YoStella: Build a Better Business - Inspiration for Improving Your Brand, Marketing & People
Each year on Fat Tuesday, New Orleans throws a “Stella and Stanley” party. This annual event honors local boy and world-famous author Tennessee Williams and his masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire.
The movie version is notorious for the scene where Stanley, Marlon Brando in a tight white vest, yells “Stella-a-a-a-a-!” up the tenement stairs to his wife. “Stella” might be the most repeated movie line ever and Brando never needed to act again except, he said, for the money. Like a legendary actor, businesses need to cultivate their craft: building an amazing brand, elevating creativity, and growing authentic connections.
At StellaPop, we believe every business has a masterpiece in them.
YoStella: Build a Better Business - Inspiration for Improving Your Brand, Marketing & People
When Popsicles Became Premium: The Business of Experience Disruption
What connects ancient Roman ice treats, a forgotten glass in 1905 Oakland, and today's premium "FroPro" popsicles? The fascinating thread of frozen innovation that transforms the ordinary into extraordinary.
The humble popsicle serves as our gateway to understanding the evolution of consumer products and modern branding magic. We trace the remarkable journey of frozen treats from their exclusive beginnings as luxuries for the wealthy elite to their accidental reinvention by young Frank Epperson, whose forgotten stirring stick created the first handheld frozen treat revolution. That simple innovation – putting ice on a stick – democratized and transformed the entire frozen dessert experience.
Fast forward to today, where companies like Stellapop have masterfully positioned their premium popsicles by addressing problems consumers didn't even realize they had. Their clever "avocado toast of popsicles" positioning brilliantly acknowledges the irrational splurge while making it aspirational. But the most fascinating reveal? The popsicle itself is merely a demonstration vehicle showcasing Stellapop's comprehensive business capabilities from fractional executive management to creative services.
This episode unpacks the powerful strategy of expectation disruption – how brands can transform anything, no matter how simple or established, through strategic positioning and storytelling. Next time you enjoy a frozen treat, consider: are you savoring the product itself, or the carefully crafted experience wrapped around it? Share your thoughts about other simple products that have been transformed through brilliant marketing in the comments!
Welcome to the Deep Dive. Okay, so today we're doing something pretty fascinating. We're looking at a history that, believe it or not, connects ancient Rome, a 7th century China a messy bedroom basically leading to a breakthrough in 1905, and then all the way to super modern, aggressive corporate disruption.
Speaker 2:And the connection point for all of this. It sounds kind of nuts, but it's the popsicle.
Speaker 1:Exactly the humble popsicle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it seems like how can one, you know, frozen treat, carry all that. But the source we're digging into today it's this detailed case study from a company, stellapop Right, and it's about their own product called Stellapops. And they're not just like selling ice pops, they're framing this whole thing. They even call it Not your Grandpop's Popsicles as this revolutionary move, modern disruption.
Speaker 1:And that really is the core of what we want to unpack today. It's about modern branding. I mean, how do you take something so simple flavored ice on a stick right, which has been around pretty much the same for what? Over a hundred years, A long time and then turn around and say, you know, we've licked the competition, we're wearing the crown.
Speaker 2:It's bold.
Speaker 1:It is so for you listening. This deep dive is kind of like a shortcut right Understanding how that history plus some really relentless modern marketing can turn a basic thing into this premium experience. Okay, let's unpack this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. And to really get the scale of what Stella Pops is claiming, we kind of have to go back, way back to understand just how long humans have been making frozen snacks. The idea itself is ancient. Our sources, they point to some really early examples.
Speaker 1:But simple is the word right. Like ancient Rome, if you wanted a cold treat back then you were getting what crushed ice.
Speaker 2:Pretty much Crushed ice, maybe some fruit, some syrup poured over it, basically like a primitive snow cone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably melted instantly.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Definitely messy. No stick, obviously no stick?
Speaker 2:Definitely no stick. Then if you jump over to 7th century China, things get a little more sophisticated. Maybe they were mixing buffalo milk and rice, adding flavors, hmm, okay.
Speaker 1:Maybe they were mixing buffalo milk and rice adding flavors. Ok, so that's leading more towards like creamy ice cream territory.
Speaker 2:Sort of yeah, An early step in that direction. And Persia too. They had their own thing, going on more like sorbet.
Speaker 1:OK, but these were still pretty niche right Like geographically stuck or just for the super wealthy.
Speaker 2:Exactly the real level up. As the source puts, it didn't happen until around the 16th century, that's when places like England, france, italy they started really figuring out how to mix cream and eggs into these things.
Speaker 1:Ah, ok, so that's the birth of proper ice cream and gelato, pretty much.
Speaker 2:That's the genesis. Yeah, but even then, I mean for centuries after that, these were luxury items, status symbols.
Speaker 1:Right, Because keeping things frozen was hard expensive.
Speaker 2:Super expensive, super difficult. So for you know, regular folks, not really an option for a long, long time.
Speaker 1:And that's a key point the source makes accessibility. It wasn't until what, the late 19th century, that's when things really changed.
Speaker 2:That's right. The game changer was the commercial ice house, once you could reliably make store and distribute ice on a large scale.
Speaker 1:Then the ice cream industry could finally you know take off. It becomes something normal people could actually buy and enjoy.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and that widespread availability leads us straight into well early 20th century America, the soda fountain era.
Speaker 1:Ah yeah, the soda jerk A real job.
Speaker 2:A key community figure and it's right there, in that setting, that the modern popsicle gets invented, almost by mistake, kind of disrupting the ice cream scene without even meaning to.
Speaker 1:OK, this is my favorite part of the story from the source because it's just such a classic like accidental discovery, total kid moment. We're jumping forward to 1905, oakland, california.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the details are great. The inventor Frank Epperson. Just a kid.
Speaker 1:Just a kid.
Speaker 2:And the story goes. He mixes up some powdered soda and water in a glass.
Speaker 1:Like Kool-Aid basically.
Speaker 2:Pretty much, yeah. Leaves it outside on the windowsill overnight. And crucially, he leaves the stirring stick in the glass. Then you know, a cold snap hits the Bay Area overnight.
Speaker 1:Which happens.
Speaker 2:It happens he wakes up. The mixture's frozen solid, yeah Around the stick.
Speaker 1:And he just pulls it out.
Speaker 2:Pulls it out and bam, not just flavored ice, but flavored ice on a handle Portable.
Speaker 1:Handheld Deck forgotten stick. That's the whole thing. That's the innovation. It totally transformed it. It wasn't a cup, wasn't a scoop, you didn't need a spoon. You could just, you know, walk around with it, and apparently he wanted to call it an Epsicle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, which is terrible, huh yeah. Thankfully his friends apparently talked him out of that later, when he patented it, steered him towards Popsicle, much catchier.
Speaker 1:Way better. And that simple idea, I mean it just exploded, didn't it Became this huge cultural thing?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. Think about all the variations that popped up over the years. You got fudgesicles.
Speaker 1:Classic.
Speaker 2:The double pop? Remember those Designed so two kids could split it.
Speaker 1:Or fight over the bigger half.
Speaker 2:Usually fight over it. Yeah, or even weird stuff like wasn't it that bubble-o-bill in Australia? The ice cream cowboy on a stick.
Speaker 1:I think so, yeah, yeah. When your product gets turned into novelties like that, you know it's become like totally mainstream, Huh, A commodity really.
Speaker 2:Exactly Ubiquitous. And that's the big challenge, right for someone coming along today how do you make that exciting again? A product category that's basically been perfected and made super cheap over a century?
Speaker 1:You have to find problems. People didn't even know they had Precisely.
Speaker 2:Which brings us right back around to Stella Pops. They saw that commodity status and went OK, our angle has to be attitude, experience.
Speaker 1:And the branding is intense. They don't just call it a popsicle, it's FroPro.
Speaker 2:Right, let me break that down quick. Fropro, it's not random, it's frozen protein.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:So right away, they're positioning it against FroYo frozen yogurt, which is often loaded with sugar. It signals hey, this is healthier, better ingredients before you even taste it.
Speaker 1:Clever and they market it with I think the quote is equal amounts of attitude and chill.
Speaker 2:That's the one.
Speaker 1:And it's all about delivering the ultimate hot girl summer. I mean, it's aggressive. They even call out the established companies as Big Popsicle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they really lean into that confrontational angle. The co-founders have these quotes Like one says something about how Big Popsicle said it'd be a cold day in Helado before they gave up the top spot.
Speaker 1:Right, Helado Spanish for ice cream. Just dropping that in there.
Speaker 2:Like cultural nod, yeah. And then they basically say, well, guess what? We're wearing the crown now because they have no chill, except where it matters.
Speaker 1:It's very punchy. But here's where it gets really interesting, like you said, finding problems. They're not just banking on you know new flavors.
Speaker 2:No, not just flavor.
Speaker 1:They're going after the fundamental annoyances, the stuff we've all just put up with since 1905. For their target audience, who they call taste forward and experience obsessed, yeah, exactly, they list these specific pain points. We're talking like the popsicle melting down your hand in two seconds flat the sticky hand, yeah, the sticky hand, or the ones that stain your lips, bright, orange or blue from you know cheap dyes.
Speaker 2:The dye issue.
Speaker 1:And even brain freeze. They claim they're solving brain freeze.
Speaker 2:That's the claim. So by saying, hey, we engineered solutions for these basic, century-old problems, they're trying to elevate the whole thing.
Speaker 1:Right. It's not just a cheap treat from the freezer aisle anymore. It's suddenly this like premium, thoughtfully designed experience.
Speaker 2:They're selling convenience, clean eating, good design yeah, just as much as you know a tasty popsicle.
Speaker 1:But the absolute masterpiece of the branding is the analogy they use to justify, maybe, a higher price the whole vibe. One of the co-founders literally called it the avocado toast of popsicles.
Speaker 2:OK, we got to pause on that one. That avocado toast line. It's kind of brilliant marketing wise that is. Because it perfectly captures the tradeoff they want you to make. The full quote is something like maybe it means you won't get to buy a house, but so what? The experience is just that good.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's some next level marketing jujitsu right there it's almost admitting it's maybe not economically logical.
Speaker 2:Totally. It's like they're saying look, we know, this might be an indulgence, maybe even a slightly irrational purchase.
Speaker 1:But the feeling, the vibe, the Instagram photo.
Speaker 2:That's worth it. It taps right into that whole experience economy thing and it connects to that that nickname they floated to the hashtag hella pop. Right, bringing the Northern California slang, tying it back to the Oakland roots but making it premium and modern. It's not just a cute name. It shows they've thought about the whole narrative, from Epperson and Oakland to like today's social media buzz. It's total brand integration.
Speaker 1:OK, but let's, let's zoom out for a second, because this whole fascinating story the ancient ice, the kid inventor, the super slick branding, it's like it's all serving a bigger goal, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's the twist. The Stellapops product it's basically a really tasty advertisement. A for clients across a whole bunch of different areas management services, creative services.
Speaker 1:Let's break that down, because the list of services is pretty extensive. It's not just making cool logos. Yeah, on the management side, they list things like fractional COO and fractional CMO. What does that even mean?
Speaker 2:Okay. So fractional basically means part-time executive. Think about it. Maybe a smaller company or a mid-sized one. They can't afford or don't need a full-time chief operating officer, you know, running all the day-to-day stuff, right? Or a full-time chief marketing officer planning the big strategy. So Stellapop offers their expertise, like on a contract basis. You hire them for a fraction of the time.
Speaker 1:Ah, ok. So the Stellapop's launch is proof they can do that high level strategy, like they acted as their own CMO and COO for this product.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It shows they can think strategically and then, crucially, execute flawlessly. Then they also list things like recruiting, leadership, consulting, team and process management.
Speaker 1:Right, how does selling a fancy popsicle prove you're good at? I don't know, government contracting. That seems like a leap.
Speaker 2:Well, think about what government contracting involves. It's all about super precise processes, right Compliance, delivering exactly what you promised, often under tight scrutiny.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So by showing they could manage the complex launch of Stella Pops, setting up supply chains, building the brand meticulously hitting deadlines, they're demonstrating that core competence rigorous project management, reliability.
Speaker 1:I see, so the Popsicle is like a demonstration project. Look how well we manage this complex thing. We can manage. We manage this complex thing. We can manage your complex government contract too.
Speaker 2:Precisely. It showcases their operational muscle process leadership, attention to detail. And then, of course, there's the whole creative side that made the brand pop literally.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the branding and design the website, the marketing, social media.
Speaker 2:The Stellapops website itself with that edgy language and sleek look. That's their portfolio piece right there.
Speaker 1:It's basically saying we made a Popsicle seem this cool and desirable, imagine what we could do for your you know enterprise software company. Exactly Sell the sizzle using the Popsicle. And what really drives home this full service model is the range of industries they say they work in. It's not just food or consumer stuff.
Speaker 2:No, not at all. It's not just food or consumer stuff. No, not at all. They list education, health care, IT and AI, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, government and then consumer goods, where Stella Pops fits.
Speaker 1:That's a really diverse list.
Speaker 2:It is, and it circles back to the power of this case study. The Popsicle is just the most relatable, maybe the most visually engaging example they have. Right Easier to understand than, say, optimizing a health care billing process Much easier. So they take the skills that launched Stella Pops understanding the market, nailing the positioning, executing the plan and they say we apply that same thinking to these other, much more complex, maybe regulated fields.
Speaker 1:So if we tie this all together, the whole Stella Pop's narrative, it stops being just about Frank Epperson's lucky accident, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it becomes something else entirely.
Speaker 1:It's this like carefully constructed story about brand building and business execution, proving that Stellapop, the company, can take pretty much anything, no matter how old or simple.
Speaker 2:And inject it with that modern disruption using their whole toolkit the management side, the creative side, everything.
Speaker 1:Right, which brings us back really to where we started. We've gone from, you know, ancient slushies, huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:To a kid forgetting his drink in 1905.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And landing here in 2025 with a product that's designed to feel exclusive, premium, yeah and experience.
Speaker 2:And the source material really hammers this point home claiming Stella Pops is shaking up big popsicle with you know amazing flavors, these epic rituals, big health claims.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 2:Which leads to, I think, a really interesting question for you, the listener, to chew on when a brand successfully makes a product feel like avocado toast.
Speaker 2:Yeah successfully makes a product feel like avocado toast where it's positioned as this premium experience, maybe even worth an irrational cost. Is the value really in the thing itself the taste, the fact it doesn't drink as much or is the value almost entirely in the story, the marketing, the feeling, the status, the experience they've wrapped around it? Is it actually product disruption we're seeing here, or is it just really really effective expectation disruption? Yeah?
