In my book - Ramping Your Brand - there is a line that gets at the fundamental danger in CPG innovation, the fundamental threat to above-average memorability in a crowded, oversupplied marketplace. "Rarity in its purest form—rare ingredients, rare flavors, rare sensory textures,
America is entering the worst phase of the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. Ironically, it may be our obsession with individual 'freedom' that empowers both the intrepid entrepreneur's willingness to take risks beyond the comfort zone of one's family and friends AND the virulent spread of the virus
Although I'm a social scientist, my advisory work doesn't focus narrowly on team organization and organization design for fast-growing startups. I'm honestly still learning and continue to read the research on this space (so you don't have to!). But one thing I can tell you
In Part 1 of this series, I explained why a branding update/tweak is, unfortunately, the go-to solution for too many founders when the business does not perform to expectations, stagnant, or declining. It's literally as easy as the next packaging run and a web update.
"How we first communicate with the world is the work we do with a branding agency" TJ McIntyre, CEO of Bobo's What are the core functions of a branding agency? Packaging and brand identity (Logo, trademark, characters/mascots, color schemes, and other brand symbolism) are the
I have the privilege of advising some of the smartest entrepreneurs out there in CPG today. Yet, intelligence alone (IQ) does not prevent a founder or her team from literally becoming blind to very likely, but negative, interpretations of her brand's KPIs. Again and again
We have a solid handle now on the true baseline 'lift' caused in the CPG sector by the COVID-19 pandemic. And it looks nothing like the massive YoY $ surges we saw as the CPG tsunami crested in March. It's roughly around 8-12%, obviously higher
In Ramping Your Brand, I pound the pulpit about building and fueling a conversion funnel of trial/repeat to grow velocities. Buried within my text though, was an edited-out section on sustained repeat purchase—damn editors. So, I'm here to push you deeper to understand some basic
This week Winn Dixie announced several 'modern' Winn Dixie stores inside the infrastructure of prior Lucky's and Earth Fare supermarkets they acquired. It's a reminder to remind YOU not to get over-excited about upgrades rapidly transforming the shopper base of downmarket retail banners. Retail shopper
For years, I’ve talked about having a 1-Page Strategic Plan which contains your one-line competitive strategy and outlines the key playbook you are testing to drive exponential growth for your business. I even gave away my own template to another 20 folks last month at my