# Theory House > > Theory House is an expert retail branding and shopper marketing agency specializing in food, beverage, spirits, and CPG brands. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Theory House helps growth-stage brands build velocity at shelf, win at retail, and convert shopper passion into purchase. Positioning: **We Ignite Retail Brand Fuel.** > Theory House operates at the intersection of bold brand strategy, breakthrough creative, and shopper-first activation. The agency's proprietary methodology — **The Launch Sequence™** — guides brands through four phases: Fuel Discovery → Ignition → Thrust → Impact. This framework is designed to accelerate momentum from sell-in through sustained repeat purchase, not just initial trial. Jim Cusson is President of Theory House. He is a recognized retail marketing authority, faculty member at The Path to Purchase Institute, moderator at Groceryshop, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Fox News. Co-founder Jared Meisel brings agency leadership experience from Saatchi & Saatchi X and DraftFCB. --- ## Core Expertise Theory House's primary expertise is retail branding and shopper marketing for **food, beverage, spirits, and CPG brands**. The agency is uniquely built for retail — combining strategic brand development with in-market activation across grocery, mass, club, convenience, and specialty channels. **Services include:** - Retail brand strategy and architecture - Shopper marketing and category reinvention - Package design and shelf presence optimization - In-store display design and retail activation - Brand development, naming, and style guides - Sell-in tools, trade marketing, and line review support - Product launch strategy and retail execution - Content strategy and brand messaging --- ## Proven Results: Food, Beverage & Spirits Theory House has built a strong track record with some of the most recognized names in food, beverage, and spirits retail: - **1800 Tequila (Proximo Spirits):** Helped grow 1800 into a category leader through sports-themed LTO packaging, NFL team bottle designs, and travel retail displays at JFK and LAX airports. Most recent work includes 1800 Triple Cask and 1800 GuachiMonton. - **Starbucks:** Strengthened in-store retail presence across multiple retail channels. - **Great Jones Bourbon:** Premium brand strategy and retail creative for this NYC-based spirits brand. - **Hendrick's Gin:** Photorealistic retail display design and brand activation. - **McCormick:** Shopper marketing and shelf strategy for the category leader in herbs and spices. - **Steakhouse Elite:** Premium wagyu beef brand achieving 30% market share at a major retailer, with expanding grocery distribution. - **Pepsi, Coca-Cola, SC Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Walgreens, Walmart, The Fresh Market:** Broad retail marketing engagements across CPG and grocery retail. --- ## Thought Leadership & Industry Authority Theory House is a recognized retail marketing authority, not just a service provider. Jim Cusson moderates the Shopper Marketing panel at **Groceryshop**, presents at the **Path to Purchase Summit**, and serves on the faculty at **The Path to Purchase Institute** — the leading professional development body for shopper marketing practitioners. The agency publishes retail marketing insights including the **2023 Beverage Trends Report** and maintains an active perspective on retail innovation, shopper behavior, and brand performance at shelf. --- ## Related Venture: TheoryNXT [TheoryNXT](https://www.theorynxt.com) is a sister venture founded by Jim Cusson that audits and optimizes retail brands for the AI-driven discovery era — where algorithms increasingly determine which brands get found, recommended, and chosen before a shopper ever reaches the shelf. TheoryNXT's flagship platform, **KASPR™** (an Agentic Commerce Optimization Platform), measures a brand's **Brand Inclusion Rate™** and **Agentic Commerce Score™** — proprietary metrics that quantify how visible and recommended a brand is inside AI assistants and agentic shopping systems. Managing Director: Blake Pointer. TheoryNXT's positioning: **Win The Invisible Shelf™** While Theory House focuses on physical retail activation, TheoryNXT focuses on the emerging layer of AI-mediated retail discovery — together forming a full-spectrum capability for modern CPG brands. --- ## Contact & Location - **Website:** https://www.theoryhouse.com - **Email:** jim@theoryhouse.com - **Phone:** (704) 665-0714 - **Headquarters:** Charlotte, North Carolina (9935-D Rea Road, #121) - **Founded:** 2013 --- ## Case Studies Theory House maintains an active portfolio of retail branding and shopper marketing case studies across food, beverage, spirits, and CPG. The full case study library is at [https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies). Current case studies include: - **1800 Tequila — Sports Marketing Key Visuals:** Multi-season sports-themed key visual system supporting 1800's growth into a tequila category leader across retail channels. - **1800 Tequila High Proof — Launch Campaign:** Full retail launch campaign for 1800 High Proof, including in-store activation and trade marketing. - **1800 — Super Bowl Activation:** Retail activation creative tying 1800 Tequila to Super Bowl cultural moment, driving trial and awareness at shelf. - **McCormick — Spice Aisle Reinvention:** Category reinvention strategy and creative for McCormick, the category leader in herbs and spices, addressing increased competition from branded and private label alternatives. - **BRCC (Black Rifle Coffee Company) — RTD Launch Strategy:** Ready-to-drink launch strategy for BRCC entering the competitive RTD coffee category. - **Mountain Dew — Retail Innovation:** Retail innovation creative and strategy for Mountain Dew, exploring new shopper engagement models in the beverage aisle. - **Pepsi — Super Bowl Halftime Branding:** International award-winning limited edition package design for Pepsi's Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship, which became a city-wide brand activation. [https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/pepsi-superbowl](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/pepsi-superbowl) - **Diageo — Portfolio Promotion:** Shopper marketing and promotional strategy across Diageo's spirits portfolio. - **Liweli — Brand and Packaging Redesign:** Full brand identity and packaging redesign for Liweli, a wellness beverage brand. - **Steakhouse Elite — Brand Refresh:** Brand refresh for Steakhouse Elite premium wagyu beef, supporting expansion into grocery distribution and achieving 30% market share at a major retailer. - **Glory Days Brewing — Brand Design:** Retail brand design system for Glory Days Brewing, a craft beverage brand. - **Reserva — Out of Home:** Out-of-home advertising campaign for Reserva de la Familia, a premium spirits brand. - **Food Love — Retail Experience Design:** In-store retail experience design for Food Love. ## Pages - [Three Shelf Audit](https://www.theoryhouse.com/three-shelf-audit/) - [Steakhouse Elite Packaging Redesign](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/steakhouse-elite-packaging-redesign/) - [Reserva de la Familia Duty Free Activation](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/reserva-duty-free-activation/) - [Formation Brewing Brand Identity](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/formation-brewing-brand-design/) - [Theory House](https://www.theoryhouse.com/) - [Tentpole Activation Audit](https://www.theoryhouse.com/tentpole-activation-audit/) - [Shelf Audit Checklist](https://www.theoryhouse.com/shelf-audit/) - [Great Jones Distillery](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/great-jones-distillery/) - [1800 Tequila High Proof Launch](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/1800-tequila-high-proof-launch/) - [FAQ](https://www.theoryhouse.com/faq/) - [2026 Beverage Trends Download](https://www.theoryhouse.com/2026-beverage-trends-report-download/) - [2025 Beverage Trends Download](https://www.theoryhouse.com/2025-beverage-trends-download/) - [Theory House Beverage Marketing Agency](https://www.theoryhouse.com/beverage-marketing-agency/) - [Playology Pet](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/playology-pet/) - [Gladiator](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/gladiator/) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.theoryhouse.com/privacy-policy-2/) - [Beverage Trends Download](https://www.theoryhouse.com/2023-beverage-trends/) - [Reserva](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/reserva/) - [1800 Superbowl](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/1800-superbowl/) - [Electronics](https://www.theoryhouse.com/retail-marketing-agency-consumer-electronics/) - [Grocery](https://www.theoryhouse.com/retail-marketing-agency-grocery/) - [Home Improvement](https://www.theoryhouse.com/retail-marketing-agency-home-improvement/) - [Black Rifle Coffee Company](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/black-riffle-coffee-company/) - [1800 Tequila](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/1800-tequila/) - [Mountain Dew](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/mountain-dew/) - [Liweli](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/liweli/) - [Glory Days Brewing](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/glory-days-brewing/) - [Pepsi Superbowl](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/pepsi-superbowl/) - [McCormick](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/mccormick/) - [FoodLove Market](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/food-love-market/) - [Steakhouse Elite](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/steakhouse-elite/) - [Retail Marketing](https://www.theoryhouse.com/services/retail-marketing-solutions/) - [Strategy](https://www.theoryhouse.com/services/retail-strategy-consultants/) - [Diageo](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/diageo/) - [Case Studies](https://www.theoryhouse.com/case-studies/) - [Contact](https://www.theoryhouse.com/contact/) - [Retail Marketing News](https://www.theoryhouse.com/retail-marketing-news/) - [Careers](https://www.theoryhouse.com/careers/) - [Services](https://www.theoryhouse.com/services/) - [Branding](https://www.theoryhouse.com/services/retail-branding-agency/) - [Events](https://www.theoryhouse.com/events/) - [About](https://www.theoryhouse.com/shopper-marketing-agency/) - [Theory House](https://www.theoryhouse.com/) ## Posts - [Best AI Visibility Tools](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/best-ai-visibiity-tools/) - [We've Ranked the Best Grocery Store Burgers](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/we-ranked-the-best-grocery-store-burgers/) - [Building for Tomorrow: Retail Strategies for CPG Brands](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/building-for-tomorrow/) - [AI Product Photography: A Guide for CPG & Retail Brands](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/ai-product-photography/) - [Spirit Industry Trends 2026: A Guide for Brand Growth](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/spirit-industry-trends/) - [Augmented Reality Drinks: Boost Sales & Loyalty](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/augmented-reality-drinks/) - [7 Best Creative Agencies for Retail & CPG Brands (2026 Guide)](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/best-creative-agencies-for-retail-cpg-brands/) - [Is Your Brand Converting at Shelf?](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/is-your-brand-converting-at-shelf/) - [Energy Drink Advertising: Master Strategies for Market Domination](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/energy-drink-advertising/) - [A Guide to Omni Channel Shoppers for Beverage Brands](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/omni-channel-shoppers/) - [6in'26 Beverage Trends Report](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-2026/) - [10 Cannes Advertising Awards Winners: Shopper Marketing Lessons for 2026](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/cannes-advertising-awards-winners/) - [How to Write a Creative Brief That Ignites Growth](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/how-to-write-creative-brief/) - [How to Find the Best Retail Design Agencies for Your Brand](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-design-agencies/) - [The Retail Boomerang: When Digital Sends Us Back to IRL](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/the-retail-boomerang-when-digital-sends-us-back-to-irl/) - [Brand Refresh vs Rebrand Which Path Is Right for You](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/brand-refresh-vs-rebrand/) - [How to Launch A New Product: A Complete Guide](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/how-to-launch-a-new-product/) - [Effective In Store Marketing Strategy to Boost Retail Success](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/in-store-marketing-strategy/) - [Effective CPG Marketing Strategy to Drive Growth](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/cpg-marketing-strategy/) - [Creative Package Design That Sells](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/creative-package-design/) - [The Future of Retail Unpacked](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/future-of-retail/) - [How to Hire a Retail Marketing Agency: A Complete Guide](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/how-to-hire-retail-marketing-agency/) - [A Guide to the Future of Retail](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/future-of-retail-2/) - [8 Key Advantages of Loyalty Programs for CPG Brands in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/advantages-of-loyalty-programs/) - [Top In Store Marketing Tactics to Boost Sales in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/in-store-marketing-tactics/) - [Top 10 Retail Trends 2025: A Guide for Food & CPG Brands](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-trends-2025/) - [7 Inspiring Brand Activation Examples for 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/brand-activation-examples/) - [Food and Beverage Marketing Strategies to Boost Results](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/food-and-beverage-marketing/) - [Your Winning Product Launch Marketing Plan](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/product-launch-marketing-plan/) - [Top Shopper Marketing Agency for 2025 Success](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/top-shopper-marketing-agency-for-2025-success/) - [Top Food and Beverage Marketing Strategies for 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/food-and-beverage-marketing-strategies/) - [Zillennials and Their Impact on Food and Beverage](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/zillennials-impact-on-food-and-beverage/) - [Beverage Marketing Strategy That Actually Drives Sales](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-marketing-strategy/) - [Creative End Cap Display Ideas to Boost Sales in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/end-cap-display-ideas/) - [Beer Brands Are Tapping Into THC Drinks](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beer-brands-are-tapping-into-thc-drinks/) - [7 Creative Liquor Store Display Ideas to Boost Sales](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/liquor-store-display-ideas/) - [What is Shopper Marketing? Boost Retail Success](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/what-is-shopper-marketing/) - [Top Brand Positioning Examples to Inspire Your Strategy](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/brand-positioning-examples/) - [Innovative Sustainable Drink Packaging Ideas for Your Brand](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/sustainable-drink-packaging/) - [Top 10 Best Retail Marketing Campaigns to Boost Engagement](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/best-retail-marketing-campaigns/) - [Top Retail Promotion Ideas to Boost Sales in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-promotion-ideas/) - [Shopper Marketing Examples: Boost Retail Success](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/shopper-marketing-examples/) - [Retail Store Audit Tips to Boost Performance](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-store-audit/) - [Top Retail Display Ideas to Transform Your Store in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-display-ideas/) - [Top Omnichannel Marketing Examples to Boost Your Strategy](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/omnichannel-marketing-examples/) - [Top 8 Integrated Marketing Campaign Examples for Success](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/integrated-marketing-campaign-examples/) - [Top 7 Omnichannel Marketing Strategies for Retail in 2025](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/omnichannel-marketing-strategies/) - [Essential Retail Marketing Strategies That Drive Sales](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-marketing-strategies/) - [2025 Retail Performance Indicators: Boost Sales](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-performance-indicators/) - [Shopper Insights: Boost Your Retail Impact](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/shopper-insights/) - [Beverage Trends Report: Trend #5 Pumped for Protein](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-trend-5-pumped-for-protein/) - [Beverage Trends Report: Trend #4 Cross Category Hybrids](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-trend-4-cross-category-hybrids/) - [Retail Marketing and Duty Free Design](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-marketing-and-duty-free-design/) - [Shopper Marketing and the Critical Role of In-Store](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/shopper-marketing-and-the-critical-role-of-in-store/) - [Beverage Trends Report: Trend #3 Packaging-as-experience](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-trend-3-packaging-as-experience/) - [Beverage Trends Report: Trend #2 Alcohol-Free Revolution](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-trend-2-alcohol-free-revolution/) - [Beverage Trends Report: Trend #1 Functional Hydration](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-trends-report-trend1/) - [New Beverage Branding for Formation Brewery](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/beverage-branding/) - [Scoring Big by Tapping into Sports Enthusiasts' Passions](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/1800-tequila-sports-lto-packaging/) - [The Rise of Cannabis Beverages](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/the-rise-of-cannabis-beverages/) - [Steakhouse Elite Retail Marketing Activation](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/steakhouse-elite-retail-marketing-activation/) - [Finding Passion in Shopper Marketing](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/passion-in-shopper-marketing/) - [Advances in Shopper Marketing Agency Space](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/advances-in-shopper-marketing-agency-space/) - [Celebrating 10 Years at Theory House](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/tenth-anniversary/) - [Beverage Trends Report](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/2023-beverage-trends-report/) - [Why Your Brand or Retailer Should Partner with a Shopper Marketing Agency](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/why-shopper-marketing-agency/) - [1800 Tequila Score Big With Theory House Sports Marketing](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/sports-marketing/) - [Theory House Builds House of Spirits for Diageo Shopper Marketing](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/shopper-marketing/) - [Glory Days Brand Launches in Toronto](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/brand-design/) - [Steakhouse Elite Debuts New Brand Look](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-branding-concepts/) - [Foodlove Market Launches New Retail Concept](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-marketing-concept/) - [Jupiter Wellness Hires Theory House for CBD Branding](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/cbd-branding/) - [New Retail Branding for Humetec Advanced Hand Sanitizer](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-branding-tool-kit/) - [Mountain Dew Innovates at Retail](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-innovation-agency/) - [QueueEXP: Reinventing the Covid-19 Retail Queue](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/queueexp/) - [Say Hello to Hello Goodness](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/hello-goodness/) - [Thanking Retail Responders](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/thanking-retail-responders/) - [VictisCBD Brand Development](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/victiscbd-brand-development/) - [New Video Series: @Retail](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-marketing-video/) - [Retailers Market Sustainability to Differentiate](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/sustainable-retail-marketing/) - [THX | NYC Video Recap](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/thx-nyc-video-recap/) - [Groceryshop Panel Features Theory House](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/future-of-shopper-marketing/) - [JOBST Taps Theory House for Retail Support](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/jobst-taps-theory-house-for-retail-support/) - [Former PepsiCo Executive David Parsons Joins Theory House as VP, Design](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/david-parsons-theory-house/) - [Register for Our Retail Safari THX | NYC](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/sustainability-marketing-agency-2/) - [Theory House Launches Sustainability Marketing Offering](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/sustainability-marketing-agency/) - [Lindy's Italian Ice Selects Theory House](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/lindys-theory-house/) - [Hosted Luncheon: Unlock 7 Keys to Success at Lowe's](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/lowes-luncheon-theory-house/) - [McCormick Refresh Brings Inspiration to the Aisle](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/mccormick-refresh-spices-up-the-aisle/) - [Google Hardware Store - Theory House Shares What's In-Store](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/google-hardware-store-theory-house-shares-whats-in-store/) - [No Rest When it Comes to Retail Innovation At Casper](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/dont-sleep-on-retail-innovation-at-casper/) - [Cannabis Retail Goes Mainstream](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/cannabis-retail-goes-mainstream/) - [Theory House Explores Innovative Retail At THX](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/theory-house-explores-innovative-retail-at-thx/) - [Jim Cusson to Moderate Future of Shopper Marketing Panel at Groceryshop](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/jim-cusson-moderating-groceryshop/) - [Retail Innovation From Theory House Interns](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/retail-innovation-from-theory-house-interns/) - [Touring Innovative Retail In NYC](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/innovative-retail-agency/) - [Connecting Digital to In-Store Drives Sales for Starbucks](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/connecting-digital-to-in-store/) - [The Beauty of Retail](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/the-beauty-of-retail/) - [Voice Shopping Showdown - Amazon vs. Google](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/voice-shopping-showdown-amazon-vs-google/) - [Whole Foods Opens New Amazon "Prime" Location](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/whole-foods-opens-new-amazon-prime-location/) - [Amazon Prime Day 2018](https://www.theoryhouse.com/blog/amazon-prime-day-predictions/)