Rob Chester

Strong brands don’t just sell products—they sell experiences, values and trust. The most successful companies know that a well-crafted brand strategy shapes how customers feel, think and act. It’s the ultimate differentiator in a crowded market.

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Curious about how to navigate the ever-changing influencer landscape? Join me tomorrow at Morning Brew's NYC event, "Perfecting Your Influencer IQ" where I'll be speaking with Mae Karwowski, Founder & CEO, Obviously & Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff, Morning Brew about: 🌟 Consumer Sentiments: Understand the current attitudes and behaviors about influencers. 💡 Maximizing ROI: Strategies to leverage influencer partnerships effectively. 📈 Trends: Discuss the latest trends shaping the influencer landscape and how to stay ahead. It's not too late to register: https://lnkd.in/dwvaDSiZ #InfluencerMarketing #ROI #ConsumerInsights #MarketingTrends #MorningBrew

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Amazon's next big event, the Holiday Beauty Haul, kicks off on October 21st and runs through November 3rd. While it’s positioned to capture early holiday shoppers, I expect the returns to be somewhat muted - especially because the next Sephora Savings Event kicks off on 11/1 (for Rouge members). However, Amazon remains focused on its strategy - beauty is one of the few categories that has remained resilient despite inflationary pressures. By focusing on beauty, Amazon aims to tap into a category that continues to see demand, even as consumers tighten their belts in other areas. This is a strategic move to maintain momentum in a high-margin, trend-driven market when many consumers are cautious with their spending. Where will you be doing your beauty purchasing this fall - Sephora, Amazon, or somewhere else?

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Another quarter of significant growth at Instacart - key metrics such as GTV (+11% YoY) and Orders (+10% YoY) continue to rise up & to the right...a huge testament in belief from our Retail & Brand partners, the hard work of our Teams & Shoppers, and of course our Consumers who saved more than ever before and got their groceries delivered right to their door step. 🛒 🥕 https://lnkd.in/eRYYNTU5

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Here at Consumer Insights @ Cohley, we're helping Brands tailor their messaging to be most effective for different audiences. Recently we ran a study for a Hair Color Brand 💇🏼‍♀️ 🎨 👩🏻‍🦰 that gave them direction on how to best reach consumers of different ages. 18 to 24 year olds are less experienced with coloring their hair and are understandably concerned about potentially damaging it. They need reassurance! Promise them minimal damage and that your product will actually help to nourish and strengthen their hair 💪 and provide long-lasting results. These younger consumers are also most likely to be impressed by highlighting your product's high quality ingredients, such as apple cider vinegar. 🍎 25 to 34 year olds are looking for haircare products that are lightweight and gentle 🪶 - highlight how your product is easy to use 👌 and natural 🌿. 35+ year olds are more experienced and have practical considerations - they want to see consistent results, satisfaction in their color ✅, a wide variety of color shades, and no mess! By tailoring your messaging for each age group, you can tap into your audience's priorities and generate more relevant and convincing content.

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A majority of my role at Stitch is focused internally on the Stitch brand, helping to develop our offerings, building out our partner marketing program (alongside my BFFL Jessica Leeds), and finding new ways to tell the Stitch story. But, I also get to work a lot with our customers. I help lead our creative services team and get to work with clients on the creative execution of their campaigns in Braze, I am building out our inaugural Customer Advisory Board, and I'm currently on a mission to help our clients get their work recognized through the Braze Torchie awards. While I absolutely love opportunities to partner with fellow marketers on these fun things, what stands out to me most when working with our customers is actually getting to see my team in action. I cannot stress this enough: our team knows their sh*t 👏 As a Braze user myself, I truly can't envision not having the support of my Stitch teammates. They think through every little detail of how to best leverage the platform, how to get data where it needs to go, how to implement best practices, and are constantly pushing me to be a better marketer. The team has been generous enough to share some of their expertise through our Thread The Needle video series, doing practical how-to videos on things like masking PII data within Braze, configuring your email channel to avoid spam, setting up the Braze / Segment integration, and more. Want to up your Braze skills to be a better marketer and get a firsthand look at how incredible my team is? Be sure to bookmark our Thread The Needle playlist on YouTube as your go-to resource for using Braze. Link in comments. 🔗

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Being a true Desi (i.e. Indian) - I love talking about value. For me, the best dinnertime convos have always been- - you paid how much for what? where'd you get that deal? was it really worth it?! Thrilled that I get to bring this nerdy-value-obsession to my professional life. Next week, I get to be a panelist on YouGov's latest webinar discussion on "How Americans rank brands by value?" Please plan to join for what will definitely be a lively conversation. See info below. #WeAreVML YouGov VML

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Great article from the one and only Rob Hall! Let's get behind a narrative that allows us to "think about the mindset that users are in" versus targeting users based on past browsing history. https://lnkd.in/gpdjNj3s

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There is a definitive shift in the types of people who work for early stage consumer brands as it evolves. When a brand is early on the growth curve, the organization tends to be filled with ambitious, chaotic, scrappy go-getters. People who thrive in ambiguity, and who quickly move from ideation to execution. It’s about testing, learning, and figuring it out as rapidly as possible. Contrast this to a later stage, mature omnichannel brand. At this phase, you just need operators. People who’ve done this before, who know how to take a playbook at execute it. Innovators tend to get pushed out or leave at this inflection point. BigCo brands are the ultimate example of this - selecting people in leadership roles who are master tacticians or operators, but fundamentally don’t understand how to drive demand generation. 
I know which phase I prefer! What’s yours? 📷 an interesting contrast between these two dynamics on an Erewhon endcap. Annie's Inc. 🤝Santa Cruz Organic

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Dan Kenger has helped create the look and feel of huge D2C brands like sweetgreen. Now, he's bringing his same design-forward thinking to healthcare marketing at hims & hers. His team gets that health issues affect how we show up in the world, whether it's weight loss, hair loss, or bedroom performance. By putting real, relatable people in their ads, folks feel a sense of comfort and support from the brand. If you want to see how design can make intimidating topics feel normal, watch the full episode to learn how Hims & Hers is making healthcare feel human for once: https://lnkd.in/djGMdcpU

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Beauty 💄 is Cohley's top vertical and we aim to be experts in consumers' "path to purchase" in Beauty and how Brands can optimize their content marketing strategy to maximize conversion. We surveyed nearly 700 consumers about their Makeup shopping habits and path to purchase. We've identified different priorities for Makeup shoppers at various retailers, empowering Brands to tailor their content accordingly: 🎯 Target: Good Value, Authentic Content, Family/Friend Recommendations 📦 Amazon: Sustainability, Good for Sensitive Skin ✨ Sephora: Attractive Packaging 📝  Ulta: Ingredients List

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Is your media measurement all grown up? 🌱 Take LiveRamp's quick 5-minute assessment to find out where your strategy stands—and unlock tips that’ll help you boost ROAS, engage your audience, and fill in the gaps.https://https://lnkd.in/gafZavdi

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"From Novelty to Nostalgia 💥 🛒 Amidst economic challenges, emerging brands are having to prioritize familiarity over novelty. 🤔 Great recent article from Modern Retail on this topic. A few highlights to share: 💼 Investors and retail buyers are favoring brands that offer comfort with a simpler and trusted proposition.  🌱 Lab-grown meat, once a hot trend, continues to face challenges in winning over mainstream consumers. 💡 Startups are shifting towards basics and modernizing classics.  Focus on innovation with broader appeal. 🍝 Examples include Gorgie's green tea energy drink and Goodles' nostalgic mac and cheese.  📈 Authenticity and simplicity continue to be keys to success for emerging brands in a crowded, competitive market. 🌊 Brands like SkinnyDipped and Gimme Seaweed are staying true to their roots while innovating with purpose. In a world craving simplicity, these startups are paving the way for lasting success. 💪 Let's embrace familiarity while still pushing the boundaries of taste and innovation! 🚀 #CPG #Innovation #Trends #EmergingBrands #FoodStartups #ClassicRecipes #Authenticity #Branding

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A couple months ago, I noted Target's launch of the Store Companion GenAI model, designed to help employees get the answers they need. From late June to last week, Target's associates have already used the chatbot 50,000 times. That doesn't seem like a lot, but remember, the chatbot was only rolled out to some stores, not all of them. What I'm more interested in is how interactions only last a minute on average. That tells me two things in particular: 🎯 The chatbot is good at recognizing different ways questions may be asked, so employees don't have to reword their queries to get the responses they want. 🎯 Store Companion also likely has a high accuracy rate (essential for giving employees the right information, meaning the employee doesn't have to ask again or come back to the chatbot). As Store Companion makes its way to all Targets, I'll be watching closely to see if Target leadership shares more usage data like this. Stay tuned for their next earnings call. CX Dive has the story: https://lnkd.in/g54YfWz8 #retail #genai #generativeai

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In an unpredictable purchasing environment, CPG brands are using innovative approaches to build emotional loyalty. Brands like Hydro Flask, Planters, and Clinique are creating trade-in programs, personalized ambassador initiatives, and enhanced e-commerce experiences while companies such as P&G and E.l.f. are exploring culturally relevant partnerships and leveraging platforms like Roblox to connect with audiences in authentic, engaging ways. Check out Phaedon's latest CPG trends report for our overview and analysis on how some of today's best brands are breaking through and connecting via shared beliefs and cultural relevance. https://lnkd.in/gCmyuhb3

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I've been working through Bain & Company's Insurgent Brands list - a compilation of the fastest growing FMCG companies in the US; and an ongoing theme is hyper-masculine propositions. (While masculine stuff is great, it's certainly... interesting how there seems to be a bit of sprinkling of gender panic / crisis of masculinity in the mix there, at a time of a scarily widening gender divide) To whit... Veteran-founded beans when you want a macchiato but would like it heavily miliitary-coded: https://lnkd.in/dCpDcW3y Flushable dude wipes, for when you want to embrace personal hygiene but, you know, in a chill way https://dudewipes.com/ And hard seltzers for dads, for when you want a refreshing, health conscious beverage at the barbeque but without the (direct quote) "skinny can bullsh*t." https://happydad.com/

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This is a must-read from Mars United Commerce on how to effectively think through your strategy for building in-store retail media capabilities. Check out these 5 questions to ask to ensure you're implementing the right in-store advertising oppourtnities: https://lnkd.in/e99SvsJh #retailmedianetworks #retailmedia #instore #insights #retailstrategy

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