Jennifer Hirschfeld

This is a great article from BBC about "unhinged" marketing team ups (https://lnkd.in/etQVnmVb). I found it through this article from Morning Brew (https://lnkd.in/epjK7JzX) on the current collaboration between Liquid Death and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream for their hot fudge sundae flavored water. As we get closer to The Flavor Experience, this is a great reminder that consumers are ready for new things. After years of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty, #innovation is optimistic. Innovation should look to the future and provide consumers with something to get excited about. But, how are these extreme or "unhinged" mash ups - and similar innovation that focuses less good taste (flavor...not aesthetics) and more on shock - impacting consumers' relationship with flavor? If you're attending Flavor, you'll find out in my mainstage presentation. #foodandbeverageindustry #restaurants #foodservice #hospitality #consumerbehavior #consumerinsights #menumattersllc

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Gen Z is calling BS on your content 🙅‍♀️ This new data shows how they buy: Archrival's latest study 👇 🤨 70% of Gen Z only trust brands after doing their OWN research 😠 56% say brands often lie about products & services What this means: You need content from: 1. Creators 2. Customers 3. Influencers → TALKING about your products Try these formats: 1. "Try on" videos 2. Customer reviews 3. "Unbox with me" 4. "GRWM" (get ready with me) 😉 Would you rather... See a t-shirt on a white background? VS Styled 3 ways by a real person? Read a Roomba product description: about how it can navigate your living room? VS See a video of it in action. Skirting around a chair. (With a cat on top) 😃style points Gen Z has entered the chat. And they demand REAL content. Because how they buy is different. Your marketing needs to match that energy. P.S. What generation are you? 👀 Liked this? ♻️ Repost to share. #samansami #sales #marketing #advertising #markets #national #innovation #motivation #humanresource #hr #coach #leader #fmcg #update #follow #up #networking #connection #manager #management #leadership #update #retail #business #moderntrade #trademarketing #specialist #update 

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Diageo doubles down on non-alcoholic spirits with the acquisition of Ritual Zero Proof & now owns three of the five world's largest non-alcoholic spirit brands Ritual Zero Proof was founded in 2019, and became the #1 non-alcoholic spirits player in the US after joining Diageo’s accelerator program in 2020. Five reasons why this deal makes sense: 1) Fast growing: The US non-alcoholic spirits has been the fastest growing category with +31% L5Y CAGR. 2) Incremental: 94% of non-alc buyers in the US also purchase alcoholic beverages, spending on avg $292 more than households exclusively purchasing alcohol demonstrating the incrementality of the category to beverage alcohol. 3) High Right-to-Win: Ritual is already a #1 non-alcoholic spirits player in the US, with a strong market position and tailwinds 4) Synergistic: being a #1 player globally in both alcoholic and non-alc spirits Diageo is well positioned to build on Ritual’s current success and scale it up further leveraging its GTM muscle and category expertise 5) Close to the Core: being a part of Diageo’s accelerator (Distill Ventures) since 2020, Ritual already knows what it takes to make cooperation with a spirits giant successful, limiting risks of integration challenges Exciting times for Diageo 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀: FF&A solves the most complex strategic problems of the world's largest FMCG companies across Corporate Strategy, Organic Growth, Digital RTM (eCommerce, DTC, and eB2B) and M&A. 14 out of the world's 20 largest FMCG companies are repeat Clients 𝗧𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗳. 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗠&𝗔 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄: https://lnkd.in/efD5RNWX 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 & 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ea4gy65y #fmcg #cpg #mergersandacquisitions https://lnkd.in/dXAZQ242 Pernod Ricard The HEINEKEN Company AB InBev Carlsberg Group Campari Group William Grant & Sons The Coca-Cola Company PepsiCo

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Dear budding CPG Entrepreneurs, You can’t afford not to FOCUS on 1 category This business is filled with things you can’t control The Huge companies trying to squash you & a sea of competition that is UNIQUE to each category And You want to un focus and enter more categories? You just doubled your uncontrollable challenges Doesn’t sound like a good move to me 🤷‍♂️ Your FOCUS is the one thing you can control! The more you narrow your FOCUS on one thing The more you can stack the odds in your favor 💰Become the expert 💰Become the category king for consumers 💰Become the master of things you can control ✌️

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A successful promotion takes preparation, communication, and execution. Whole Foods Market executes two promotional cycles each month - July A and July B for example. New promotions drop every other Wednesday and on this day stores transition their old displays for what is newly on sale. Knowing this, a successful promotion begins two weeks prior to change over. During this time, it's imperative that decision-makers in store are aware of what’s coming on sale, what kind of sale it is (TPR, National Off Shelf), and what has been agreed upon in the buyers office. This information helps stores plan more effectively to ensure they are meeting global directives, while flexing their own in-store autonomy. It also ensures your brand is top of mind when store leadership is deciding what brands will go where. Communicating the information once is not enough. It takes weekly reminders and consistent check-ins to ensure that your brand sees the greatest ROI on the promotional spend. The difference between a successful promo and an unsuccessful promo occurs here, in the preparation and communication stage. The execution - the building of displays, the hanging of sales tags, the managing stock levels throughout the whole promotion - is equally important but good execution means nothing if the right people aren’t prepared and informed. The holy grail of promotional execution is when stores build displays and position your brand in prime position prior to the promo dropping. That’s what we see below for our partners at LOVE CORN. This beautiful display at a POP next to the registers is built and ready to go for Wednesday's price change. Fortunately for them, they get two more days of eyes and interest in a prime location, which will only drive their velocities heading into July A. This display is a result of preparation, communication, and some beautiful execution. It takes being present getting dirty to secure, but there’s no doubt - this display is clean. Great job, Chava! Dirty Hands

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HUGE deal: PepsiCo is acquiring Siete Foods for $1.2 billion. Before you doubt that valuation, I’ll say it:  Siete earned their price tag. CPG is hard.  Fundraising in this economic environment is hard. Disrupting stale categories (beans, tortillas, salsa, sauces) is hard. Challenging multi-brand, billion-dollar companies is very hard. Winning market share in salty snacks (chips) is very very hard. Building a multi-category food brand is very very very hard. Getting acquired by your biggest competitor – near impossible. All of those accomplishments are a legacy to be proud of. But the hardest work is just beginning. Because now it’s the family of founders’ job – all 7 of them –  To protect the legacy that they’ve built. To preserve the values that made this brand what it is today. To fight for what they believe when literal billions are at stake. Siete Family Foods x PepsiCo, Keep fighting the good fight. #food #innovation #mergers #acquisitions #marketing #finance

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This is interesting US BEER IRI grocery sell thru data from last 26wks Sept 2024 comparing alcoholic beer sell thru vs non-alcoholic beer sell thru where non-alc beer has ~73% slower velocity vs alc beer. Strange that non-alc beer the top 10-50% of beers is only 0.3 units slower vs the top 10% segment(this differs a lot from alc beer which has a 6.8 unit difference). I'm curious if this can mean that there isn't really one dominant non-alc beer SKU on shelf, but the consumer is being promiscuous in buying a few different non alcs brands and/or variety of SKUs when they fill their cart. Anyone else have any ideas on this? NOTE units could be anything from a 24ct case, 12pk, 6pk, 4pk, or even a single unit so need to make some assumptions where for non-alc beer the typical retail format is a 6pk or 12pk so the top 10% sales velocity is 3.3 units/week could equate to 20-40 cans/bottles per week. Either way some interesting data to benchmark your sales off prem.

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PepsiCo, a CPG giant, reformulated the famous brand Doritos to make them non-HFSS (high-fat salt and sugar). They are also in the talks to acquire Siete Family Foods for $1.2 billion. There are many other companies working towards getting in the non-HFSS zone for the changing consumer demand and meet the regulatory requirements. Is your portfolio high on #HFSS? Speak with one of our specialists at ChemBizR, to learn more about the ideal ingredient makeover for your portfolio. Pranay Jajodia Cargill, dsm-firmenich, ADM, IFF, Ingredion Incorporated, Kerry, Tate & Lyle, Tate & Lyle Sugars, FrieslandCampina, FrieslandCampina Ingredients #sugarreduction #salreduction #highfat #nonhfss #fda #foodindustry #foodnutritionandbeverages

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The plant-based milk sector has a new alternative from Força Foods LLC entering the category — watermelon seed milk. #foodbusiness #corporatestrategy https://ow.ly/WOMt50UanhM

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Sorel: The ULTIMATE Modifier I'm about to say The Quiet Part Out Loud: the liquor industry has a problem nobody talks about: Alcohol (in its pure form) doesn't taste good. This is because the sense of taste is designed to detect poison. Over the millennia, the knowledge that alcohol is poison has dismayed humans, little. As a species we've spent thousands of years trying to figure out how to enjoy the effects of alcohol, without dying. There's a reason why alcohol is a controlled substance; why every bottle comes with a warning. The ancient Egyptians added botanicals to alcohol, creating tinctures. The Celts are credited with beginning the practice of aging alcohol in casks, to absorb the flavor of the wood. Over the centuries the methods of making alcohol more potable has become increasingly sophisticated. Big liquor's solution to this problem is to take vast amounts of GNS and simply add flavor. This is why we have blueberry flavored vodka, cinnamon flavored whisky, and jalapeño flavored tequila. Sorel Liqueur reverses the logic. Everyone else takes alcohol and adds flavor. We take flavor, and add alcohol. The difference in this methodology is what makes Sorel the most versatile modifier on the planet. Sorel does one thing better than any other modifier, in that it masks the taste of ethanol, while pushing flavor forward. Add Sorel to gin, and you'll get more floral notes. Add it to an aged spirit (whisky or rum) and you'll get more barrel notes. Add it to an agave base (tequila or mezcal) and you'll get more fruit and smoke. Add it to other liqueurs and you'll get pure flavor. Don't believe me? Try adding equal parts Sorel and Chartreuse. Or equal parts Sorel and Skrewball Peanut Butter whisky. With hundreds of possible flavor combinations to play with, and how its flavor changes based on temperature, the possibilities with Sorel are endless. We're honored to be included among this list of fine liqueurs. With thanks to SevenFifty Daily and Susannah Skiver Barton https://lnkd.in/ebPgM3Vg #DrinkSorel #BlackOwned #ForTheCulture #Caribbean #Brooklyn

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Not quite West Coast or New England–style, the reemerging label is confusing at best … For a long time, two regionally termed IPA subcategories have dominated U.S. beer cans: “West Coast” signaled clear and bracingly bitter with a piney, citrusy, resinous hop profile, and “New England” meant juicy, hazy and sweeter with tropical hops. Suddenly, however, a label that’s maintained alower profile since craft beer’s early days is showing up on more tap lists … muddying that understanding: “American IPA.” What even is this style? The name suggests some overarching combination of the two coastal substyles, a less-than-helpful and vague umbrella term, or, potentially, its own new thing. The answer, it seems, is all of the above. From the late 1970s into the 1990s, brewers started making IPAs based on their knowledge of English IPAs, but with an American twist. Thus “American IPA” made sense. But two things happened to erode that simple definition. For one, American craft beer took off, and American-brewed IPAs overtook English-style ones. For another, West Coast and New England substyles appeared, further delineating the category. “American IPA” all but disappeared as a label. Now, we’ve started to see the ‘American IPA’ return as a ‘style.” Yet did it ever really leave? While it’s agreed that an American IPA should not be hazy or as sweet as a New England IPA, an American IPA can still capture certain NEIPA notes with tropical fruit characteristics. “It can embody the West Coast’s visual clarity while incorporating the hop profile typical of the East Coast,” says Daniel Sickmen, head brewer at Virginia’s Lost Barrel Brewing, where an American IPA is a menu staple. The “American IPA” label leaves the door open for people to explore some range in terms of bitterness, sweetness, malt character and hop character, and learn what they like. For that reason, American IPA might at this point be more of a vibe than a style. It’s an IPA living in the middle of the tropical-sweet and piney-bitter extremes, open to brewer interpretation as well as to consumer discovery. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s intense. And you know it when you taste it. “The best IPAs are ones we drink with friends.” — Stephen Carter King Read the entire article at: Punch Drink .com Cheers🍻! #ConsumerBehavior #EmergingTrends #BrandAwareness #BusinessIntelligence #Beer #CraftBeer #IPA #AmericanIPA #Microbreweries #Pubs #Taprooms #Brewpubs ✦✦✦ Stephen Carter King Chief of Growth and Marketing and Strategy • Beer Market Analyst • Beerconomy & Co. CEO • Thought Catalyst • Sherpa • Advisor & Speaker sharing beer market trends, insights, forecasts and scoop via The Beerconomist

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Non-alcoholic options aren’t cannibalizing alcohol revenue… ..they’re complementing it. New report from NielsenIQ shows an astounding 94% of non-alc consumers buy full-proof spirits in the same visit. #Nonalc buyers also spend 59% more on Total Alcohol versus those that exclusively buy alcohol 🤯 In other words, they’re your most valuable #customers. So what are some Top Tips to make your no & low options fly off the shelves? 👉 Prioritize: Visibility can make or break your non-alc section. Make sure your leading products are at eye level and place best-sellers from left to right. 👉 Invest in high-impact #POS: Shelf talkers and aisle violators increase awareness and drive #sales. 👉 Display non-alc in a second location: The storefront window, an endcap, case stacker, floor display, and barge inclusion are all great options. 👉 Know your products: There’s a whole array of non-alc products from mixers and RTDs to direct spirit replacements. Do a tasting, speak to your reps, and educate your staff. 👉 Take advantage of seasonal opportunities: The ever-popular Dry January drives huge volumes of non-alc sales during a traditionally down month for liquor. Display non-alc options prominently with Dry January messaging to capitalise on the moment, in-store and on-menu. Even on holidays like Thanksgiving and Cinco de Mayo, you can expect a substantial surge. 👉 Align promotions & activations: Enhance market penetration by aligning promotions with key calendar periods and #innovative product pricing. 👉 and as always, invest in high-quality, #customised design.. What other tips & tricks do you recommend? https://lnkd.in/eyrN6AHB

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Last week, I had an insightful conversation with Joshua Schall, MBA where we explored the fast-changing energy drinks market in the U.S. and Canada, the strategic moves we’re making at GURU, and the balance between risk and opportunity. We also discussed the journey of taking GURU public and how we’re navigating investor expectations to drive long-term differentiation. Tune in for a deep dive into the dynamics of strategy, business, and the energy drink industry!

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The below Global News YouTube video appears to provide tragic information with regard to The Hershey Company owned Amplify Snack Brands PACQUI Chip: https://lnkd.in/d8jtWSDu Additionally, according to The Hershey Company Q1 2024 Form 10-Q: "Our Salty consumer takeaway declined 4.1% in the first quarter of 2024 and experienced a Salty market share decline of 16 basis points. Our North America Salty Snacks segment income was $38.7 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $46.8 million in the same period of 2023, a decrease of $8.1 million, or 17.3%." #Pacqui #PacquiChip #PacquiChipChallenge #GlobalNews #YouTube #HersheyCompany #AmplifySnackBrands #OneChipChallenge #ChipChallenge

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Formulating the Perfect Snack Bar: Key Considerations Despite a congested category, snack bars continue to dominate snacks category. Based on recent market analysis, here are the key attributes shoppers consider when choosing a snack bar: 🔺 Protein Quality: Protein is the top decision-making factor for snack bars, shoppers want a high-quality protein snack to sustain them until the next meal without replacing it.      🔺 Taste and Texture: These are crucial! A bar must taste good and have a pleasant texture to win over consumers, especially for the second time. 🔺 Sugar Content: The amount of sugar is a critical factor, people are looking for lower sugar options. 🔺'Naturalness' of ingredients:  Simple ingredients are important, if more options were available, this could become a significant factor in purchasing decisions. Snack bars are generally chosen as healthier snack options, not as meal replacements or supplements. Crafting something with the right taste, texture, and nutrition is essential for success in this competitive market. #productdevelopment #SnackBars #HealthySnacks #CleanIngredients #survey #novelingredients

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Interesting take on the battle for consumers during months like Sober October and Dry January from Stephanie Cain 👇 Her commentary below with link in comments 🍻🥂🍹 The wine industry has launched an assault on #SoberOctober and non-alcoholic beverages as if the sole existence of the booze-less category is to put a hit against wine. With its new campaign, Come Over October, wine folks are declaring you should grab a glass instead of going sober, because wine brings people together. Instead, #wine should really be looking at their core messaging because that's why wine is declining. At the #ComeOverOctober kick-off party, I had a conversation with a salesperson of a wine distributor. He attempted to be ok with the evolution of wine by explaining that ready-to-drink, single-serve wine brand, BeatBox, marketed to the 21 to 25-year-old set, was crushing the market. He was all for it. While the brand has wacky flavors like blueberry lemonade wine, he felt that every wine consumer “starts somewhere.” It was promising to him because he said they would “continue their wine journey” and start “drinking real wine.” So many problems here but here is the big one: They don’t often continue the wine journey. News flash, wine people! Consumers don’t have time. We don’t desire it. We want to build connections, not spend the evening only discussing what we want to drink. We have jobs and travel and bills to pay and kids and dogs and aging parents and hell, we just want to buy a house. We have no job security. We have been hit with recession after recession. Right now, inflation is making our groceries cost some 40% more. You really think we are jumping at the time-consuming task of learning about wine? Get real. We’ll grab a #Martini. And start ranting. Which is exactly what I'm doing in today's The Mad Ones 👇 Link in comments. #health #wellness #marketing #alcohol #alcoholfree

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