Michelle Park

Want to supercharge the growth of your CPG business? Just do what Sapan N., CEO of Mekor Corporation does: get in front of as many buyers as possible and LISTEN. That's how Mekor 10Xed its growth in less than a decade, going from just one line of products - tea - to more than a dozen including beverages, spices, cookies, and more! Sapan has been to 21 ECRM Sessions during that time, and I've had the privilege of seeing him in action at most of them -- he's not just with buyers at his pre-scheduled meetings. He's eating with them during every breakfast, lunch and dinner, sharing cocktails with them during receptions, learning with them at educational presentations, and sharing insights with them during the roundtables. You'll even see him chatting with them when he bumps into them in the hallways and in the hospitality lounge. He's always trying to learn what the pain points are for these buyers and how he can best solve them. And when he comes to them with a solution for one problem, they ask if he can solve another for them. Multiply this by the thousands of interactions he has had with buyers across those 21 ECRM Sessions, and you can see why he has seen such growth. In my recent CRM Blog post, I cover Sapan's approach to buyer engagement in detail, gleaned from my interview with him at a recent Session as well as a trip to Mekor's HQ in NJ -- which was a hell of a lot of fun! Click the link in the comments to read the blog and watch the video! #smallbusiness #sales #networking #retail #cpg

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Good insight from Walmart: Food and beverages companies are worried that weight loss medicine like Ozempic will reduce consumption, as consumers are becoming less hungry. What a brilliant marketing challenge for a brand manager - sell more to less hungry and thirsty user :) Ozempic Is Making People Buy Less Food, Walmart Says https://lnkd.in/dBvtFDi6

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In Earnest We Trust. Brands like Vuori are gaining share with activewear shoppers, according to a recent report from Earnest Analytics. In the last 12 months, Vuori have gained 1% market share, while Under Armour lost (not a shocker) share, according to the report. Vuori is gaining more wallet share of its existing shoppers as well, Earnest said. Vuori shoppers increased their spending at the brand to 27.4% of their overall active and athleisure wallet, up from 21.6% last year. In a competitive activewear landscape that has gained the attention of many direct-to-consumer brands in recent years, Vuori is gaining on competitors. Vuori, share significant shopper overlap with activewear powerhouses like Nike (30% and 34%, respectively). In Vuori’s case, its growing customer base is also becoming more loyal. Vuori shoppers spent 17% less through Nike’s DTC channels this April than the same timeframe last year. #vuori #marketing #culture #activewear #sports #consumers #communities #arhleisure #growth #business

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In-store retail media is expected to grow significantly by 2028, with U.S. spending expected to triple to $1 billion. Leaders in the industry, including Paul Brenner from Vibenomics, a Mood Media company, Wovenmedia CEO Susie Opare-Abetia, and Grocery TV CEO Marlow Nickell, highlight the rise in interest due to the advantages of first-party data as well as the decline in traditional media reach. Despite current challenges like organizational silos and measurement inconsistencies, the potential for targeted advertising at the point of purchase is driving investment. As the industry evolves, standardization and technological advancements will further enhance in-store retail media's impact on sales and brand experience. #RetailMedia #InStoreAdvertising #DigitalTransformation Path to Purchase Institute

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Check out this McKinsey podcast that captures trends in consumer wellness. In the interview, Anna Pione discusses key insights from recent research on the consumer wellness market, highlighting the global shift in consumer priorities toward health and wellness. The research, involved a survey of consumers in the US, UK, and China, and revealed that a significant majority view wellness as a crucial aspect of their lives, with increasing investment in categories like health, fitness, and nutrition. Interestingly, consumers are showing a preference for clinically effective products over merely "clean and natural" options, driven by a desire for proven results. The interview also touched on the importance of healthy aging and the rising interest in weight management and gut health, underscoring the opportunities for innovation in these areas. Lastly, Anna noted the pandemic's impact on consumer behavior, accelerating the focus on proactive health management and the potential of gen AI to personalize wellness interventions. LIsten to or read the script below. Happy learning! What’s new in consumer wellness trends? | McKinsey https://mck.co/4bhGGGZ

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One of our brands is losing money. I was recently sitting in a meeting reviewing Q1 financials and was perplexed by a portfolio brand that had historically performed well in Q1 that was struggling. YOY revenue was up, but net profit was negative for the first time. After some research, we found the primary cause: Amazon related fees had risen YOY by a staggering 37%! We aren't alone in feeling the impact of Amazon's new fees and this brand seemed to take the largest hit. Thanks to our 3PL being willing pivot so quickly and a number of other changes, Q2 is trending back to last year's levels of profitability. My PSA for any brand that sells on Amazon is to perform a deep audit of your Amazon fees compared to last year and get ahead of margin constraints. I'd be more than happy to share insights about how we are mitigating Amazon's new fees for this brand.

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I’m happy to see private brands finally get the star treatment they deserve. This story from The Wall Street Journal Jesse Newman and Stephanie Stamm highlights a key statistic that speaks to the power of private brands: They now capture 22 cents of every grocery dollar. And it’s not just because consumers are cutting back on spending. It’s because private brands today offer not only value, but quality. In many cases not just quality but unique distinctive innovation as well. As retailers make real investments in development, packaging and marketing on private brands, the retail landscape is shifting in a major way. And no one knows that better than Daymon. https://lnkd.in/eFT2edZN   #PrivateBrands #Retail #RetailTrends #ConsumerBehavior #RetailInnovation 

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CPG Panel — “More than commerce”: 🔥 We are working on a mega panel (June 13) of CPG powerhouses right now including some of my great friends: Jamie Schwab (Colgate-Palmolive) Jamie Decker (Del Monte Foods, Inc.). We will be diving into the importance of driving direct-to-customer engagement through digital, not just commerce. Topics: (4) 1. First-party data strategies 2. Customer engagement 3. Omnichannel marketing 4. No doubt AI! We still have a few panelists spots remaining, feel free send me a DM or comment below if you may be interested or know some who would be great for this topic. #ecommerce #digital #omnichannel #strategy #cmo #cdo #ceo #cro #leadership #retailecommerceclub #cpg #privateequity #playtowin

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I had the distinct pleasure of sitting with Kantar BrandZ for an in-depth conversation about global brands through the lens of PepsiCo's iconic portfolio -- what makes a brand valuable, the role of brands, how to stay relevant, deploying distinctive assets in a consistent and connected way, how the best-of-the best do it and so much more. I believe brands have a bigger role to play than before and at PepsiCo we talk about Positive Brands. We want to inspire people to make better choices for them and the planet. We are developing programs that leverage the scale and power of our brand marketing to accelerate our sustainability journey and connect with consumers. And we recognized brands are only relevant to people to the degree that they connect to something meaningful in their lives; something bigger that connects to core human needs like community, security, control, connection, enjoyment, etc. When it comes to deploying distinctive assets, we have to be very humble as marketeers. Memory structures, distinctiveness, brand meaning is built over generations. As marketeers, we stand on the shoulders of the giants that went before us. I'm very humble to the generations of incredible marketeers who have built these brilliant brands. Thank you Kantar for recognizing PepsiCo in the BrandZ Top 100 Brands Global Report 2024. Check out the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/eE3mtGxZ #PepsiCoProud #BrandZ #Kantar

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Why do some legacy brands— survive and some do not? Professors at The Wharton School look at why for some brands—Sears, Toys"R"Us—nostalgia is not enough to ensure survival, and how others—Apple, Nike—have stayed relevant without betraying what they stand for. - Sears was once a retailer where you could get pretty much anything, and even some brands you couldn’t get anywhere else. But retail changes and Sears became a “store that lacked any sort of distinction, and the legacy part of its story just wasn’t enough.” Kohl's, on the other hand, builds on its past success but adapts as customer needs change. They have maintained large stores in non-mall locations for easier accessibility, but they renovate, inside and out, more often than other, similar retailers, and have developed their own store brands valued by customers. - Customers now look to retailers to be curators who have vetted what goes on shelf on their behalf. Costco Wholesale is an example of a retailer trusted by customers for the quality of their products and that has developed a strong store brand that is recognized as not always the least expensive brand in the store but one that the store stands behind. Nike, Apple, and Patagonia are all brands that have stayed true to the brand values, identity and emotional connection to the consumer, but who have stayed current by keeping their products cutting edge. Barbie, aside from the huge boost afforded by the movie, has evolved as the world has, introducing inspirational likenesses of ABT dancer Misty Copeland, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, artist Frida Kahlo and others, and making Barbie more inclusive of body types, skin tones, and abilities. - Gillette, on the other hand, was blindsided by Dollar Shave Club and Harry's Inc., which undercut Gillette’s prices and went directly to the consumer with a story and a subscription model, breaking consumers’ habit of going to a store for razors. Gillette has since launched its own subscription service, but not before losing market share that will be difficult to gain back. Johnson's baby , used by generations of parents for its promise of “no more tears,” saw sales fall as consumers became wary of its additives, a trend that J&J missed because it wasn’t monitoring consumer chat or sales online. Campbell's soup, despite being iconic, has had a hard time capturing younger consumers who don’t have the same warm memories of the brand and are skeptical of anything that comes out of a can. - Legacy brands are now up against with a wider competitive landscape; retailers who were once a big deal are now one of many physical and online stores, and the amount and accessibility of information about them is nearly inexhaustible. Not only can you find out what is offered elsewhere but there are reviews on everything from pricing to experience to the company’s politics and ethical policies. #nostalgia #brand #branding #retail #customer #consumer

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I find this The Wall Street Journal story fascinating for a couple of reasons. First, from a corporate strategy perspective, Walmart is clearly challenging Trader Joe's and Target. They are also intensifying backward integration, taking on giants like Nestle, PepsiCo, and P&G. It speaks to the power of distribution. Whether you're Netflix, Walmart, or Amazon, owning the distribution channel is powerful. Second, how negotiation dynamics directly impact business. Examining counterparty alternatives (or, in technical speak, the Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement, or BATNA) is important to do statically. It is also critical to examine dynamically: how will it change over the next 3, 5, and 10 years? Here’s a quick and short recommendation: 1️⃣ If counterparty alternatives improve over time, secure longer agreements. 2️⃣ If counterparty alternatives worsen over time, secure shorter agreements. The rise of Trader Joe’s normalized private labels among consumers and set the stage for Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco to expand their own. Playing Monday morning quarterback, that would have been the moment for brand suppliers to secure long-term agreements. Final point: Negotiation, both in sales and procurement, must connect with corporate strategy. For Walmart, negotiating quality standards with private label suppliers is paramount. If a recall happens on a private label product, it damages the entire Walmart brand. If a recall happens on Tide detergent, it only damages P&G’s sub-brand (Tide). For companies like Nestle, negotiating product placement, endcap usage, and co-marketing is more important than ever. My take? I think the transformation Walmart has undergone has been phenomenal to watch. This extension into higher-end private label builds on that momentum. But I will wait until we bring home some Walmart oat milk ice cream before I give my final perspective. https://lnkd.in/gsMgNnE4

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I highly recommend attending the webinar! Not only will we be reviewing the learning, but there will be a panel discussion on how the findings can be leveraged in market!

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𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 Five years ago, during a business trip to Korea, I traveled over two hours to visit one of our lip care contract manufacturers. We had just launched our lip care line with them in 2018, buoyed by exceptional consumer feedback. 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 However, gaining traction with key retailers was a challenge initially, leading to sluggish growth that didn’t meet our business case expectations. Our partner, having already invested in a production line on behalf of us, was facing less than 50% capacity utilization and understandably nervous. I felt responsible to reassure them of our product's potential and that growth would follow. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Meeting the Owner and CEO for the first time, I realized we shared a common goal—exponential growth. I communicated our vision for the Vaseline lip care line and the building blocks to achieving it, stressing how crucial his team would be when (not if) we unlocked more markets and retailers. With a clearer understanding of our growth journey, we leveraged mutual trust and respect to brainstorm strategies for winning over retailers, including emphasizing our 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬-𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 pack—a crucial factor in the impulse purchase category. This laid the foundation for our long-term commitment to our common goal - exponential growth. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 Though it took time, we eventually secured the necessary retailer listings, expanded into new markets, and got our 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬-𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 pack listed in Walmart—a significant milestone and growth driver. With regular check-ins, our partner proactively invested in more lines and capacity on behalf of us, anticipating new listings. Today, despite the initial challenges, we have grown the lip care business by 10X since our first meeting, establishing Unilever International as the largest and fastest-growing lip care business within Unilever. This success was made possible by a shared vision with our partner, who also grew their factory to become one of the five largest lip care manufacturers in the world. A true win-win situation. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 This experience taught me valuable lessons about building strong business partnerships: ·       Align on shared vision and goals ·       Build mutual trust and respect ·       Leverage complementary strengths ·       Focus on long-term commitment ·       Recognize and appreciate contributions We often share our visions internally but sometimes forget that our partners are equally invested in our growth journey. Through this partnership, we’ve not only grown our business but also built a stronger and more cohesive team. Now, whenever I meet a partner, I make it a point to take a picture to remember the moment. Who knows where our partnerships will take us five years from now? #UniquelyUnilever #UnileverInternational

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I think consumer feedback is often under used by emerging CPG brands… Coming from a Kraft Foods general management upbringing and then experiencing start-ups for many years, I’m often thinking about which “big company” practices could bring value to young emerging companies while not screwing up their great entrepreneurial culture and founder brilliance. The one area I continue to see a gap in is “entrepreneurial” consumer feedback/market research—the lack of fast/low cost consumer research options (or even confirmation research) discussed to prevent a low velocity SKU to get delisted, to maximize brand communication, and avoid wasted spend or lost opportunity on the back end. There are some great research companies out there, but their costs (while valid and worth it) are just not in the ballpark for what many founders want to spend for or go through the time on. Sometimes it’s a lot more natural for founders to go with their gut and not get bogged down by research. And I totally get this, and it does work in many instances.   I just wish there were more options out there to efficiently confirm purchase interest between two packages or between new innovation ideas to complement founder gut. In the end, it could save the emerging brand money…. Thought I’d reach out to the linkedin community, PLEASE not from research companies selling their research, but from founders/emerging brand marketers who have been through this dilemma and have found some consumer feedback very helpful and fitting for emerging brand bootstrap budget and speed (even if their own tools or alternative ways they’ve brought in consumers more)?  This sharing might help more companies maximize their moves in the future…so hope it helps… thanks! #ConsumerFeedback #jcbgrowth

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Less ‘Pomp And Circumstance.' Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky, is both sensitive to the narrative that there is a consumer protest movement afoot — and is not dismissive of it. Reebok consumers are crucial for Krinsky and Authentic Brand Group in 2024, especially given how important swing consumers are to winning the fourth place ( footwear) position. “Reebok world should do, in my opinion, everything they can to get them,” As a consumer strategist who supported Reebok's bid. Krinsky and his team are not “denialists” and are doing everything to earn consumer support. Spokesperson ABG said in a statement that the Reebok campaign is “building a historic and unified holistic movement to make Reebok number one again,” noting ABG’s (other brands) high approval rating among consumers and gains with “longtime Nike constituencies" Reebok’s looking to poach Nike consumers  as the summer heat's up provide a last look at the protest consumers. While the Nike camp downplays any challenges with Nike consumers, the Reebok campaign will be engaged in a on-going effort to bring these consumers into its camp. #Reebok #footwear #sports #basketball #culture #consumers #growthreebok #toddkrinsky #sportsbusness #shaquilleoneal #communities #bokkids #reebokfam #reebokkids

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The pandemic shifted so much of how we live, what we value, and how we see the rest of our lives playing out. Companies are no different. Countless companies have rebranded since the pandemic to align with the shifting cultural sentiment and values of their consumers and employees. And countless others will follow suit. As I browse through rebrand accounts and speak with people who lead the initiatives within the organizations, it strikes me that the rebrand process doesn't always adress the underlying needs of aligning stakeholder values. I recently came across a rebrand guideline that shared the following framework for rebranding: 1️⃣ Brand Audit: Review current brand messaging and assets for needed changes 2️⃣ Brand Identity Development: Determine new components of the brand identity 3️⃣ Materials Creation and Refinement: The new brand is illustrated in visual and written components, which are refined and tested 4️⃣ Launch: The new brand identity is rolled out across marketing, sales, and other external-facing departments 5️⃣ Monitor: Continuous tracking enables performance measurement and change analysis The above is an exercise in how to have a new pretty logo that might give a slight peak in performance, but will not result in longterm growth for the company. Sustained growth from a rebrand comes when a company invests in understanding their audience ecosystem and creates unique value propositions that align their operations and business practices to bring all value propositions to life. A rebrand should be driven by strategy and tactics with a goal of creating an emotional bond between the company and its consumers, employees, and shareholders. A logo, color palette, and website are communication tactics that aid in creating this bond, not substantive enough to make a worth while relationship. I recommend taking a deeper approach–one that I call Full Spectrum Brand Strategy. Breaking it down into a similar five part process, it would look like this: 1️⃣ Consumer Value Proposition: What drives your consumers, what is important to them, and what problem you can solve for them 2️⃣ Employee Value Proposition: What drives your employees, who thrives in your organization, and how you can help them be their best at work 3️⃣ Societal Value Proposition: Understand how the company can contribute to society and what CSR initiatives it can stand behind and be known for 4️⃣ Shared Purpose: Defines why the world is a better place with the company in it and the impact is has on the lives of people both directly involved as stakeholders and society as a whole 5️⃣ Communication Frameworks: Develop both the visual and verbal communications that deliver the value proposition and purpose to the world 🌍 This is the framework that will bring sustained growth, alignment and meaning to a company. It is absolutely work work, and takes a fully aligned and engaged leadership, but the juice is worth the squeeze.

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Why do Duopolies tend to dominate in so many aspects of modern business and what does this mean for emerging CPG? The news last week was that The Walt Disney Company and HBO are teaming up to offer a massive streaming bundle to complete with Netflix. It seems like a very predictable cycle unfolded here…After a few years of disruptive innovation, investors started to lose patience with negative EBITDA, which results in waves of consolidation until we have a De Facto Duopoly in streaming media. Nilesh Sharma wrote an interesting article on how this is common across many industries(link in comments)…there are so many examples: Coke/Pepsi, Apple/Android, and in national retail grocery distribution UNFI/KeHE is obvious. If not for antitrust regulations, these duopolies would more often than not eventually merge into monopolies until some disruptive force comes along to change the paradigm. 👉CPG brands: take a look at national market share in the subcategory you operate in. There is a good chance that it is dominated by two brands, and if not, there is at least trend toward this outcome. 👉Is your product different ENOUGH, to break this cycle? 👉Retailers, in any given metro market, who are the dominant two mainline grocery chains in your market by total share? 👉Are you differentiated ENOUGH from them to compel consumers to change their habits? We all have one thing in common as innovators: we’re trying to break the cycle and acquire market share from what tends to be the natural order of things. In order for us to disrupt, we need to think outside the box. Slightly better versions of what already exists won’t get it done. Pod Foods has been able to take so much national share in the past few years, BECAUSE it is so radically different from the inbumbent model…the same thing is true for ANY disruptive brand. I’ll be at Sweets & Snacks Expo this week and looking forward to seeing a lot of you there. What I’ll be looking for is the product that is the MOST different from the status quo and how we can reach early adopters with it. #disruptiveinnovation #Disneymaxbundle #emergingcpg #podfoods Flowspace Total Quality Logistics Green Spoon Sales Melissa Pashko Caroline Grace https://lnkd.in/d7dYis2C

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Modernizing legacy brands for a new generation of consumers is no easy feat. Earlier in my career, I was fortunate to work on teams that accomplished that for two legacy Kraft Heinz brands: Jell-O and Crystal Light. Critical to those successes were the same lessons Gail Hollander discusses in this article: * how to successfully update a brand by understanding its role in the culture and category without walking too far away from the brand truth and its DNA * creating winning marketing strategies by leveraging the art (creative thinking) and the science (data-driven decisions); and * breaking down silos to align the entire organization around long-term brand building I took these lessons I learned and recently wrote an article about how integral they also are for building successful CX strategies: https://lnkd.in/ecPhFpMz

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https://lnkd.in/eb6FJDV4 So proud of my team at BeyondBrands! Conscious Innovation and Operations are not optional - they are essential! Establishing and growing the next generation of companies that will provide the goods and services we require is not something that can be engaged in a thoughtless way, as beyond providing a "product", they determine how we organize, how we use resources, and how we reward effort. This is important stuff that can transform our society to survive into the 22nd century, or not! Lets make choices together that benefit all of us, and our children! #BeyondBrands #Innovation #ConsciousBusiness

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