaways

• YouTube is where consumers validate brand stories, controversies, and lore.
• Brands should lean into storytelling, setbacks, and comeback arcs – they build emotional equity.
• Run ads on contextually relevant channels (e.g., Shark Tank content) to deepen narrative connection.
• Your brand’s history is a differentiator. Use it.

5. ASMR-Driven Creative Boosts Engagement and Watch Time

Another Poppi top performer uses ASMR tapping and fizzing audio, leaning into YouTube’s love of sensory content. For the right advertiser where brand tone aligns, this sensory-first content works extremely well on YouTube. 

Advertiser Takeaways

• Take advantage of products – bubbly beverages – that align with this trend. Leverage sensory moments like sound, crack, fizz, pour, tap, as ASMR can significantly increase engagement, retention, and positive sentiment.
• Pair sensory moments with visual close-ups to create immersive experiences.

6. “Limited Edition” CTAs Create Urgency and FOMO

Poppi’s drop-style messaging (“limited edition,” “small batch,” “seasonal flavor”) has helped them drive massive conversion and push product trial.

Advertiser Takeaways

• “Limited edition” or “drop” language boosts urgency and purchase intent.
• Pair scarcity messaging with Shorts for fast-reaching, time-sensitive promotions.
• Limited-edition flavors help brands stand out and stay fresh in competitive categories.

Additional Strengths 

• UGC-style authenticity: Poppi’s ads look like content, not commercials – a major advantage in Shorts-dominated feeds.
• Distinctive visual branding: Bright colors + clean packaging = instant recognition at high scroll speeds.
• High output volume: Poppi simply posts more creative – and YouTube rewards frequency.
• Owning search real estate: Poppi ensures that searchers for “healthy soda,” “prebiotic soda,” and competitor terms still see Poppi content first.

The Bottom Line

Poppi isn’t winning by accident. It’s winning because it:

• Invests more
• Moves faster
• Reacts culturally
• Tells a compelling brand story
• Uses native formats strategically
• And treats YouTube like a performance engine, not an afterthought

For CPG advertisers navigating a crowded category, the lesson is clear:

YouTube rewards brands that embrace speed, cultural relevance, and format-native creativity. Poppi is the blueprint, and healthy soda competitors and CPG brands across the platform should take notes.

Want to learn more?

Reach out to Pixability today!