Coworking with Drew Videira

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Drew Videira is CMO at vitamin brand First Day.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? Organized chaos. One of the biggest challenges in retail is staying proactive in what is inherently a very reactive channel. Unlike DTC, where you can put something live and pivot in real time based on immediate feedback, retail doesn’t give you that luxury. So I think of myself as a part-time problem solver, identifying pockets of challenge and building solutions before they compound. Part-time fortune teller, trying to anticipate opportunities and obstacles before they materialize so we can act rather than react. And part-time explorer, because staying genuinely connected to the customer is everything. I’ll go sit in an aisle and just watch how people shop, what they pick up, what they put back down. The data you get reactively is only a small sliver of the story.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? LinkedIn rarely tells you how hands-on someone actually is, or whether that’s even a personal motivator for them, and it’s certainly not for everyone. For me, it is. I love building. I love taking brands with incredible products and building the bridges and connections to get those products into more hands, and then building the systems that allow those hands to speak on your behalf. But more than the mechanics of it, LinkedIn can’t tell you how personal this work is. I found First Day after searching for products to help my oldest son, who is on the spectrum and had nutritional gaps. What started as a product search became something that made a profound difference in my family’s life. Now I get to help share that with other families. You can’t capture that in 500 characters.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? That’s a tough one. I led a makeup collection inspired by the 2019 live-action The Lion King film that I’m really proud of. The packaging used a technique that had never been executed in the US, inspired by a stippling painting style reminiscent of the scene where Mufasa appears in the stars. The formula colors were drawn directly from elements found in Africa itself—the soil, the clay. Projects that create a genuine emotional connection with the consumer and make them feel something always rise to the top for me.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? The continued convergence of retail and content is the one I keep coming back to. I’ve been working with retailers for the better part of two decades, and consumers are now discovering products through trusted creators and educational platforms long before they ever reach a store shelf. When I was running Eucerin and Aquaphor, that kind of credibility building happened through pediatricians and dermatologists, programs that were largely out of reach for smaller or newer brands. That’s changed dramatically. The ability to connect, access, and create content has been democratized, and it now allows brands of virtually any size to build awareness and trust before the point of purchase. I think this is a big reason why we’re seeing so much category growth driven by DTC brands expanding into retail rather than the other way around.

What’s your go-to coffee order? I have a full obsession with matcha, ube, and pistachio right now. I keep my options open since not every place carries all three. That said, my favorite coffee spot is less than 30 seconds from my desk. I’ve built out a little bar at home as part of my daily ritual, so I’m rarely going far.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Launch something just because you know you can get a quick sale.” Every business needs to be profitable, I get it. But just because you can sell something fast doesn’t mean you always should. I see so many brands fall into this trap—line extension after line extension—until the brand that once stood for something stands for nothing. It becomes a commodity with no real differentiator. Product is king and the consumers are your jury. Chasing the quick dollar instead of building a strong, repeatable engine—one not built on fads—is a short road.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? You’re making me go into the archives on this one. I’ll give you two, because at 15, you actually had to walk into a store to get these. First, my Nokia 3310. I genuinely thought I was the coolest person alive with that blue phone, playing Snake and waiting for nights and weekends for unlimited calling to kick in. And right before my iPod came along, it was CDs. I’d spend hours at FYE at the mall flipping through new releases and singles. They had headphones at every station so you could listen before you bought, and that was everything. My favorite retail product now is First Day, and I mean that genuinely. It started as a personal search for solutions for my family. My kids go to the store and pick out the bottles themselves, and if you happen to be shopping that aisle, they will absolutely educate you on what you should and shouldn’t be buying, whether you asked for their opinion or not.