"Bloody Ocean" Advertorial Strategy: What MUD\WTR Uses to thrive in the $4B+ Mushroom Coffee Market

MUD\WTR is staying afloat (and thriving) in an increasingly bloody ocean of DTC mushroom coffee brands.

We just did full funnel breakdowns for MUD\WTR’s top 2 front-end offers + funnels inside the Funnel of the Week Members Area, go here to check it out:

(Already a member? Go here to see the post)

Now here’s the thing about MUD\WTR:

While most companies are drowning in the competitive chaos…

…MUD\WTR has cracked the code using three distinct advertorial types that directly target Eugene Schwartz's awareness stages.

And the results? They're punching way above their weight class.

But first, let's set the stage for what we're really looking at here...

The Market That Exploded Overnight

The mushroom coffee space isn't just growing—it's projected to hit $4.12 billion by 2030. We're watching a market that has accelerated through Schwartz's awareness stages at breakneck speed, creating intense competition where only the strategically sophisticated survive.

The Timeline of Market Evolution:

• Om Mushrooms (2010): Early supplement focus

• Four Sigmatic (2012): Pioneered mushroom coffee category

• MUD\WTR (2018): Challenger brand with bold positioning

• RYZE (2020): Pandemic-era Harvard success story

• 20+ competitors: Current market saturation

The Traffic Reality Check: The competitive intensity is real. Look at these numbers:

• RYZE Superfoods: 6.992M visits

• MUD\WTR: 1.705M visits

• Better Cuppa: 499,220 visits

• Four Sigmatic: 419,078 visits

When RYZE (launched 2 years AFTER MUD\WTR and nearly a decade after foursigmtic) is pulling 5x the traffic, you need more than good product—you need sophisticated positioning.

How MUD\WTR Responded: Video + Advertorial Strategy

We've tracked MUD\WTR's evolution through Schwartz's sophistication stages over the past year:

September 2024: Third Stage - Simple differentiation "What is the difference between MUD\WTR and Mushroom coffee?"

December 2024: Fourth Stage - Mechanism elaboration
"The difference between MUD\WTR and Mushroom Coffee" (technical deep-dive)

July 2025: Fifth Stage - Competitive identification:

• "Food Scientist Exposes Mushroom Coffee Industry" 

• and "3 Lies About Mushroom Coffee"

But here's what's brilliant: While running this video strategy, they're simultaneously deploying three distinct advertorial types that target different awareness stages. Each one leverages third-party blog credibility for authenticity and increased conversions.

The 3 Advertorial Types Driving Their Success

Type 1: Problem-Aware Targeting

"Coffee vs. MUD\WTR" Comparison

Target Audience: People looking to move away from coffee but don't know much about solutions
Schwartz Stage: Problem-Aware
Strategy: Positions coffee as the problem, MUD\WTR as the obvious solution
Third-Party Credibility: Uses health/wellness blog authority to "educate" rather than "sell"

This targets the massive audience of coffee drinkers experiencing jitters, crashes, or health concerns—but who haven't yet discovered mushroom alternatives exist.

Type 2: Skeptic Story Conversion

"MUD\WTR Review: Can It Really Replace Your Coffee?"

Target Audience: Coffee loyalists who are skeptical about alternatives
Schwartz Stage: Problem-Aware moving toward Solution-Aware
Strategy: Uses "reluctant convert" narrative to overcome objections
Third-Party Credibility: TrueSelf wellness site provides authentic personal story format

The Psychology: Instead of selling features, this tells the story of a coffee-dependent editor who "reluctantly" tries MUD\WTR and becomes a convert. The skeptical tone actually increases credibility—readers see themselves in the story.

Key Elements:

• "I'm an audio editor... deadlines fast and furious... I WISH in my studio, so I need way too much caffeine"

• "Instead, it wrecked my sleep and left me feeling more burnt out than before"

• Personal journey from skeptic to believer with specific details and results

Type 3: Product-Aware Head-to-Head

"Who Comes Out On Top: MUD\WTR Or RYZE?"

Target Audience: Customers comparing mushroom coffee brands
Schwartz Stage: Product-Aware
Strategy: Direct competitive positioning against the traffic leader
Third-Party Credibility: PopDust's entertainment/lifestyle authority makes it feel like objective journalism

This is where it gets interesting. RYZE has 5x MUD\WTR's traffic (6.992M vs 1.705M visits), but MUD\WTR isn't backing down—they're going head-to-head using sophisticated comparative positioning.

[Competitor] Type 4: The Strategic Counter-Attack

Better Cuppa's "Top 5" Rankings

Here's where the market dynamics get fascinating - and where we see MUD\WTR's own strategy being used against them. Better Cuppa (with just 1/5th of MUD\WTR's traffic) is using the exact same competitive positioning strategy that MUD\WTR uses against RYZE.

Target Audience: Solution-aware customers researching options
Schwartz Stage: Solution-Aware moving toward Product-Aware
Strategy: Upstart positioning itself above established players
Third-Party Credibility: "Independent review" format borrowed from consumer report sites

The Strategic Mirror: Just as MUD\WTR (1.7M visits) boldly competes against RYZE (6.9M visits), Better Cuppa (499K visits) is boldly attacking MUD\WTR. This shows how sophisticated competitive positioning has become—small players are using the same Schwartz-based strategies to challenge bigger competitors at every level.

The Genius of Multi-Stage Targeting

What makes MUD\WTR's strategy brilliant is how they're simultaneously addressing multiple awareness stages:

• Problem-Aware: Coffee comparison content

• Problem/Solution-Aware: Skeptic story conversion (TrueSelf)

• Solution-Aware: Educational exposé videos

• Product-Aware: Direct RYZE comparisons

• Most Aware: Technical scientific breakdowns

Each advertorial type leverages third-party authority to remove the "salesy" feel while systematically building preference for MUD\WTR across the customer journey.

What This Means for Your Marketing

MUD/WTR’s mushroom coffee advertorial strategy reveals four critical insights:

1. Multi-stage targeting is more effective than single-awareness approaches

2. Skeptic stories can overcome resistance better than direct sales approaches

3. Third-party credibility amplifies competitive positioning

4. Strategic mirroring - successful competitive strategies get copied at every market level

5. Smaller players can challenge giants with sophisticated awareness-based strategy

6. Video content + advertorials create a comprehensive competitive moat

In a $4+ billion market moving at this speed, the brands that understand customer psychology and awareness stages are the ones capturing market share.

The big question: Are you targeting just one awareness stage, or building a comprehensive strategy like MUD\WTR?

We go into deep detail on this strategy - plus analysis of both MUD\WTR's flagship product funnel AND their new protein launch funnel - inside this Funnel of the Week Members Area breakdown.

Not yet a member? Go here to get access.

Already a member? Here’s a direct link to the content.

Have a great week!

The Funnel of the Week Team

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