Daniel Mohnshine

Talk about a sweet (and salty) deal! 👆Continues the trend of focusing on strengths for growth in CPG M&A. It's official: Mars will be acquiring Kellanova for $35.9B per the statement on Mars.com. The combined brand portfolios will give Mars substantially greater presence in snacking and confectionary as well as granola/cereal bars. They are building on a solid foundation with equally strong addition: This is less than a year after Kellogg Co. split and only a few months since Kellanova ramped up their commercial activities from merchandising to pack size to a feature movies to forecast an organic 3% lift in sales this year. Brands have been optimizing their portfolios, adding brands to their focus categories while ditching those that aren't delivering: The J.M. Smucker Co. sold Crisco (B&G Foods) and several pet brands to Post Consumer Brands along with other sales while acquiring Hostess Brands. B&G Foods Inc. picked up Crisco from is considering divesting Green Giant after sales dropped 16.9% Post has also acquired some cereal brands, combined with their pet purchases contributed a 23% sales lift in Q2. Having a greater presence in their target categories helps brands hold and/or gain their share, especially private label. The consolidated power and budgets make it more difficult for emerging brands to compete. Makes it especially important that: 1) use social & in-store to build brand/community and inspire/add value 2) ensure packaging both pops on shelf AND is easy for consumers to read 3) leverage retailer programs for increased discovery & trial via secondary locations, flyers, loyalty program points etc 4) use discounts and rebates to drive sales ------------------------------------------------------------- Get more product off shelves and into baskets with the latest in CPG, retail & consumer trends at 10:30am M, T, H & Sat by following Jared Kligerman! Launch new products with confidence & gain market share with Caddle - DM me to learn more. Sources: Food Business News, Food Dive, Mars, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Magazine, Strategy Online #CPG #foodandbeverage #confectionary #petfood #snacks #acquisition

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A really interesting case history on #brandstrategy. ““[Liquid Death] sees itself as a media company first and a product second,” observed Young. “The company’s CEO has said in multiple interviews that you can’t ‘own’ an ingredient like canned water, but it could own a unique brand, wrapped in a compelling package, with a bold point-of-view that speaks to a niche audience.” If this can not only be theorized but also successfully executed for a product most people would see as a commodity, how much more true this statement should be for categories with higher intangible value! #brandmanagement #branding #marketingstrategy https://lnkd.in/eaB8mMmw

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Movie Monday: Have you seen Bull Durham? 🎥 In the movie, Crash Davis advises star pitcher Nuke LaLoosh on clichés: “You're gonna have to learn your clichés. You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends.” This advice also applies to interviews. 🤝 When asked, "Why are you looking for a new job?" 🤔 Remember to stick to the cliches: - I’m seeking an opportunity to grow. - I’m looking for more career growth. - I’m eager for new challenges. Avoid mentioning negative aspects like a difficult boss or wanting more money. Keep it cliché, just like Nuke LaLoosh. 😉 #MovieMonday #InterviewTips

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I deeply respect Mark Ritson but his recent article criticizing Starbucks’ brand positioning misses a crucial point: scale and complexity. His dismissal of Starbucks’ mission as “esoteric” and his criticism of internal input show nothing but a lack of understanding of what it takes to align a corporation of 400,000 employees worldwide behind a cohesive brand vision. Starbucks is not just a coffee company; it’s a global cultural icon. Managing a brand at this scale isn’t as simple as crafting a cool, customer-centric tagline. It requires a delicate balance of unifying internal culture, maintaining global consistency, and ensuring customer resonance. And to do that, their new CEO has to bring the company back to revenue and profit first. Dismissing these aspects as fluff fails to grasp the holistic nature of business challenges and modern brand positioning. A brand like Starbucks must connect with customers AND employees to remain true to its purpose. Yes, simplicity is critical in brand strategy, but to “cut the crap” is not an actionable advice for a brand at this scale. And If Mark were to step into the shoes of a leader responsible for guiding 400,000 employees and millions of customers, he might find that simplicity isn’t so simple after all…

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This is a must-read for CMOs! Mars United Commerce recently spoke with CMOs at leading retailers to hear what business challenges they are currently facing. Michele Roney outlines three key capabilities retailer CMOs must build within their marketing organizations to help tackle these challenges. Link to read it in the comments 👇

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Recently, Catch+Release gave me the opportunity to attend the BRANDSIDE conference put on by The One Club for Creativity in Nashville. The conference was an intimate group of top-notch creative leaders who are working inside brands like Mattel, Inc., Duolingo, and the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association). We discussed the challenges, insights, and strategies unique to in-house marketing teams. Here’s a few things I have been thinking about since I got back: 1. Finding creativity across the “Org Chart” Is the key. Many brand-side teams struggle to identify their own creative talent outside of the marketing function. Corporate silos make it hard to foster the type of collaboration ad agencies have always taken for granted. In-house creative leaders need to knock those silos down and get cross-disciplinary buy-in in order to get to the truly big ideas. Jess Kirkman at Mattel gave a great presentation about how she does this by building a culture of creativity. 2. Attention Isn’t Dead—We Just Need to Earn It. The myth of the 5-second attention span was thoroughly debunked by Clare Stein and Taryn Crouthers of ATTN: People pay attention when we make them care. Whether it’s through emotional triggers, cognitive hooks (“Wait, what?!”), or visceral reactions, great work leverages multiple types of attention to stand out. I recently recorded an episode of Lost In Found podcast with Clare all about this. Stay tuned! 3. Social Listening is everyone’s job. James Kuczynski of Duolingo gave a masterclass in moving fast and breaking the internet. How does his small team make so much culturally relevant work? Here’s a hint from James: “Your next campaign is in the comments.” The lesson: everyone on your team needs to be in the comments too. On TikTok. On Instagram. Every day. That’s where James’ team found “Spanish or Vanish”. Look it up. 🤩 The biggest surprise for me? How much brand-side leaders want to think like agencies while agencies are trying to think like brands. Somewhere in the middle is a new model of creativity, one that focuses less on where the work is made and more on why it matters. Big thanks to the BRANDSIDE community for an inspiring event. And to those of you making the jump from agency to brand-side, let’s keep the conversation going—what challenges and surprises have you encountered? Today, I’m on my way to the In-House Agency Forum (IHAF) in Boston. If you’re going, I hope to see you there! #inhouse #creativity #adnerd

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Jounce Media's newly published State of the Open Internet Report explains the industry’s chronic bidstream congestion issue and how to address it. This latest research highlights the trend toward consolidation we are seeing on the supply side and is a must-read.

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The Mars Agency's Lindsey Simcik and Kristin Wall joined over 800 practitioners last week for the Salsify Digital Shelf Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, to network and gain insights into the evolution of the omnichannel space. Across the different sessions, five themes emerged: 🧠 Artificial Intelligence 📋 Product Quality ⚖️ Data Governence 📊 Measurement 🌱 Digital Transformation Get their key takeaways here 👇

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Love the article and fully agree with everything said about Liquid Death hype (with all mandatory kudos for distinctiveness and especially for a lovely ad with Deep from The Boys: https://lnkd.in/e37ebP3Q). One other thought that resonated with me was about 'product-market fit' concept which I only discovered for myself when I started working with tech startups. For someone who have worked on some of the most iconic CPG brands for the last two decades, and who inherited the classic P&G's belief that marketing should own all 4Ps, the idea sounded completely unnecessary. Why would you try to match the product with the consumer need when you actually should have understood that consumer need in the first place, and designed the product to address it? Sadly, I think this is where the current organisational 'wisdom' is moving — with marketing not owning, or at least co-owning the product, unless it's 'product marketing'. On the other hand, when the marketing is done properly, and the product (and comms of course!) are built on a deep consumer understanding, it still allows the brands to stand out — and ultimately win in the long run. Read this post and more stories on my website: https://lnkd.in/exwcYZQ7

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Have tipping screens led to consumer tipping angst? I argue that several factors are affecting consumer tipping behavior -- as well as their opinions toward tipping -- in this article by Andy Medici. What do you think? #tipping #consumerbehavior #consumerpsychology https://lnkd.in/e_JGW3Q6

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Great and provocative read on Liquid Deaths’s success story. So many insights and examples which are relevant for FMCG challenger brands as well. Mark Ritson claims that “… if you step back and look at the original ‘four Ps’, it is almost impossible not to acknowledge that while the promotional P has its place, the product P is invariably the most important tactical consideration. Shitty marketing can surely kill a great product, but without a successful, product even the best marketing does little other than speed its own demise.” And I fully agree (see my earlier post for details) - so if you’re not yet following Mark, do it asap. It’s worth it (and entertaining). #challengerbrands #productlaunches #offlineretail

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Tim Walz and JD Vance may be running for VP from opposite political parties, but they’ve got one thing in common—Diet Mountain Dew! PepsiCo heard the news and didn't miss a beat, running an ad ahead of the debate that serves up a bipartisan nod to both sides. In a time when brands tread lightly around politics, Diet Mountain Dew’s bipartisan appeal is refreshing, proving that even during heated debates, there’s still something we can all agree on. 🔗: https://bit.ly/484a7eN #DietMountainDew #Advertising #Marketing #DigitalAdvertising

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It was a privilege to participate in this updated study by Prophet examining how leading marketers balance their brand (long-term) and demand (short-term) objectives. Key findings included that there is little difference in the allocation of spending and the organizations that succeed are more likely to have an integrated go-to market approach. You can download the report in the link below or reach out to the report's lead author Kate L. Price.

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near 8 decades of marketing and marketing research experience Steve and I have taught one key lesson ... marketing is all about knowing matters to people not consumers enjoy the series .. more to come

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TWEAKING YOUR RECIPE TO ATTRACT NEW BUYERS? I first noticed this pattern decades ago. Kronenbourg, the French beer established in 1664, was launching “K”, a new beer with no bitterness. Their research had discovered that bitterness was the main barrier to beer consumption. I remember this because it was a big launch and it did receive a lot of media coverage (and perhaps I was already interested in marketing. Or beer. Or both?). Naturally, the new product was meant to convert non-buyers, including women and young people. As a pre-University kid and a heavy buyer of the category (legally allowed to do so!), I would pick up one pack of the regular and one pack of the new K to bring to Saturday-night parties. We quite liked it. Until it was removed from shelves a couple of months later. This does happen a lot. Product variants attract mostly existing heavy buyers of the brand, as Arry Tanusondjaja points out below. Arry is an expert in the area of brand portfolio and is definitely worth a follow. 🤓

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"Lose all the indulgent cock about courage and possibilities and transparency. We aren’t saving the world. We are serving it coffee. Remember that brand positioning, whatever you call it, is what we want our customers to think when they think about us. Nothing more." Brands, know your place. #brandstrategy

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Wing it on your marketing VS partner with an Experienced Marketing Executive? Most small businesses choose the former out of necessity, limited funds or lack of known alternatives...been there, done that! But what if I told you that you could have access to an experienced Marketing professional for a *fraction* of the cost (see what I did there?) Enter my FRACTIONAL CMO service, operating at 10-15hrs/week at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive. AND, my books are open for 2 new clients! Not sure what the difference is between doing it on your own versus working with a partner with deep expertise? Let me give you one quick example: 🕊 Winging it: Trying to post on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, and LinkedIn every day because you saw a reel that said that was the best strategy. VS 👩‍💼 Experienced Marketing Partner: Understanding your target audience and which outlets they use, then creating a focused strategy based on content that would resonate with them on those platforms in a cadence that works for your team. I worked with an organization who used the "most popular" social channels, but didn't know who their customers were, what content they needed to see to build brand awareness and trust or what platforms they used most. We went through a deep customer analysis, including surveys and data analysis to better understand who they are, what they value, and how we can best serve them. From that, I created platform and content strategy to hone in on the most effective outlets and content to grow the busines. As a result, we experienced a 89% increase in social media impressions, 84% increase in earned media and 95% increase in sales leads in 12 months. If you are ready to achieve measurable outcomes with me, DM me or schedule a free 30 min Strategy Call with me today! lysandraweber.as.me

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What I find interesting here is this: People don’t buy a shovel, they buy a hole, right? So, in a world where, as Laura Thomas (She/Her) and Amy Hubbell write “while we continue to crave it, we are agitated by the content we consume”, delivering solutions to people’s problems – that is, shovels to make their holes  – can provide a welcome respite from the agitation. So while you may bristle at the word “joy”, you’d be foolish to dismiss the underlying insight and what it can mean for your brand. https://lnkd.in/gaaS6Ktk PETERMAYER #advertising #strategy #brands #joy

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