Designing Brand Experiences: What Field Marketing Taught Me About Where Brands Show Up

As a Field Marketing Intern at Just Ice Tea, a ready-to-drink beverage company, I supported marketing efforts with a focus on consumer-facing brand experience. Through this role, I learned that brand placement is a design decision and one that directly influences how consumers find, perceive, and engage with a brand.

In crowded retail environments, especially within the beverage category, companies aggressively compete for consumer attention. While a goal is to make sales, the deeper challenge is designing positive brand interactions that connect with consumers.

Just Ice Tea is a company of layered values. Founded by the creators of the late Honest Tea and based in Bethesda, MD, the company is a lot more than Just Iced Tea. It is mission-driven, offering healthier ready-to-drink tea options made with organic, real-brewed tea. While many competitors sell high amounts of sugar, artificial sweeteners and ingredients, or heavily processed beverages, Just Ice Tea uses just a touch of organic agave, honey, or cane sugar paired with real, organic flavors. The brand is also Fair Trade certified, meaning it actively gives back to the communities where its tea is sourced.

With such a rich mission and product story, communicating these values to consumers in person, often within fleeting moments, is essential. Doing so requires adapting to consumer needs through observation and strategic decision-making that considers many different factors.

In interacting with consumers, I had to consider a range of contextual factors including location, time of day, surrounding environment, and observable shopping behaviors. Different stores attracted different demographics. For example, the urban Whole Foods shopper, the suburban Sprouts customer, and the Giant grocery shopper each approach the store with different goals. Some shop with strict shopping lists, while others browse more freely.

Event-based marketing also was context-dependent. For instance, engaging with consumers at a local community baseball game differs greatly from interacting with attendees at the Mubadala Citi DC Open tennis tournament. By observing shopping carts, patterns, situations, and engagement cues, I adapted my approach accordingly. From health benefits and brand mission to local relevance, I emphasized specific attributes of the product. Being accommodating, both in message and interaction, was essential to create a more human-centered experience.

This role also exposed me to the broader system of sales within retail spaces. From the coolers near checkout to beverage aisles, dry shelves, and point-of-purchase displays, retailers and brands intentionally curate purchase points of a store. Access to these touch points is imperative in shaping consumer behavior and increasing brand visibility.

Through field marketing, I learned that design exists greatly within spaces and interactions that are often overlooked. Where a brand shows up and how it presents itself are intentional choices that ultimately shape brand perception, exposure, and engagement.