Adam Weber

It's not just noise - market disruption has revolutionized how consumers shop, hail a ride, buy groceries, fetch a meal and even purchasing a vehicle. I'd like to welcome into the FixedOps UX ThinkTank John Schmidt, founder/CEO of Next Level. He’s breaking ground on the mobile service movement with a proprietary platform and suite of solutions that support better efficiency and more revenue. But don’t mistake John for an automotive outsider. He’s got more than 24 years as Fixed Operations Director in high volume, high CSI stores supporting brands like Ford, BMW, Cadillac & Kia. John and I have talked shop before, but I’m excited to have him on the minicast because he’s going to share more on the mobile opportunity and why it’s unfolding right now. #recallmasters #fixedopsux #fixedops #dealership #dealerships #customerexperience #coaching #customerinsights #customerloyalty #customerreview #userexperience #employeeengagement #technicians #mechanics #autodealers #autoindustry #culture #organizationalculture #teambuilding #efficiency #innovation  

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Back in my Interbrand days, we used Starbucks as an example of how to create customization with a streamlined product portfolio and naming system. Namer-extraordinaire Caitlin Barrett had put together a great analysis around the optimal amount of choice for customers that helped clients see that simple and robust are not necessarily opposites. Now the common challenge of product proliferation has turned their pursuit of customization into 170K options that are dragging down their business. It's not going to be just about optimizing the line -- gotta go back and optimize the menu. https://lnkd.in/eyFiwdH5 #naming #namingsystems #portfoliooptimization

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Many brands I speak to have a "toxic" relationship with retailers when it comes to #digitalshelf #content. Too often, the relationship is transactional, one sided and punitive. The retailer merchant says "You're not meeting our scorecard and if you don't fix X,Y,Z, you won't show up in search." Retail style guides can feel subjective, ill-explained and too one-size-fits all to be applicable for all categories. Best in class brands flip this relationship on its head. Yes, they do their best to comply with retail standards, but they also ELEVATE the content conversation by: 1. Sharing what best practice content looks like on other retailers and across other categories that can serve as inspiration (a.k.a. "digital store walks") 2. Commissioning path to purchase studies to uncover shopper needs in the category and inform content & site merchandising considerations and even category taxonomy considerations. 3. Sharing the results of A/B optimization tests or Vizit studies, so merchants can be smarter about what drives consumer appeal & conversion 4. Sharing keyword trends and changes in search behaviors that could inform cross category media placements, or help ensure #SEO strategies are not undercut by overly stringent style guides 5. Asking for access to traffic & conversion data so you can run PDP optimization experiments and scale provable best practices In short: Collaborating with retailers to define content effectiveness is the NEXT EVOLUTION of #categorymanagement. Watch my discussion with Lauren Livak Gilbert of The Digital Shelf Institute to learn more about how to partner with retailers on content 👇

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Looking to grow but can’t afford a full-time CMO? I’ve got your back! Hiring a full-time CMO can cost upwards of six figures annually—risky if you’re not ready. As a fractional CMO I deliver the same strategic value for a fraction of the cost. Key benefits: 1. Access to 20years+ marketing expertise. 2. Rapid alignment with your business needs. 3. Budget-busting! Avoid NI costs. 4. The flexibility to test before committing long-term - an interim contract can remove any doubts you have about cultural fit before appointing permanently. At Pink Umbrella, I craft bespoke strategies that balance cost and impact, perfect for businesses looking to scale sustainably. Let’s talk. ___________________________________ Hi 👋 I'm Michelle, CMO for hire, let’s talk if you need some serious marketing muscle! Marketing, Brand, Leadership, Strategy, Coaching and Board Advisory are all my thing, if you want to hear more make sure you follow me and double click the 🔔 on my profile! #PinkUmbrella #Fractional #CMO #Marketing #Leadership #Interim D10

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Let's talk a little bit about category reinvention. I've seen multiple posts lately handwringing about new category entrants or new categories that aren't "worth paying so much for." One example was a post about the NA beverage category. The critique boiled down to this: why pay a ton for wine that is "just juice" or "cocktails" that are just sugar, water and additives? The author even goes as far as to argue that it's not worth paying for because you could mix mocktails at home by yourself. I don't disagree that flavor and other alcohol-like qualities (bite, burn, etc.) could be improved in the alternatives. And, yes, many products can be (re)created at home with time, money and access to the right ingredients. However, this is part of the growth and maturation cycle of most categories: ➡ New alternatives emerge at a higher price point ➡ Marketing dollars are put behind them ➡ Consumers compare them to the established product(s) they know and find things they don't like & established players fight back with their own claims and content ➡ Even more new alternatives emerge to address the pushback, some at premium price points ➡ The main players add to their portfolios or hold firm ➡ Some brands survive; some don't ➡ The dust settles and the category is redefined to include the alternatives We've seen this before in many other CPG categories when they first entered the market: -People complained about paying more for soy milk in their coffee and even spread false information about soy altering the male body -Natural / non-toxic household cleaners were all labeled as part of "greenwashing" and bloggers argued for making your own with vinegar -Greek yogurt was criticized for having less calcium and for using "fillers" instead of true craft straining technique -Etc Beyond this, it's critically important to consider the role of occasion and brand. For the NA category, holding a sharply designed can in your hand helps you feel at home among hard seltzer and beer drinkers, even if the taste or burn isn't the same. And let's not forget brand - that ephemeral, magical something - that makes old and new players alike unstoppable, even if the product itself isn't drastically new(hello, Liquid Death!) When I was pregnant, I too sought meaningful alternatives to drinking alcohol. Some were great in taste; some weren't. Some gave me a booze-like mouthfeel; others didn't. But I certainly had more options than a person in my shoes 5 years ago. And as both a consumer and marketer, I'm confident NA products will continue to optimize and improve (as they always do). #marketing #categoryreinvention #brand

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It's Amazon Prime Day and lots of sites have roundups of its best deals (like Consumer Reports' below), but no one else tests products with the research and rigor that we do. Since taking this job I've switched out an air purifier and mattress highly-recommended by popular review sites because it didn't work and was killing my back, respectively. At CR, for example, we don't just ask people if they like their mattress - we move a 300-lb wood roller across a mattress 30,000 times to test its lifelong durability. My typical MO on LinkedIn is career advice but I'm not just doing my job - I'm doing you a favor - when I say: if you're buying something big, don't just buy it without checking Consumer Reports. https://lnkd.in/efmb8S6N

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Love the article and fully agree with everything said about Liquid Death hype (with all mandatory kudos for distinctiveness and especially for a lovely ad with Deep from The Boys: https://lnkd.in/e37ebP3Q). One other thought that resonated with me was about 'product-market fit' concept which I only discovered for myself when I started working with tech startups. For someone who have worked on some of the most iconic CPG brands for the last two decades, and who inherited the classic P&G's belief that marketing should own all 4Ps, the idea sounded completely unnecessary. Why would you try to match the product with the consumer need when you actually should have understood that consumer need in the first place, and designed the product to address it? Sadly, I think this is where the current organisational 'wisdom' is moving — with marketing not owning, or at least co-owning the product, unless it's 'product marketing'. On the other hand, when the marketing is done properly, and the product (and comms of course!) are built on a deep consumer understanding, it still allows the brands to stand out — and ultimately win in the long run. Read this post and more stories on my website: https://lnkd.in/exwcYZQ7

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Great and provocative read on Liquid Deaths’s success story. So many insights and examples which are relevant for FMCG challenger brands as well. Mark Ritson claims that “… if you step back and look at the original ‘four Ps’, it is almost impossible not to acknowledge that while the promotional P has its place, the product P is invariably the most important tactical consideration. Shitty marketing can surely kill a great product, but without a successful, product even the best marketing does little other than speed its own demise.” And I fully agree (see my earlier post for details) - so if you’re not yet following Mark, do it asap. It’s worth it (and entertaining). #challengerbrands #productlaunches #offlineretail

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5  spicy 🌶, from-the-trenches topics Blue Seedling’s positioning lead Jordan Elkind will be tackling together with retail executive Kim Gallagher (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Nuuly) in our live event in two weeks: 1. The most common mistakes tech vendors make in pitching AI products 🤦‍♀️ 2. Why your product team hates your marketing team right now – and what to do about it 😡 (<-- love this one - so true!) 3. AI-washing: what it is, and how to do it right 🖌 (<-- we’ve done it and we’re not ashamed) 4. What market leadership looks like in a world where buyers don’t know what they want or need 🤷‍♂️ (<-- I’m seeing this one on a weekly basis) 5. Why everything you think you know about positioning is wrong…sort of :) 😵 Join our live webinar on 7/17: Positioning your AI venture: The definitive playbook for winning in 2024. Learn more and sign up free in the comments.

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Gleaning insights from this Ad Age article: post-purchase is the new frontier. For Gen Z and Millennials, the journey doesn’t end at checkout; it’s an ongoing loop of discovery. These 3 post-purchase strategies stood out to me as table stakes for any company that wants to be successful, especially D2C brands: 1. Reinforce Their Choice: After buying, customers look for validation. This is your chance to strengthen your narrative and build lasting trust. 2. Build Community First: The strongest connections are between users. Cultivate spaces where people connect, enhancing the brand experience organically. 3. Be Transparent, Fast: Consumers crave authenticity and clarity. Lead with your values and make your brand story easy to find. The greatest opportunity for brand-building starts AFTER the sale. Thanks to Jasmine Bina for highlighting how we can make every post-purchase moment matter. https://lnkd.in/gStQ5XXW #BrandStrategy #CustomerExperience #BrandLoyalty #GenZMarketing

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What really excites me about this campaign is that it validates what we, as consumers, intuitively feel about advertising. Whether we’re alone scrolling late at night or curled up on the couch with family ready to binge our favorite show, mindset matters. Signal loss is real, but the one signal that won’t deprecate is our love of stories. If you know what interests your customers, then reach then when they are watching the shows and movies they love. As a viewer, I’m excited that advertising is going to be a whole lot better. As a member of IRIS.TV, I’m excited that we can make game-changing AI solutions like Captify®, GumGum, KERV Interactive, Pixability, and Silverpush accessible to brand pioneers like CKE Restaurants, Inc. and their CMO Jennifer Tate and marketing innovators like PMG and their visionaries Sam Bloom, Michael Treon, Doug Paladino, and Stephen Governale who are showing us all how to bring the art and science back to marketing. #innovation #marketing #advertising #digitalmarketing #streamingmedia #streaming #ai #adtech #programmatic #FAST #ctv #connectedtv #contextualadvertising

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The market has officially shifted from a lazy river to whitewater rapids (and it's about time). We're seeing a 50% uptick in referral-based business at Chief Brand Advisory (CBA). The species of engagements ranges from brand strategy, design, and identity systems to advertising, social content, go-to-market materials, pitch decks, and videos. Here's a list of the types of requests we've received in the last 30 days alone: ➕ 2 Global M&A Rebrand Assignments: Establishing a unified identity post-acquisition. ➕ New Brand/Product Launch: Introducing fresh, innovative products to the market. ➕ Agency of Record for a Major Marketer: Leading a brand refresh including messaging evolution, a new TV campaign, and social content. ➕ Later-Stage Company Shifting Focus: Moving from an acquisition-centric strategy to a balanced brand and acquisition focus. ➕ Updated Go-To-Market Materials: Repositioning a software company to target new audiences. ➕ Updated Pitch Deck and Founder/CEO Videos: Enhancing investor presentations and leadership communication. If you're a seasoned PM or Account Lead, Writer, Graphic Designer, or a .ppt/Keynote Samurai who develops investor presentations and can come in through a referral (someone who knows me), please reach out to [email protected]. It looks like Q4 is going to be incredibly busy. Whoot! #brand #brandbuilding #marketing #founders #mergersandacquisitions

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With third party cookie deprecation coming soon, I've been working with several of my fractional CMO clients to get the teams, systems and data ready for the change. I've outlined some of the things we've been working on in the article below. If you've already addressed these, great! If not, you should definitely take a look. These are things you should be considering. https://lnkd.in/g-HuERfM

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Partnering with the wrong agency is risky business for new founders. Too many apparel brands partner with the first agency that promises high ROAS (Return On Ad Spend). And it almost always leads to: Ineffective marketing strategies. Inconsistent branding. Lost revenue. To avoid this, we ask three questions before partnering with an agency. 1. How do you define and ensure quality control for my brand? --> This confirms they align with our brand guidelines. 2. What's your internal revision and approval process? --> This helps us understand how our feedback will be incorporated. 3. Which KPIs and metrics will you report on? --> This ensures efforts are measured against our brand's specific goals. Now, I'm curious to hear from you! When vetting an agency, what questions do you ask to ensure alignment and success? Let me know in the comments.

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The revenge of brand. The most important thing you’ll read this year. 1. Competition is everywhere. 2. DTC can be a trap (I just mentioned this to Joanne Tombrakos as we recorded her podcast today). 3. Brands aren’t built off performance marketing. Thank you for researching and writing Brian Morrissey “… invested a material amount of dollars (billions) into something that was less effective but easier to be measured vs something that was more effective but less easy to be measured. In conclusion: an impressive waste of money.” The issue in business? We have skipped over a whole generation of vision which understands how to do this without giving into “dashboard pressure.” https://lnkd.in/gJ9RmkYM

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The data coming out about young adults is something marketers (not just politicians) should be paying attention to. For years the consensus view in the marketing world that young people want to buy from brands that "share their values" and then assumed those values were very far to the left culturally and politically. The research is increasingly telling a very different story: young people are (1) split across the entire political spectrum and (2) care about how broken the system feels. Affordability in food, housing, healthcare, and yes even government spending (!!!) are the top issues. That is a vibe shift. If you want to build affinity and trust with this group, millennial, GenX, and Boomer brand leaders should be very rigorous about checking their priors. https://lnkd.in/g-YfFcvN

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