Will Hemmings

It has been a long time since I attended a top-notch marketing conference and MAD//Fest London did not disappoint. It was a seriously impressive event packed full of fantastic and thought provoking content, at a super-cool venue with fantastic food and great cocktails 🍹 3 things that struck me the most: 1. AI, AI, AI: all marketers need to understand and know how to use it; it’s not going to replace us; instead it can be an awesome co-pilot and will be especially useful for small businesses without big budgets. 2. The importance of marketing fundamentals: strong strategic direction, brand positioning and differentiation, balancing the long with the short term and seeing marketing as an investment in value and not a cost - ignore these at your peril. 3. It pays to support mental heath in the work place. For every £1 invested in supporting mental health at work, employers get an average of £5 back. Thanks Ian Maskell and @Luke Wilcox for the ticket and great company. #madfest24

25

2 Comments

Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Bryan on his 'The Problem With Marketing' series. We navigated through a maze of colourful stories about marketing mishaps, unexpected lessons, and the importance of brand values. From humorous anecdotes involving alloy wheels and baby bunnies to serious discussions about what marketers can do better, our chat had it all! Tune into this episode for an engaging exploration of marketing’s dynamic challenges.

14

2 Comments

The future of socialising is changing rapidly, and mindful moderation is leading the way. As Speciality Food Magazine highlights (link below), the rise of low and no-alcohol options isn’t just a trend—it’s a lifestyle shift - consumers are seeking healthier, more sophisticated choices. We see that firsthand at Noot Drinks Co. with our biggest sales month ever. KAM Insight’s 2024 report shows that 1 in 4 UK adults are moderating their alcohol intake, and a staggering 4.7 million Brits are now drinking half of what they used to. That’s a MASSIVE shift. The article also points to the future of functional drinks—those that deliver an experience. At Noot, we’re proud to be pioneering that charge. Many non-alcoholic options focus on substitution, but we’re about delivering a true experience. That’s why we created Noot—to offer Non-Alc consumers something better. A drink with purpose. Powered by our trademarked nootropic blend, Noot enhances mood, boosts sociability, and creates a sense of euphoria—just like alcohol—without the hangover. Or better yet, the buzz without the booze. Noot isn’t just a substitute; it’s Non-Alc 2.0 #MindfulDrinking #FunctionalDrinks #NoAndLo #Noot #BuzzWithoutTheBooze Nikki RomansGareth Whittle Christian Barton Kerry Hughes #zebrastriping #beverages #functionaldrinks https://lnkd.in/gk9aTUGY

29

1 Comment

Fighting harder than ever to maintain sales through current accounts? You are not alone! Continuing the GRIPPING serialisation of the latest Kindred survey of over 200 independent drinks brands by CGA by NIQ. The Duppy Share we're investing deeper than ever before in our off-trade partners in order to maintain last year's volume. The value-for-money hunting UK consumer is now buying over 75% of their spirits on-promo (vs 55% LY), meaning more investment than ever to maintain volume. On-trade is slightly different - Duppy's strength is in high volume large venue indies, where we can afford to over invest in epic experiences. Recent wins in Lucky Voice Group, Bubba Oasis | Bubba Hospitality Group, Troxy, The Clockwork Rose, Heartbreaker’s Gentlemen’s Club & Restaurant, Wing Kingz and Natty's Jerk all great examples of deep support and strong high volume opportunities. Expecting to see the market correct itself somewhat through 2025, as our multi-national competitors reduce their overfunding to deliver their sales numbers and the trade reduce their expectations of an indie sector that keeps saying NO to "opportunities" to showcase our brands in front of new audiences for ridiculous fees, and refuse to invest in accounts that aren't driving a profit or significant growth.

35

#tesco hitting 28% market share, whilst #ocado being the fastest growing grocer for the eight month in a row, are the key take-outs from Worldpanel by Kantar's UK market data for 12 weeks ending 29th September released earlier today. 12-wk sales grew by 2.9%, slightly down the last 12-wk period figure of 3.0%%, with Grocery #inflation rising from 1.7% to 2.0% across the last 4 weeks. Tesco’s share has increased by a very impressive 0.6% points YoY, hitting the 28% mark for the first time since December 2017. Between that time and now #aldi and #lidl have increased their combined share from 12% to 17.9%. Tesco’s achievement of regaining their 28% share is a triumph, reflected by their first half results of profits increasing by 10%. #sainsburys sales growth of 5.1% is just short of Tesco’s 5.2%, as both retailers continue to enjoy success from their #loyalty prices and Aldi Price Match schemes. #asda continue to struggle – the implementation of new systems may be one reason for some availability problems seen in stores. #morrisons have stabilised their sales, with share flat YoY following many periods of share decline. The new Morrisons More loyalty prices seem to be resonating with their customers. Aldi’s sales and share decline may have bottomed out. Their YoY sales growth was only 0.3% in July, 1.7% points behind the total market. In this latest period, it is 1.8%, 1.2% points behind the total market. Some great new #christmas products have appeared in their stores ready for the key festive trading period, and right now there's an impressive #halloween range instore. However, Aldi will be somewhat concerned that the gap in market share between them and Lidl is now just 1.7% points. This has narrowed from 1.9% points in the last period and 2.3% points versus this time last year. The #online market grew by 3.5% over the last 12 weeks, ahead of the total market. The UK online grocery market is now worth £3.7 billion with 22.1% of households shopping for groceries online. Ocado are fuelling this, enjoying market leading sales growth of 10%. Expanding their #privatelabel range over recent months may have helped this as they look to offer great value-for-money products. With thanks to Richard Harrow for helping to compile this. #ukretail #supermarkets #competition #brands #ownbrands International Private Label Consult (IPLC)

1,034

25 Comments

N. 1 Marketing Hazard.    A couple of years ago, I took a small team  through a very involved brand planning process for a small (2% of market) brand.   Very different to what we’d done before. We did it alongside different brands for the first time.   Loads of people on Teams. Multiple agencies. Lots of market data. Lots of dissecting. Breakouts with people that didn’t know each other and not enough time to finish tasks we didn’t understand.   New words - ones you would NEVER use if a customer walked into your shop —> Leverage —> Anchor space —> Demand space —> Consumer recruitment   “In what particular part of the morning  was a particular type of consumer  who cares about one particular thing at a particular time in their life  going to drink one particular type of drink?”   Over Engineered.    I didn’t think that saying “I don’t know, they can drink it when they bloody want!” was allowed. So I tried to work it out.    You see, I’d been sucked in.  Maybe this was the grown-up way to do things. The ‘right’ way.   I questioned everything I thought I knew.  Moved all the thinking we’d done around  until I had some words on slides  that the people running the show started to nod at.   But when I presented the new strategy to the board  I had to keep looking at my slides to keep track. Because the words - were not mine.   And when I presented it back to my team, I felt myself sinking because I realised… and then a trusted peer confirmed it:   “You sound like you’ve disappeared up your own arse” 🎤 Words people don’t really say on a page in a format “everyone” puts it in does not a strategy make. The following year, we kept it simple.  Started from what we knew.  Reminded ourselves where we wanted to get to. Decided the most important things to do to get there. Wrote that down. Reviewed it monthly. 🚤 🚤 🚤 Small businesses are like speed boats, not ocean liners, or container ships, like the big ones. Do not look at them. You don’t need the kind of engineering that makes them move. I am not convinced they do but that's another story. Look at your boat. And what it needs to go faster. You know. It’s your boat.   * Do you have someone who will grab you if you start to disappear? * Day 11 of 30 days on #smallbusiness and #startups #challenger #founders #brandstrategy #freelance

26

12 Comments

UK soft-drink maker Britvic plc has rejected a £3.1bn takeover bid from Carlsberg Group , saying the Danish brewer was “significantly” undervaluing a group whose brands include Robinsons and Fruit Shoot. Carlsberg made an initial bid of 1,200 pence per share earlier this month, before sweetening its all-cash proposal to 1,250p, which London-listed Britvic rejected on June 17. As well as producing its own brands, Britvic is PepsiCo’s bottler in the UK. Carlsberg is PepsiCo’s bottler in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Cambodia and Laos. The brewer of Kronenbourg and Tuborg said the acquisition of Britvic would offer it “long-term growth opportunities”. It said it was considering its position after Britvic rebuffed its second bid. The acquisition of Britvic would offer Carlsberg the opportunity to expand its drinks bottling in Britain, for both alcoholic and refreshing beverages products. Interesting to see how all this plays out in the weeks and months ahead for both Carlsberg Group and Britvic plc and what potential wider impact this may have on the beverages industry, across both alcoholic and soft drinks categories. #carlsberg #Britvic #beer #softdrinks #alcohol Lars Jensen Jean-Philippe Delforge Paul Villis Carol Dunne Alison Wilkinson Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder John Savage Farrah Gilsenan Sheelagh Pentony Erlon Pereira Ian Chesworth Marc LEJEUNE Breda Kelly Francois Sonneville Stephen Rannekleiv Bourcard Nesin Jim Watson John Craven Bryan Roth Mark Gallo Erika Minaguchi Kristof König Linda Chatton Gilles Halotel Jerry O'Keeffe Wayne Donovan David Deeley Brian Short Gwyneth Kelly

26

1 Comment

INDUSTRY NEWS - Is sugar the new cigarette? Why you may see new warning labels on front-of-package labelling At Protelicious, we're watching this space carefully and want to make sure we flag up for those concerned about the evolving legal environment around front-of-package labelling, highlighting those metrics that make such a difference to our health. Excess added sugar is a major health risk. “The average North American consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar every year — three times the recommended amount. Citing potentially harmful effects, some public health officials want to see warning labels on foods that contain high levels of the sweet ingredient, similar to ones from the surgeon general on a pack of cigarettes.” NBC’s Vicky Nguyen reports for TODAY, June 6th. Protelicious is here to help those who want to kick the habit deliciously by naturally reducing the damaging effects of excess added sugar, reducing cravings & promoting satiation. https://lnkd.in/eb-fGSpx #WarningLabels #ExcessSugar #PublicHealth #FoodIndustry #NutritionLabels #FoodRegulation #Protelicious

8

This week wasn't quite what I expected it to be, but I've learned so much. I am running a stall for my wine company (www.paradewa.co.uk) at the school summer fair tomorrow, and have set up all the infrastructure to be able to click items to purchase, and then accept payments using NFC technology (contactless). Really understanding the #userjourney was invaluable, and I had something as stake here. It's not dissimilar to the training session I ran last week on Early Problem Recognition. My 8 years in restructuring and my time at Greensill were me going on that user journey. And now I can talk about it, and teach it, credibly and with a unique and lived perspective. Email me on [email protected] if you want to hear more about our Early Problem Recognition training and how we can help you build resilient businesses. And yes, it's a pretty raw video -- I still have a Iong way to go on my editing skills! #alwayslearning #livedexperience

56

16 Comments

This little pie is a summary of how search across channels compares in size, and was based on 5 broad categories we looked at. I am shamelessly posting again, because it's a massive shift in consumer behaviour and opens more opportunities for brands to connect to consumers who are interested in your brand/product/category at that precise moment - searchers! Esp. for the post-Google generation who love search in TikTok. Do you understand Omnichannel search habits in your category and how they are changing? Do your consumers find you? Greenpark

13

2 Comments

Food for thought… £268bn. That’s the cost of unhealthy food to the UK economy, according to this report from The Guardian. At WheyHey this is why we do what we do. We’re on a mission to prove that eating well doesn’t have to mean compromise—on taste, convenience, or nutrition. The food industry has a huge role to play in tackling this crisis. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about driving real change. Let’s redefine what “good food” means—for our health, our economy, and our future. How can brands step up and make a difference? Let’s talk. #HealthyLiving #FoodForChange #WheyHey #realfoodrealpeople #wellbeingnotwellboring

12

1 Comment

The news this week that Carlsberg Group made a bid to buy Britvic plc showed how much category blurring in beverages, is driving total business growth strategy and also M&A activity. I wrote an article in Checkout Magazine on this very topic in 2023: Beverages 2.0 - The Total Beverages Company Beverages companies are looking to align their strategies to market trends and consumer needs and long-term shifts in consumer demographics and consumption patterns necessitate a continual reevaluation of current strategies, this most apparent in the soft drinks category and also in the alcohol category – as alcohol moderation gathers pace. A company's beverages portfolio mix needs to reflect the changing consumer, with an increasing share of low- and no-calorie products and added functionality and address the longer-term growth of great tasting of low and no alcohol premium offerings. High-calorie brands are losing space to water and water-based beverages and functional drinks. An aging population will continue to drive change in the portfolio mix towards healthy aging, such as zero alcohol along with low-calorie and added-functionality beverages, while a younger population want healthier choices that taste great and are environmentally and sustainably orientated. The pathway for long terms success and growth is to offer a wide portfolio of beverages for different consumer need states and occasions (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) creating a total beverages company, with this impacting not just product development and innovation, but brand positioning and route to market to their get their products in to the hands of the final consumer… proving that Beverages is indeed an exciting and dynamic category. #beverages #alcohol #softdrinks #carlsberg #britvic #categoryblurring #strategy #growth #innovation Lars Jensen Paul Villis Carol Dunne Jean-Philippe Delforge Sheelagh Pentony Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder Erlon Pereira Jerry O'Keeffe Alison Wilkinson Ian Chesworth David Deeley Brian Short Bourcard Nesin Jim Watson Francois Sonneville Gilles Halotel Marc LEJEUNE Farrah Gilsenan John Craven Maev Martin John Savage Stephen Rannekleiv Mark Gallo Kristof König Linda Chatton Michel Aubanel Jean Noel Ortal Gwyneth Kelly Sergio Saavedra Rodríguez Birgit Schaaf Barbara Lezzer Magdalena Edyta Przewoźnik Aoife Mc Donald Breda Kelly Erika Minaguchi Mark Allen David Walsh

53

4 Comments

LinkedInLinkedIn News The Grocer Marketing Week Mark Ritson Dean Murley Julie Murley So many excellent insights from YouGov regarding what influences consumer behaviour in choosing their supermarket(s). 1. Price. 2. Proximity to where I live. 3. Carries Products I need (Low / Middle Income brackets) / Wide variety of products (Household incomes of £100K+ specifically). 4. Loyalty Card Programme. 5. Has high quality products (specifically cited by Household incomes of £00K+ My takeaways from this: 1. If price is such a key factor. The supermarket needs to be as efficient as possible through the entire "value chain". 2) Product & Category Strategy is key. Understanding the everyday needs and the role of innovation (90% of new products fail). 3) Loyalty Card - a recent The Grocer Survey found that "special prices" are actually top priority. Again, margin eroding. 4) Brand Loyalty particularly matters to affluent shoppers. With interest rates hardly coming down, the cost of Grocery shopping is fundamental in household budgets, regardless of income. What influences you in your grocery shopping habits? What other macro factors need to be considered? Look forward to your comments. Me? I'm a Sainsburys / Tesco shopper - driven by price & loyalty offers. Product quality natters too. I love innovation as well.

We are delighted to be doing a webinar on food and supermarket data with Neill Sullivan the UK Sales Director of Juicy Marbles and other guests. We are looking forward to showcase how we can add meaning to the supermarket sales data of food brands; explain who your customers are and why they buy from you, build targeting models to drive value and help you solve your business challenges. We will be showcasing our game changing data model and examples of how it has been applied. https://lnkd.in/e2hkwRpa

3

Loved Mark Ritson's latest take on how marketers are overlooking the real "P"—Product! 🎯 We’re all about storytelling and digital magic, but if the product itself isn’t hitting the mark, the best ad in the world won’t save it. Ritson’s point drives it home: great marketing is about delivering a complete experience. Everything matters—the product, the story, the delivery, and the relationship with the customer. It’s time to embrace a holistic approach and make every “P” count! When the product does the talking, brand perception grows, and true loyalty follows. So, while we continue to craft compelling narratives, ensuring our products are worthy of that attention is key. #4Ps #ProductFirst

6

LinkedIn LinkedIn News Marketing Week Russell Parsons Mark Ritson Brand Pricing Caveat, I specifically reference the food & drink sector, as this is the industry I know best. Brand "challenges" are all around us: > Shrinkflation - smaller packs for same price. > Own-label products winning taste tests > Retailers controlling pricing & promotion strategies. In the end they are most interested in "category share" / rate-of-sale and profitability. Plus of course, the thrust of the enclosed Marketing Week article. My suggestions for "brands" - focus on what you are in charge of: > Value Chain: Look through everything AFTER "ingredients": Production efficiencies / logistics / head office costs / marketing effectiveness etc. Identifty savings. > Invest as much of the savings as possible back into product. Surely this is the heart of the brand's reason to exist? Taste / Flavour / Calibre of ingredients. Or if it is non-food, benchmarking with Own-Label will identify clues. In both instances, insights with consumers are key. > This could also be packaging too. Point(s) of difference, such as easy-opening / materials used. > Analyse what your brand stands for - and how this is viewed by your consumers and potential "conquests". Be honest about the perception your brand has. Adopt the "challenger" mindset. I think you get the gist - a "brand" makes-a-difference in the ways consumers gravitate towards. Years ago I suggested on Linkedin that the top 250 - 500 brands should have collaborated to purchase Ocado Group - I just wasn't influential at the time. #brand #consumers #insights #competitors #thinkdifferent

1

Looking forward to presenting this How Brands Grow webinar with Froghop - food and drink product development: Date: this coming Friday 14 June 10 am. 30 minutes long Register to watch the recording. You’ll learn: * how to grow your brand * where new users of your brand come from * how good distribution is essential * and much more! Link to register is in the comments. Come and join me! #foodbusiness #foodbrands #foodpreneur

7

4 Comments

Know Thy Keystone in the arch of Business Empire👇 Nowadays, the consumer expects or even demands a relationship which makes them feel understood, recognised and appreciated. By brands showing their commitment to the relationship via signalling of shared values and an overt desire to forge deeper emotional connections with consumers, they can forge ‘brand commitment’, where the brand feels like the right choice every time and the relationship is symbiotic and mutually beneficial. This, for us, is the new face of marketing & loyalty. #branding #brandmarketing #brandstrategy #brandcommitment #branddevelopment #marketing #entreprenuers

8