Is upselling (cost-of-living-stressed) consumers with premium innovations the optimal way to grow for #CPG players? At a time all #FMCG companies are doubling down on organic growth, most are accelerating their innovations machine, often with premium priced innovations. That could end up being a large resources misallocation (dilution of scarce shelf space, marketing investments, supply chain & organizational resources) & a major strategic misstep for many At a time the largest threat is de-consumption, more premium priced innovations will just not cut it The painful truth is that too many FMCG marketing organizations do not own the 4Ps and are solely focused on ‘global innovations/ marketing campaigns’. Then the organizational bias/ 'default setting' is to try to solve all brands’ problems with those two levers (global product innovations & media) In the current context, those could be deadly mistakes We continue to be amazed by the little resources that get into: i) Generally, understanding rigorously Consumers, esp. their barriers/ drivers/ triggers/ 4Ps preferences ii) Specifically understanding what: - The Heavy Consumers have in common/ try to recruit more of them - Are the addressable lapse/ non-users’ barriers iii) Leveraging strategic segmentation to identify under-served segments & craft ownable strategies to address them iv) Rethinking how to recruit/ retain Consumers with innovative marketing/ point of market entry strategies Etc… Marketing leaders need to have a holistic view on what are the levers across all the 4Ps that will drive the most disruptive return There will be no sustainable (volume) growth outperformance in many FMCG organizations without strenghtening the Marketing Function & giving them formally full 4Ps ownership. That goes against the last decade Doxa but it is essential 𝗧𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 (𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲) 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 & 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: FMCG CEOs: Managing Finally For Sustainable (Volume) Growth Or How To Stop Shrinking To Glory - From ZBB to ZBG® (Zero-Based-Growth) https://lnkd.in/eG62xkNE To receive the corresponding deck, pl. leave your name in comment To get all our insights, follow us/ subscribe to our CEOs newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eR8vDpvE #strategy Frederic Fernandez & Associates
This reminds me of the Aldi-Meter my Boss at P&G used to run decades ago. It was simple: Once products are deemed good enough for their standard application consumers willingness to pay a premium for innovation decreases. Then, it's about 4Ps and Brand Power. In many traditional FMCG categories this puts the big guys into a squeeze between PL and more authentic niche oriented start-ups (which the big guys then scoop up).
Random order: *) price pressure + de-consumption = non -growth. Growth can only come from displacing competitors. *) the most direct displacement is broadening your shoulders on the retail shelves by improving retailer margins ( better than lowering prices). *) focus on highest rotation variants.
Absolutely agree that a laser focus on understanding granular consumer needs is crucial. Deep segmentation and psychographic profiling can unlock hidden growth opportunities in these challenging times.
Bartek, premium innovation comes up time and again. The focus in ‘market entry’ price is well made and often missed. Perhaps one question to ask is ‘how can we make Private Label obsolete in our category…. In the U.K., Sugar confectionery brands seem to have done quite a good job at this over the years…
Sanjay
Abheek
Yes, please. Mike Thornhill
Amit
Thanks for the deck!