John Speranza

Thank you, Digiday and Michael Burgi for this feature on Pathformance and Vibenomics, a Mood Media company! This collaboration presents a major benefit to brands looking to prove results from retail media investments, combining immersive in-store audio advertising with powerful analytics to create a revolutionary shopping experience. Learn more about the future of in-store measurement and how it impacts retail media strategy in the full article below. Elizabeth Johnson Paul Brenner Despite retail media’s growth, in-store measurement is still playing catchup https://lnkd.in/eHUj42i3

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I go shopping every Friday. Well, not exactly.     Every Friday, I go to a different retail store to observe how people shop for and interact with our products, and what they like and dislike.   Dan Frommer's recent trends report stresses the importance of understanding your consumer's behavior when looking at the successful rise of new beauty brands among younger consumers. Brands founded since 2014 now account for 40% of sales at major beauty retailers, and they are succeeding because they focus on understanding what Gen Z and Millennial consumers want – highlighted by authenticity in messaging while actively engaging with their younger consumers.   This shift in the consumer mindset is why I keep going back to how consumer behavior and experiences aren’t static, and how it’s our job to stay ahead of these changes. How do you learn more about the different ways consumers experience your products?

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DTC/Digital Native Brands struggle to achieve scale. CPG portfolio's are stagnating. Consumers are trading down, and retailers owned brands are disproportionately growing. Target, Costco, Trader Joes, and Aldi owned brands are winning. Now Walmart has launched a formidable new elevated basics brand, BetterGoods. The best way to beat the Amazon/Temu/Shein/TikTok marketplaces is to sell products they don't have.

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Recapping the Walmart Fireside Chat from Founders' Innovation Day in NYC, hosted by ECRM. The session featured Amber Bynum, Vice President of Consumer Health & Wellness Sourcing at Walmart, discussing their new strategies for engaging with emerging brands. 🔥 Key Insights: - Revamped Strategy: Walmart is now focusing on more approachable, phased partnerships with new brands through regional testing and online market testing before considering national rollouts. - Philosophical Shift: Amber emphasized a shift from "bringing the world to Walmart" to "bringing the Walmart to the world," opening the door for a diverse range of products and brands. - Testing Ground: Success on Walmart.com is now a gateway to in-store opportunities, highlighting the importance of the online marketplace as a test bed for new products. - Impressive Stats: With 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart and 255 million customers shopping weekly, two-thirds of the products sold are made in the USA. 🚀 For Emerging Brands: - Integration: Evaluate how your product fits into the Walmart ecosystem. - Content Is King: Effective use of content and social media is crucial as Walmart category managers appreciate efforts that drive store traffic. - Sales Impact: It’s essential to determine if your products drive incremental sales and increase basket sizes or just serve as another option in your category. The session provided a deep dive into Walmart’s evolving retail strategy, highlighting new opportunities for brands looking to expand their presence in the retail giant's network. What are your thoughts on Walmart’s approach to working with new and emerging brands? #retail #cpg #beverage #grocery #ecommerce Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. RangeMe Joseph Tarnowski Sarah Davidson Wayne Bennett

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eCommerce & CPG Strategy: How marketing budgets have shifted in 7 years 🔥 Great visual by the Gartner team. Key Questions: (2) ⛄️ How has marketing budget resource allocation shifted in the last 7 years? ⛄️ Are there any consistent themes (spoiler alert — retail media)? By the numbers: (4) ⬇️ Martech: 29.2% to 23.8% ⬇️ Labor: 24.5% to 22.6% ⬆️ Paid media: 23.2% to 27.9% ⬇️ Agencies: 23.0% to 22.0% Stay in touch with our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eMx4Zh2k Ways to reach us: Pattern® The CPG View The Retail eCommerce Club #ecommerce #digital #omnichannel #strategy #cmo #cdo #ceo #cro #leadership #retailecommerceclub #cpg #privateequity #playtowin

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In the world of branded food, a critical gap often overlooked is the deep understanding of core consumers and brand identity. Too many early-stage food companies see packaging as just a container, missing its true power. Your packaging isn't just a wrapper—it's your brand's billboard. It tells your story, defines your values, and sets you apart in a crowded market. Brand identity is essential for distinguishing a brand and maintaining customer loyalty, especially in the franchising sector, where it is key in driving value. A lack of alignment on this can easily make or break a deal. During my conversation with the 1851 Franchise on successful mergers and acquisitions in franchising, I emphasized other critical factors such as a strong back office, well-defined standard operating procedures, robust field support, and a cooperative partnership with the franchisor. At Greenwich Capital Group LLC, we observe firsthand how effective implementation of these elements can influence outcomes in the M&A market. To read the full article, click here: https://lnkd.in/gByQbPGd

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Thanks BrandStorytelling for having me be a part of this fun conversation on how we (brands) can break out and get noticed in todays modern, cluttered, digital content world!

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Dollar General is enhancing its retail media program by teaming up with solutions provider Criteo. The commerce media platform will work with the retailer's Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) arm to support onsite sponsored ad offerings. Through this arrangement, brand partners can access inventory and campaign execution and utilize Criteo’s self-service demand-side platform. Among other capabilities, brands can leverage DGMN’s inventory within their private market through Criteo’s retailer monetization platform. In addition, the technology enables brands to reach Dollar General’s digital customers who often build lists online before making their weekly in-store purchases. Omnichannel insights will be available for marketers to see if sales are taking place online or in-store. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gATgumgr #retail #retailmedia #grocery #shoppers #media #digital

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Building the capacity, namely the team, is a unique challenge to tackle for fast growing organizations like Emily McCarthy + Co. Did you get to listen to the conversation with Emily McCarthy ? https://lnkd.in/ev8GZAJr #retailgrowth #retailpodcast #scaleyourbusiness #smallbusinesspodcast

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Papa Johns $PZZA just released their Q2 2024 earnings report, and it's a slice of reality in a competitive market 🍕. Revenue dropped due to economic pressures, but Papa John's is implementing strategies to tackle those challenges head-on. The company is focused on international restructuring and investing heavily in digital technologies to meet evolving customer preferences. They're also emphasizing operational efficiency and customer-centric initiatives. Despite the headwinds, Papa Johns remains optimistic about their long-term growth strategy. Will they succeed in navigating the current climate? Read More ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gc9Q37bz #PapaJohns #PZZA #Q2Earnings #Pizza #RestaurantIndustry

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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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𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 The rumored interest by Mondelez in acquiring Hershey fits today’s CPG plotline: focus on core categories/capabilities, reshape the portfolio to be more growth-facing, and maintain competitive scale. The Mars / Kellanova deal set the stage, and now Mondelez is rumored to have its eye on Hershey to keep pace. Together, they would form another snacking giant at $50B annually. On the surface, there could be a fit—but not a perfect one - 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 potentially offering sourcing leverage to help ensure supply and manage inflation - 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 that combined increase scale across the store (Mondelez dominant biscuits/cookies and Hershey dominant in confectionary) - 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 where the combined operation would bring manufacturing, distribution, and admin scale advantages - 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬. It’s tough to envision Mondelez finding much value in leveraging its well-developed global presence to expand Hershey’s brands. Hershey licenses Kit Kat from Nestle, so no expansion opportunity there (in fact, Nestle would happily bring this brand home.) Hershey’s two other powerhouse brands, Reeses and Hershey, historically haven’t traveled well due to their uniquely “American” heritage and taste profiles. When you take these 3 brands off the table, there’s nothing that compares to the potential Mars has with Pringles. There is one other major factor— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, which holds 30% of Hershey’s shares and 80% of the voting rights. If there is a deal on the table, they will be the ones to decide if it moves forward, and their motivations are more complex. The trust uses funds from its investments to care for children in need. How this deal would serve their long-term interested is hard to assess. If the Trust does agree to sell, the Pennsylvania State Attorney can still step in to stop the deal, which is what happened in 2002 after public outcry from the Trust-approved plan to sell to Wrigley. For now, we will wait and see. #Hershey #Mondelez #CPG #FMCG #M&A #Strategy #Snacking https://lnkd.in/e_cxz5Yb

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“Sell the sizzle, not the sausage.” As a young brand manager at Kimberly-Clark in the 1990s, they drummed this marketing maxim into me. The sizzle of a sausage is often more appealing to a potential buyer than the sausage itself. Years earlier, the Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt captured the same conceptual essence with “sell the hole, not the drill.” But what if your sizzle turns out to actually be better than your sausage? Well, then you’ve got a painful customer retention headache. People may buy once, but they won't come back for more. Once (they’ve) bitten (your sausage, they will be) twice shy. That’s why your sausage must always be a match for—and ideally better than—your sizzle. In my profession as a motivational speaker, overdoing the sizzle can create what I call ‘continuity errors’; that uncomfortable feeling when something in the performance doesn’t quite fit. The TV and movie industry uses this same phrase to describe filming or editing gaffes where something on screen doesn’t fit with an earlier event. Like when Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, played by Judy Garland, sings with the Scarecrow and her hair mysteriously grows about four inches between shots, before returning to its original length as the song ends. Or that bit in The Simpsons, where there’s a flashback of an anxious Homer talking to Marge while she is pregnant with their unborn daughter Maggie, yet there’s a framed photo of Maggie on the wall. Continuity errors happen all the time in TV shows and movies because it’s easy to miss seemingly insignificant details. And they often only come to light after the show airs and eagle-eyed viewers spot the gaffes. For speakers, continuity errors happen when the speaker’s performance doesn’t live up to the sizzle and hype of the pre-event marketing. Whether that’s the speaker’s website, showreel, or other marketing materials creating an unrealistic expectation, or the event organiser over-promising to attract a big audience. It can feel really icky when what you see on stage doesn’t match your expectations. I once saw a speaker whose online profile picture was so out-of-date I wondered why he had sent his father to give the talk. Another speaker makes a big noise about having given hundreds of talks, yet always arrives unprepared and under-rehearsed. Continuity errors are hard to spot in the TV and movie industry. But they’re much easy to avoid for speakers and other professionals. Ensure your marketing materials are up-to-date, honest, and true. Make your sausage (your content) the hero, and don’t overdo the pre-event sizzle. Give bookers everything they need to promote you before and at their event, and politely request they don’t big you up unnecessarily. Provide an intro script and explain how they should introduce you so they never steal your thunder. A pleasantly surprised audience is infinitely better than a mildly underwhelmed crowd. Try not to overdo the sizzle. A little sausage can go a long way.

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📺 Steve Liesman recently gave a good breakdown on the state of retail, the shopper, the economy on Squak Box. 📊 Full National Retail Federation report for March here: https://lnkd.in/eQS8Vm9a 🛍 In short, consumer spending has been surprisingly solid. There is a risk that it drops, but that is not a weakness as of the latest reporting. 💸 That said, one thing which is a struggle for retailers is MARGIN. Labor costs are up and inflation is hitting supply side hard. Consumers are hunting value right now more than usual, so there is a lot of pressure from both sides squeezing out the margin. This makes it most imperative to align limited resource to sources of value as a retailer. 🔎 I have been developing tools and implementing practices with my data team to empower small business retailers to be able to identify and label the diverse customers in their customer base and execute strategy which acquires, develops, and retains high-value. 💡 We can get through this - we've just got to use our data to focus our resources! #usretail #useconomy #retailbusiness #smallbusinessstrategy

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#Grocery retailers are shrinking their shelf space and it's putting TREMENDOUS financial stress on #CPG brands -- according to a great article this week from The Wall Street Journal. ⚫ Between 2009 and 2023, supermarket and supercenter sq. footage decreased 3-5% ⚫ The number of unique products on shelf were cut nearly 9% between 2020 and 2023 (Data Source: NIQ) Meanwhile, retailers are giving their own brands more "slots" to attract #inflation-weary consumers, making finding a space for national brands as challenging and as expensive as finding a NYC apartment. (or so I hear) >>> SO WHAT? The imperative to maximize brand real estate on the #digitalshelf has never been stronger as a counterweight to declining physical placement. CPG sales and financial leaders MUST take their investment in #rediamedia, #content and #omnichannel analytics way more seriously. Afterall, on the digital shelf: ⚫ Space is unlimited and it's less premium to buy ⚫You can expose consumers to a much larger assortment that meets more needs -- larger bulk packs, variety packs, cross-brand bundles ⚫ You don't have to wait for the annual line reset to change where you're located -- it changes every day and you can INFLUENCE it ⚫ It's easier to merchandise cross category -- In store, you could never put yogurt next to cereal or breakfast bars but on the digital shelf it's possible using display and search ads ⚫ You can be more agile when it comes to optimization because you can get analytics daily vs the typical weekly or monthly cadence for in store -- which is especially critical when launching new products The point is: CEOs and CFOs must stop thinking of #ecommerce as secondary to their physical retail business and instead, treat it like the ENABLER and potential SAVIOR of their physical retail business. At Profitero, helping CPG executives pivot their brands and organizations toward digital shelf excellence is what we do and think about everyday. To read the article, see the link in my comments below (subscription required). Message me if you'd like a copy. 👇

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Be crystal-clear about your emerging CPG brand's end game. There are many motivations that drive entrepreneurs to start and build their emerging CPG brands. The last twenty years has seen an explosion of innovation and new entrants that challenged in some instances shocked large CPG incumbents out of their stagnant and slow growth mode. Changing consumer consumption patterns, cheap capital, low interest rates, social media marketing capabilities, excess co-packing capacity and distributors and retailers wanting to capture new growth set the foundation for entrepreneurs of all ages to enter various categories. Millennial (and now Gen Z) entrepreneurs used their digital smarts to level the marketing playing field with large competitor incumbents. Innovation and marketing experts from large corporations jumped ship to take charge of their own destiny - Some when they retired and some while in the prime of their corporate careers. Following the tech startup patterns and culture….starting, scaling an emerging CPG brand in the hope of a large payday became a credible choice for many graduate and post graduate students. There is a portion of CPG entrepreneurs that want to build a generational business, perhaps start a dynasty or build a long-term business centered on greater purpose and good. Most founders and co-founders that I have met and or worked with want a successful exit. Some are realistic about their prospects, and some are not. A good place to start is to be clear about your brand’s end game and importantly about the realistic time horizon and funding that it will meet against that aspiration and timeline. #entrepreneurship #exits #emergingCPGbrand #CPG #foodandbeverage #scaling

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As we enter Q2 of 2024, I have been asked about key trends relative to the current strength of the consumer in the U.S. Despite headlines showing endless resiliency, we have seen some softness in purchasing behavior on the consumer front, especially in January and February, with a rebound since March.   Q1 also brought dynamic changes in the consumer goods sector's M&A landscape. Key highlights include:   Health Focus: Significant deals like Medbase's acquisition of Zur Rose Group reflect a growing emphasis on health and wellness. Luxury and Efficiency: Firms like Tapestry are strategically acquiring to enhance luxury portfolios and operational efficiency. Tech Integration: Investments in AI and digital capabilities are driving better consumer engagement and operational agility. Strategic Consolidations: Companies are optimizing their portfolios by focusing on core areas and divesting non-core assets. Global Investments: Cross-border M&A remains strong, targeting regions with high growth potential.   Despite economic uncertainties, these trends show the sector's resilience and strategic focus on long-term growth.   #ConsumerGoods #MnA #BusinessStrategy #HealthAndWellness #DigitalTransformation

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