John Maitrejean

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

13

3 Comments

If there's one thing I love, it's a good collabo. From music to sneakers to fashion to beauty, the more unexpected the union, the more likely it is to pique my interest...and be hella cool. When it comes to branding, collaborations can be a secret weapon to break through the clutter and stand out in the crowd. Cross-industry partnerships can transform everyday products into must-have, limited-edition treasures. They bring an unexpected flair to the ordinary and make products feel fresh, exclusive, and enticing to consumers seeking something unique. Recently, I was watching TV with my 13-year-old daughter and she said, "Mom, I can't help but notice all the brand partnerships the movie Wicked has out there! Have you seen them? They are everywhere and I can't wait to see this movie when it comes out!" After pausing for a moment to realize that I have legit turned my child into a mini-me brand manager, I digested what she said and realized that Wicked is, indeed, painting the town green! They are building buzz in everything from retail at Target to makeup collections at Ulta Beauty to apparel lines at Aéropostale and Gap. It has made me think holistically about brand partnerships done well... they amplify reach, combining audiences and creating fresh, buzzworthy experiences for target consumers. The sweet spot pulling on the unique strengths of brands across industries in an authentic way that belnds seamlessly with consumers daily lives. When done right, it will deepen emotional connections with consumers, boost brand visibility, tap into new markets, and create memorable, immersive moments that traditional marketing can’t achieve alone. And, that's what I call a win-win!! Finally, I'd like to take a moment to say "KUDOS" to the Wicked marketing team. I was already a fan of the Broadway Musical, but thanks to your stellar collabos, I have November 22nd on my radar to be one of the first to see the movie! #BrandPartnerships #Collaboration #MarketingStrategy #InfluencerMarketing #CrossIndustry #CustomerEngagement #MarketingTrends #BrandInnovation #ExperientialMarketing #ConsumerExperience #WickedMovie #MarketingCampaigns #RetailMarketing https://lnkd.in/g-Bx_KCf

1

Modernizing legacy brands for a new generation of consumers is no easy feat. Earlier in my career, I was fortunate to work on teams that accomplished that for two legacy Kraft Heinz brands: Jell-O and Crystal Light. Critical to those successes were the same lessons Gail Hollander discusses in this article: * how to successfully update a brand by understanding its role in the culture and category without walking too far away from the brand truth and its DNA * creating winning marketing strategies by leveraging the art (creative thinking) and the science (data-driven decisions); and * breaking down silos to align the entire organization around long-term brand building I took these lessons I learned and recently wrote an article about how integral they also are for building successful CX strategies: https://lnkd.in/ecPhFpMz

16

1 Comment

How well do you really know your shoppers? Today's consumers and shoppers are being presented with an astronomical amount of choice and are bombarded with hundreds of messages everyday. For brands to stand out, we need to evolve our approach and deliver a meaningfully personal and valuable experience every single time a customer interacts with brands. Shoppers expect to be seen and value - This means anticipating shopper needs and delivering personalized messages, relevant recommendations, and offers that speak to their real-time needs. This is where Precision Loyalty comes in.     By integrating diverse data streams—like point-of-sale and shopper insights— PepsiCo teams are focused on building a complete view of each shopper (#consumerDNA, #CDNA) and each store (#storeDNA, #sDNA) to deliver a more personalized experience. By leveraging some of these #Phygital strategies, this can help better value exchange and surprise and delight our shoppers.      To learn more, read the latest #pepviz article (https://bit.ly/peployalty ) about how PepsiCo is supporting different phygital strategies.      #PepsiCoProud      Kate Garner  Risa Andersen Julie Rubin Ellen Webb  Erin Ness Cathey Ryan Sexton  Shannon Amundson Christopher Yemma  Valeria Rivas PepsiCo Industry Insiders

75

5 Comments

Consumers: Spending more to buy less. The study has identified two primary ways that consumer behavior has shifted. First, consumer purchase occasions2 occurred at the same—and in some cases, at a higher—frequency than in 2022, but consumers purchased fewer items on each trip. Units per trip declined by 3 to 5 percent across the grocery, health and beauty, and household categories, outweighing the growth in frequency of purchase occasions (up by no more than 3 percent) in the same categories.3 5 potential solutions in the article could approach how to overcome this trend.

3

1 Comment

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

44

4 Comments

A few decades ago, when I was a brand manager on Pringles (once you pop, you can't stop!), we had a fair amount of influence over what teenagers and young adults thought was cool - especially among German-speakers for some reason :) Nowadays, the who-influences-who relationship has inverted. Appealing to teenagers and young adults means dealing with the first generation to have never known a day without smartphones and social media - and so it is the brand owners who spend their time trying to tune into the online demand signals, not the other way around. Have compiled some observations on Gen Z from our latest Capgemini Research Institute Report in the article that Aiman Ezzat so kindly called out below. The clock is ticking, Gen Z are set to hit their economic peak spending power in a short 2 years time. But if you choose the right platforms, engage early in their journey with authentic in-flow content, and lead with value as well as values - then once they shop, they might not stop!

29

6 Comments

E.L.F. BEAUTY continues to prove why being purpose-led and results-driven isn't just the right thing—it is good for business, too. At e.l.f., we're a different kind of company, and our Q2 FY25 results demonstrate that. We're proud to be the only brand to gain share for 23 consecutive quarters, out of ~1000 cosmetics brands tracked by Nielsen. Our Top Highlights: 🚀 Delivered +40% net sales growth 🚀 Achieved +91% net sales growth internationally 🚀 Increased our US market share by 195 basis points 🚀 Maintained e.l.f.’s No. 1 position for unit share in mass cosmetics 🚀 Continued e.l.f.’s No. 2 position for dollar share in mass cosmetics 💧 Fueling category growth with two of the fastest-growing mass skincare brands 👀 Watch the webcast: https://lnkd.in/ejgpAdQC 🗞️ Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/eHV5aJnA

98

4 Comments

Yes! Every CPG supplier wants to hear that word when they meet with a retail buyer. But crushing a buyer meeting is not easy, and getting that yes requires a lot of work beforehand, flawless execution during the meeting, and lots of follow up work afterward. During my panel discussion at ECRM's Beauty Sessions in Tucson, I moderated a panel of two superstar suppliers that have gotten to YES many times over the past decade: Osman Mithavayani, Co-Founder of Okay Pure Naturals, and Jack Savdie, SVP of Global Beauty Care. Each of them are ECRM veterans (Osman has been to 75 Sessions ad Jack has been to 21), and has seen tremendous success as a result of their buyer meetngs. Both brands began as small family-owned businesses with a limited number of SKUs, and over the past decade and thousands of buyer meetings have grown into leading brands in their segments. During the discussion, Osman and Jack each share their best practices on preparing for, executing and following up from buyer meetings -- whether at ECRM Sessions or in the buyer's office -- and how to pile up those deals consistently. They share tips from their own experience as well as some pitfalls to avoid along the way. It's a long video, but totally worth it! #smallbusiness #cpg #founder #startup #ecrmrangeme

15

2 Comments

CPG Marketing Leaders,   When you’re passionate and driven to make something happen, it’s easy to get too close to it...in life, in politics, and in business.   And, in a performance and outcomes focused marketing world, you need to show clear, measurable results from your brand growth efforts.   But while we Type A leaders are equipped to read both data (looking backward) 📊 and tea leaves 🍵 (looking forward) we don’t change direction on a dime or take big decisions lightly… and we DEFINITELY don’t quit on things.   So, what can happen--and probably has happened to most of us —is 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮, 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩… 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘞𝘈𝘕𝘛 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵! It can feel like parting with a favorite sweater that’s stretched out, tossing perfectly broken in sneakers 👟 that have lost all traction, or tossing the tube of lipstick 💄 you’ve been digging into with a Q-tip (maybe that’s just me).   I’m here to say I Get It…and to remind you of the 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡.   Between experience and lack of bias, an external leader can see the facts and data objectively 👀, ensure you and your team are effectively measuring 📏 the outcomes of your efforts, and pinpoint 📌 what needs improvement or reallocation.   And that’s all BEFORE considering the extra set of limbs and 🧠 cells an external partner brings to the table. Not only can you get more S—t done, you can divide➗ and conquer on the toughest questions or challenges.   This clearsighted approach can even make you look super smart to your senior leadership, who might also be overly vested in certain pet ideas. Do you relate to this? If so, tell me…𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲?  #consulting #brandstrategy #externalexpertise #insights I'm Elizabeth, and I help consumer marketing leaders harness strategic insights to fuel brand growth and market impact. DM me to learn more about the Trend, Strategy, and Innovation possibilities for your business.    

13

12 Comments

I often talk about the benefits of collaboration between value stream partners to help elevate the package design from a branding standpoint, but the benefits of collaboration span much further than just the first moment of truth on shelf. There are so many situations where changes in consumer behavior, environmental and economic conditions, or technology drive the need to challenge the way things are traditionally done. Ecommerce creates new challenges for packaging - making sure the label can withstand aggressive picking robots, accommodating smaller packages as companies move to concentrate sized containers, or designing for the unboxing experience and not just the online visual. Bringing experts together to design with intention gets you closer to truly solving for fitness for use. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gB4YtQZS #ProductDesign #PackagingDesign #Packaging #Unboxing

18

This is a great article by Forbes. What they didn't mention was what brought advertisers to retailers in the first place which was the sales conversion data. While Amazon got a head start on this, it's still shocking how much of the spending they still own relative to products' market share (granted there is the search effect and "halo" of the spend to other channels). The key point of course is the ongoing strategical collaboration and transparency needed between retailers and advertisers.

7

GLP-1 use is changing the way people shop. Users are buying less of some products (like snacks and baked goods) and more of others — particularly supplements that address the side effects of a GLP-1 regimen. Retailers and brands need to keep this in mind in how they engage these shoppers, by tailoring offerings to these shifting needs. NielsenIQ's Yvonne Buisson and Ryan Harkey gave an awesome presenation today on the topic at ECRM's Vitamin, Weight Management & Sports Nutrition Session, and I'll be sharing more details from it shortly on the ECRM LinkedIn page and blog! #glp1 #weightmanagement #food #retail #ecrmrangeme RangeMe

24

4 Comments

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

16

3 Comments

Consumer behavior has never been more fragmented, and ROAS just doesn't work as a way to measure it. How should brands navigate that, especially mid-sized brands with limited budgets? I was lucky to get to share my thoughts at the Encore Leadership Conference by Encore Consumer Capital. A big thank you to Robert Brown for inviting me to lead this conversation. Digital marketing attribution, always a flawed methodology, has suffered a major blow since iOS 14. Up to 85% of U.S. iPhone users disabled ad tracking, according to one source, and Apple controls a majority of the U.S. mobile phone market. That means ROAS is much less accurate than it used to be. The solution is marketing mix modeling (MMM), which used to be too expensive and complex for private equity-backed brands. But Smoketown has partnered with an affordable, accurate and nimble firm called NoiseGrasp to bring those services to growth-stage companies. Here's an example of what we've learned: ➡️ For brands with a significant ecom and brick-and-mortar presence, there is a consistent halo effect, where marketing tactics focused on one channel (e.g., Amazon) also drive revenue on the other (e.g., Walmart). But that impact is hidden from ROAS measures and digital attribution. ➡️ All tactics have a point of diminishing returns and a minimum spending threshold, which ROAS misses. Overspending on the “best” tactics is common. Fragmentation amplifies the challenge. ➡️ Many brands have a tendency to overspend during their peak season when the spending is less necessary, and / or underspend during the “off-season” when the impact would be greater. ➡️ Growth brands often have no understanding of their base business (i.e., the portion of sales driven by the brand’s equity and loyalty), because it is impossible to measure without marketing mix modeling. Base weaknesses are often “covered up” by advertising or trade spend. Intrigued? DM me to learn more about whether MMM could be the right solution for your brand. #consumerbehavior #contentfragmentation #roas #digitalmarketing

15

3 Comments

🏢 Let's not forget about in-store retail which is still a huge part of a brands overall retail media strategy. Peter Crosby & I sat down with Jeffrey Bustos from the IAB and Michael Wessel Esq. from Kroger to talk about the latest in-store media playbook! Be sure to listen 🎧 #digitalshelf #content #retailmedia #instore #omnichannel

14