Grant Gillespie

Is Health & Wellness a Confusing Category for Consumers? Here’s My Take. In the ever-evolving landscape of consumer products, health and wellness as a category remains problematic. The issue? These categories are not interchangeable, nor are they in sync when it comes to consumer priorities. The result is confusion—and brands are left chasing trends rather than forging their own identity. So what’s the solution? Brands need to pick a lane and stick to it. Following outdated buyer/retailer categories, where buyers only handled certain categories, is no longer relevant. The market has evolved, but have we? Let’s talk fragrance. Another category that needs a fresh perspective. Fragrance is still often positioned as part of wellness, yet traditional fragrances are rooted in beauty, not wellness, and likely always will be. It’s time we start treating them as such and stop blurring the lines for consumers. At ADORAtherapy, we’ve always believed in the power of aromatherapy to heal and elevate wellness—but not all fragrances are designed for that. It’s about time we differentiate. #HealthAndWellness #FragranceIndustry #ConsumerConfusion #BrandStrategy #ProductDevelopment #Aromatherapy #WellnessJourney #FragranceInnovation #beauty #beautytrends #healthandwellness

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It's tough when one consumer can have such a hugely detrimental impact on a brand's reputation (of note: the consumer in this case is also a lawyer). But my takeaway from this article isn't about Poppi and their gut health claims - it's that OLIPOP PBC is proving over and over that they're better marketers than any other brand in the category. Here's why: 1. They simply have a better-for-you product with more prebiotic fiber and less sugar on average. 2. They took the extra step to get third-party certification of their health benefits and boiled that down into a simple key message. 3. When Olipop could've been lumped in with Poppi in this lawsuit conversation, they've got a marketing/PR team and CEO ready to jump in to clearly articulate their differentiation. This is a great lesson in PR and crisis comms and a good reminder to be sure your product differentiation is clear, and that your brand leaders are ready to jump into a potentially disastrous conversation to manage your brand's reputation at a moment's notice. #PR #CrisisCommunications #CPG #Marketing

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AI in Retail: Bridging the Gap Between Ambition & Readiness for Generative AI I recently spoke with Michelle Pacynski, Ulta Beauty & Mike Dupuis, SPARC Group LLC about this topic. Before diving in, I find it helpful to ground the conversation in recent data: 1. According to a recent Forbes estimate, the AI market size is expected to reach $407 billion by 2027. 2. A global Accenture study (July) highlights that: - Companies with strong digital capabilities (data, cloud, security, etc.) are reinventing 2x as many functions with AI & are expected to drive 2x the value creation. - 50% of executives believe they can scale generative AI across their enterprise within 6-12 months, but only 13% are confident they have the right data strategies & digital capabilities to fully leverage GenAI. Why the gap? These insights set the stage for a deeper conversation. Here are some key themes we explored: 1. AI integration frameworks they've adopted: - Assist, Augment, Automate – This framework has helped categorize the 15-20 AI pilots running at any given time. It has especially reduced the pressure to automate everything right away, allowing teams to focus on assistive & augmentative use cases first. 2. Real-world AI implementation examples that required process changes & KPI definition: - Leverage GenAI from your SMS partner to create new audiences & test custom messaging. Process changes included: new workflows for both internal & external teams. KPIs: # of new customers acquired & conversion rates. - Launch a GenAI conversational experience during peak sales to manage case loads, while ensuring real humans are available for more complex queries. Process changes included: customer query routing & escalation procedures, with KPIs focused on # of cases resolved to satisfaction, incremental revenue from case resolutions etc. 3. Keeping up with the evolving world of AI: a) Follow key professors like Ethan Mollick & Stefano Puntoni b) Stay close to the VC community to learn about emerging applications & how people are thinking about the future c) Access to product engineers & innovation through involvement on Boards (e.g., Cordial) d) Attend key tech events like CES and SXSW. 4. How AI can transform retail, from customer experience to back-end operations: - Use weather data to inform inventory buying & planning, ensuring customers get the products they want in the channel they prefer. - The retailer that best uses GenAI applications to develop personalized & on-brand communication with customer segments will create the most value. c) Empower consumers to virtually try on products & learn more about them, both online & in-store. Finally, some questions to consider: - I wish consumers knew AI… - I wish regulations did… - I hope someone develops… There’s no doubt that AI is omnipresent, but achieving meaningful impact requires strong digital strategies, partnerships, and a sharp focus on data governance. #AI #Innovation #Transformation #Leadership

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Marketing today can feel like navigating a maze. But what if you had a guide to show you the way? LiveRamp’s eBook “Demystifying Match Rates: Getting to What Really Matters” covers what you need to know to navigate the digital landscape: 💸 Maximize your ad spend 📊 Understand essential metrics beyond just match rates 🤔 Ask the right questions to evaluate data collaboration partners https://bit.ly/3XyhMyJ

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Subject: Exciting Partnership Opportunity with ZIPPYAR STICKERS To: Macy's TJMaxx Whole Foods Market Costco Wholesale CVS Pharmacy Walgreens Kroger Kohl's Products Buyers, and ALL. This is an Open Retail Stores Ivitation. I’m reaching out to introduce you to an exciting new product that I believe would be a fantastic addition to your Retail offerings—ZIPPYAR STICKERS. Imagine giving your customers the ability to personalize any item with their favorite videos or music, all without the need for social media. ZIPPYAR STICKERS empowers consumers to transform everyday objects into unique expressions of creativity. Here’s why ZIPPYAR STICKERS stands out: 🌳 Safe & Private: We take privacy seriously. With features like password protection and end-to-end encryption, your customers can create and share their personalized content with complete peace of mind. 🌳 Green Technology: No batteries required and zero impact to products or printed media recycling abilityw 🌳 Limitless Creativity: From gifts to home decor, ZIPPYAR STICKERS allow for endless customization, making every item special and memorable. 🌳 Market Demand: As consumers increasingly seek innovative ways to express themselves, this product aligns perfectly with current trends. Adding ZIPPYAR STICKERS to Target’s shelves could attract a diverse range of customers eager for unique, personalized products. Design and Packaging of these stickers are customizable according to stores target audiences. Are you looking for innovative products to introduce to your customers? So lets bring ZIPPYAR STICKERS to your Store! Please connect with me on LinkedIN and DM so we can engage. Best regards, Angelica F. White founder & CEO ZIPPYAR #retail #nrf #stores #buyers #innovativeproducts

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Fascinating discussion around sources of growth from illicit market and substitute categories such as alcohol - data doesn't seem to be robust yet Curaleaf sees 2024 as a ‘catalyst year’ Brand growth Pharma & healthcare (general) Nicotine It is poised to be a catalyst year for cannabis company Curaleaf, according to its chairman, as more adult use opportunities open up in the US and as medical use opportunities grow across Europe.  “I expect a strong growth trajectory as we have yet to see what unconstrained demand looks like,” Boris Jordan told an earnings call. What’s happening  Curaleaf believes it is “uniquely positioned” to tap new or forthcoming adult use states such as New York, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. Curaleaf’s international business grew 63% year-over-year in Q4, driven by strength in medical cannabis in the UK, Germany and Poland; it is also building brand awareness in Switzerland and Sweden. Recent reforms in Germany have the potential to boost patient numbers fivefold or more, as doctors are able to write more prescriptions and as insurance companies start to pay for those prescriptions. Building physical and mental availability  Curaleaf is confident that its supply chain is in place across the US and Europe. In a market like Poland, where registering strains can take up to 18 months, it’s using that time to build awareness and “cement Curaleaf as the top cannabis brand in the country”. Curaleaf’s retail business passed $1bn in 2023, with 62% of that coming from its branded products sold through its own stores. It sees a significant wholesale opportunity as more independent stores open in newly deregulated states; it values New York alone at between $5bn and $6bn. The company believes it is winning customers from both the illicit market and from substitute categories like alcohol. [Although the CEO of Brown-Forman said recently that they’ve extensively studied how cannabis affects alcohol consumption and “have never been able to find a state where we saw reduced alcohol consumption based on it going legal”.]

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Getting into a retailer like SEPHORA is a huge accomplishment. Once small brands get that initial yes they quickly get hit with the reality that they are in direct competition with 100s of other companies. Some of that competition is going to be multi-national companies that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to support their brand’s success in Sephora alone. Indie brands cannot compete with that kind of financial power. It’s one of the reasons I support the merchandising effort this retailer has done under The Next Big Thing. The section highlights many of the new entries coming into the retailer. It gives a collective nod to the underdogs. It also becomes a pivotal benchmark for how much product will be sold from those shelves. Products that do well in this section...stay in the store. Products that do not sell well in this section....get discontinued from the store. I encourage customers to seek out The Next Big Thing sections in Sephora. There are separate sections for skin care and hair care in each store nationwide. Black and brown founded brands are being highlighted here. They must be supported to survive. #IndieBeauty #BlackBeautyBrands #Sephora

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🔍👂 Do you listen to your customers? 👂🔍 Most companies would, of course, say yes to that question. But do they truly listen to the millions of voices expressing their hopes, needs, wants, and feedback on brands and experiences every day? There are some companies that work to master how to fully tap into social listening for business value creation, competitive intelligence, and understanding significant consumer truths. But there are many who haven't. The potential is vast, and there are many use cases: Understanding Future Trends and Evolving Needs: 🎯 Tap into a social media intelligence solution to continuously uncover what is happening in the market and how market and consumer trends are evolving. Use the insights gained to fuel relevant opportunities and prioritize them in line with business development goals. Understanding Brand Strength and Reputation: 🌟 Monitor how the brand is perceived by both the broader audience and your specific target audience. 📊 Track evolving concerns or crises and clarify the brand’s strengths in associations and attributes compared to key competitors. 📈 Use this information to refine brand and communication strategies and to manage consumer sentiment for PR and reputation purposes. Creating Sharper and More Relevant Content: 📝 Leverage social listening to gain clarity on the topics and themes that resonate with consumers. Utilize these insights to craft messages that will immediately resonate with your audience. Fueling Category Growth and Experience Strategy: 🌱 Social intelligence provides valuable clues for category growth plans. Pay attention to engagement and excitement levels to determine the direction the category should evolve for future growth. Where do we choose to impress the consumer the most? What touchpoints matters most and what channels do we choose? Improvements to the Product Portfolio: 🛒 Track what consumers share about your products to gain an immediate source of data to inform your organization. 💎 This is a real treasure for product and category managers who can identify product improvement needs or enhance the overall experience through better product content and communication materials. Social listening provides an absolutely vast resource to support business growth. However, be cautious not to limit its potential to just one or two use cases. Understand its multifaceted benefits and choose your tools and solutions wisely. Anything else to comment on these business opportunities by the expert social listening expertise network at BSH Home Appliances Group? 😊 Nathalie T. Veronika Platschka Marleen Kolleck Didem Yücesoy Ingrid Huth Petros Isaakidis Ariane Mertens Yuan Yuan Ngan Nguyen Sophia Katerna Dr. Rahim Malekshahi Dr. Marina Lang #consumerexperience #consumerlistening

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🏅 PowerBar: The Brand That Fueled a Revolution 🏅 When you think of an energy bar, it’s easy to forget there was a time when such a thing didn’t exist. That was until 1986, when Brian Maxwell, a Canadian athlete, along with Jennifer Biddulph, a nutritionist, and Mike McCollum, formulated a game-changing recipe in Maxwell’s own kitchen in Berkeley, California. What started as a vision to provide endurance athletes with the right fuel for competition sparked the creation of PowerBar – the original energy bar that paved the way for what is now a multi-billion-dollar market worldwide. 🌍 From those humble beginnings: $55,000 in seed money launched the company. PowerBar grew to $150 million in sales before being acquired by Nestlé in 2000 for $375 million. After years of evolution, PowerBar is now proudly part of the Premier Nutrition Company, LLC, continuing its mission to fuel athletes and active individuals around the world. 💡 PowerBar’s Impact: It wasn’t just a product; it was a pioneer that defined a new category of sports nutrition. It’s been trusted by ultramarathoners, cyclists, and endurance athletes for nearly four decades. The brand’s legacy continues to inspire new innovations in active nutrition. Today, as Head of Brands & Communications for Active Nutrition International, I’m honored to be part of this incredible journey of a brand that continues to evolve, empower, and fuel performance for athletes everywhere. PowerBar’s story is a testament to the power of innovation, passion, and perseverance. From the kitchen counter to global markets, it remains a symbol of endurance and energy. 🔗 How has PowerBar fueled your journey? I’d love to hear your stories and experiences! #PowerBar #SportsNutrition #BrandLegacy #Innovation #ActiveNutrition #FuelYourPassion #Endurance #EnergyBars

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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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The headline this week is "Consumer Confidence versus the Confident Consumer." Consumer Confidence: Black Friday vs. D11 Insights The Black Friday Directors Lunch at The Dorchester hosted by IMRG , they reported that traffic and revenue remained broadly flat YOY, while conversion rates were strong across the 200+ brands in their portfolio. Profitability emerged as a key indicator of success for Black Friday this year. Matthew Walsh Andy Mulcahy Hopefully, this sums up your 100+ slide deck from the event 😊 Forbes highlighted earlier in the month a shift in consumer sentiment, blending excitement with caution. Consumers are adopting a more thoughtful approach to spending and categories that matter to them. Insights from this year's Double 11 (Singles' Day) shopping festival, shared by 'Jing Daily, highlighted evolving consumer behavior in China. Key themes included personalization, sustainability, and the rise of domestic brands driving success across major platforms in Asia. Zarina Kanji shared valuable insights on this festival in her LinkedIn round-up post, which is definitely worth reading. With this in mind, and reflecting on my conversations with Janis Thomas Sally H. Ash Madhav Hannah Hooton earlier in the day, I considered "The Confident Consumer." With the emergence of the confident consumer, their focus is on value for money, health & well-being, exceptional service and experiential shopping experiences ( online & offline ) I had the pleasure of concluding the day at AllBright listening to a fireside chat featuring Tiwalola Adebayo (née Ogunlesi). She emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and developing daily practices that integrate health and well-being, which aligns with the mentality of a "confident consumer" who values exceptional experiences online and offline. Billie O'Connor thanks for the breakfast chat! Zarina Kanji for accepting the AllBright invite! #ecommerce #insights #customer #digital #insights #networking

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More great insights from Lisa Cole. Great discussion on the post as well. I know we can all relate! Please share your thoughts and solutions you have been able to use to improve marketing investments at your company?

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Almost every CPG brand and manufacturer I've worked with has these 3 problems -lack of patience -limited technical knowledge -reliance on relationships vs data You can be patient AND move quickly if you learn how to plan and stop pretending your scrappiness is a competitive advantage You can build on technical familiarity to become a SME, if you are offered the resources and take it seriously Most client<>supplier relationships are great when its easy, has yours been challenged? Slow is steady, steady is smooth, smooth is fast In the startup environment, you have a new business every day and making decisions with incomplete information is sometimes worth the risk I get it and I agree to some extent After all, we're a startup too When you STOP being a startup, but still behave like one, you are playing with people's lives at a massive scale Take the time to do things right If you miss opportunities because you weren't prepared with data, documentation, etc., that's not the fault of your quality and compliance team in many startup environments It's the fault of your CEO for not taking those functions seriously until it's too late Patience, technical training, and data-driven decisions can save your business and maybe even a life or two And that's pretty cool #quality #compliance #manufacturing #CPGindustry #dietarysupplements #foodandbeverage #cosmetics #beautyindustry #food

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“Ooh that’s a sexy p-value” 😘 is something I never thought I would say.  But I can’t help myself.  As we are getting results from a long clinical study, this confirms the powerful impact of Goode Health.🔥  I’m sure the other stat nerds in the audience get it, but in layman’s terms, p-value is the measure used to determine whether what you’re seeing is random chance or legit.  So for instance, if a study says a product will do something good for you and the p-value is low (below 0.05), it actually does it! This is important in an era of transparency 🔍 as many nutrition brands don’t even study their products and how they impact human health, or even worse, they do a study but hide things like poor p-values showing their products don’t actually work! 😡 Unfortunately, I cannot share the full results until we publish, but this is key: We partnered with a major Texas university who led this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, and it was overseen by an independent review board.  At the conclusion, the study showed a p-value of 0.03, meaning the results are highly significant and the massive health improvements seen in participants was not due to random chance. ✅ Quick tip - before using any supplement, go beyond simple ingredient panels and check the DATA they have:   - If no human study has been done, run. - If no p-value below 0.05, run. - If no Medical Board to review it all and make sure the company stays accountable, run. Or walk on over to Goode Health and give us a try today 😀🥛 #nutritiontransparency #nutritioninnovation

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Do you want an easy button for e-commerce success? Take it from the CEO of Bausch and Lomb Brent Saunders: "Brent Saunders, CEO of eye-health company Bausch + Lomb Corp. and an investor in Gomez’s Wondermind startup, said there’s a key factor for her success: authenticity." Bloomberg published a piece about Selena Gomez being a billionaire in her 5-year-old! Cosmetics brand Rare Beauty. Authenticity is hard to master and it isn't all one thing when it comes to your brand. Some big pieces of authenticity you always have to work on: 1. How you speak to your customers and what you say to them. 2. How you use your products or don't. 3. What products you choose to carry. https://lnkd.in/gedqy5Aa

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CPG marketers and founders dominate my feed Some post incredible tips and tricks about how to succeed in this space It’s awesome Two things are usually missing in their tips and tricks: -quality -compliance If you want to learn about LTV, CAC, AOV, other fun acronyms, there are plenty of fish in the sea here If you want to learn about what regulations apply to your business, how to stay compliant AND profitable, all while continuously improving your product or service through quality management… ⬆️ Hit that follow button ⬆️ Turn on notifications ⬆️ Join the revolution Qualitas Executive Group #quality #compliance #manufacturing #qualitymanagement #dietarysupplements #cosmetics #beautyindustry #foodandbeverage #consulting

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I'm trying to follow more CPG / ecomm folks to learn from them! Who are your favorite follows in CPG and Ecomm? Please tag them here!

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