Alexa McVey

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. has named Drew Panayiotou as its new #CMO for U.S. refreshment beverages, overseeing a $9 billion portfolio, including brands like Dr. Pepper, Snapple Group. and Canada Dr. Drew brings deep expertise in #AI-driven marketing and #ecommerce from his time at Pfizer. His appointment underscores the growing need for enterprise-wide #data standards—ensuring consistency across brand taxonomies, proactively removing bad data, unlocking actionable insights and enabling seamless collaboration. These foundations empower marketers to deliver precise, #innovative campaigns that drive results. #datastandards #datagovernance #contentsupplychain #bigdata #CPG #digitalmarketing #Claravine

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Occasion based marketing for beverages is not a new phenominum. We just have to go back over the catalogue of historic Coca Cola ads to see how leveraging occasions has been used for decades to drive increased sales and margins for all members of the Coca Cola value chain.  “Refreshment on the Go”, “Stock Up for the holidays”, “makes food taste better”, “easy hospitality”, “Refreshing vacations” are just of few of Coca Cola’s occasion based propositions. It’s been the Coca Cola way for generations, and the basic principles from yesteryear, are still applied today. In fact, for the Coca Cola system, Occasions sit at the heart of their marketing DNA. They call it the OBPPC (Occasion, Brand, Pack, Price, Channel) process and it’s a critical element of their overall marketing. Coca Cola ensures that for each occasion, they clearly define the optimal brands to be sold, in the most appropriate packages, at the right prices, in the target channels to sell more products, at higher prices. They use occasions to pro-actively change the market dynamics in their favour by shifting the demand curve for beverages rather than simply moving along it to where the market takes them. DM me to learn more about how you can use Growth Scope to unlock your liquor market growth agenda by unlocking consumption occasions.

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Historically, there’s been an overlap between the purchasing of beer, wine, and spirits – and RTDs are amplifying this trend. Consumers are experimenting with new offerings in line with flavor forward palates, the craving for convenience, the need for functionality, and the desire to experiment. As a result, RTD products are reshaping current categories and creating an entirely new one on its own. #alcohol #beverage #fmcg #cpg #manufacturing #retail #rtd #consumerbehavious #markettrends

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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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What does it take to win in #CPG? Circana’s CPG Growth Leaders report measures the omnichannel performance of more than 600 consumer packaged goods companies with sales greater than $100 million. 🚀 Get a copy of the 2023 U.S. CPG Growth Leaders report here 👉https://lnkd.in/g4BBBMfE

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I strongly resonate with this. I've written about this before, but when you're doing something, it is not easy to separate context from first principles. Heuristics then tend to masquerade as laws, and when you try to transpose them outside your context, you fall flat on your face. As I've told Shashank Mehta a few times, I would have killed the magic of The Whole Truth Foods with incessant frameworks and a burden of unnecessary sharpness if it weren't for his conviction on what felt right and the fact that I didn't have a voice till the brand was established. One of the blessings of shifting from a behemoth like Unilever to a fledgling like The Whole Truth Foods has been the compulsion to learn unlearning, and the framing of this articulation of heuristics vs first principles. I now have a deeper appreciation for Rory Sutherland's talisman: the opposite of a good idea is often a good idea too. There are many wrong ways to do things, but we can tend to forget that there is more than one right way to do things too. Figuring this out is so much fun! #marketing #firstprinciples #heuristics

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We are counting down the days until the NielsenIQ team lands in Vegas for the 2024 NACS show!!! Every year feels bigger and better and this year is no exception. To kick us off Lorelei Bergin (Samuelson) and Sarah Squires take the stage to talk Strategies for Understanding the Value Sensitive Shopper and Welcoming Wellness: Meeting Customer Expectations in Evolving Health Needs. Jason Zelinski, Jalan Shaw and J.J. Tellez will be meeting with our retail clients as we have launched the only full C-Store read including Food Service. Adam Horowitz, Arthur Dmitruk Jeffrey Dzyacky and Scott Yamada will be onsite at our booth to discuss our retailer focused solutions. Steven Severino will be there with his colleagues to connect with our manufacture partners. Many many more of our colleagues will be here with their specific practice areas including: Kaleigh Theriault Jon Berg Rebecca Kozerski Cassandra Moren #FactaNonVerba #NIQandGfK #TheFullView #MovingMeasurementForward #NIQ #GFK #nielseniq #retailanalytics #retailinsights #cpg #cpgindustry #retail #groceryretail #convenience #liquorindustry #beverageindustry #quickcommerce #collaboration #future #business #diy #home #auto #manufacturing #collaboration #connectedcollaboration #media #investments #onlineadvertising #sales #retail #growth #grocery #retailing #technology #sustainability #techanddurables #generalmerch #computing #electronics #devices #IoT #PrivateLabel #ownedBrands #telco #AI #GenAI #AskArthur #Leading #DesignTheFuture #LeadingNotFollowing #NeverGiveUp

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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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I'm beyond HYPED to announce that Wild Bill's has rocketed into the top 5 fastest-growing products on RangeMe, sharing the spotlight with stellar brands like poppi (Mother Beverage), OLIPOP PBC, Perfy, and The Coca-Cola Company. It's thrilling to be recognized among such iconic names! Rocket Pop’s spot on this list transcends mere seasonal trendiness—it’s a testament to its year-round appeal and our commitment to authentically enhancing experiences wherever people gather. I might be a bit biased, but honestly, no one nails experiential, occasion-based selling quite like Wild Bill's. We're not just showing up; we're a major hit across an insane variety of events. I kid you not, we do over 400 events a year—everything from comic and anime conventions to e-sports competitions, county and state fairs, motorcycle rallies, air shows, military reunions, renaissance faires, civil war reenactments, regattas, car shows, steampunk festivals, Scottish and Highland games, Celtic festivals, Italian feasts, food truck festivals and more. At Wild Bill's, we don't just attend these events; we transform them, enhancing every experience with our unique flavors, one sip at a time! To discover more about the Wild Bill's event experience, please check out this video: https://lnkd.in/ewwDA96U NielsenIQ Byzzer powered by NielsenIQ ECRM Allison Ellsworth Vasa Martinez #CPG #Beverage #Retail #Grocery #Foodservice #Events #VeteranOwned

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Enjoyed a great webinar last week on the Non-Alcoholic beverage category, hosted by the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) and presented NielsenIQ. The #NA boom is more than a fad - it's here to stay! With over half of Americans drinking less and a third abstaining entirely, the opportunity is undeniable. The data is clear 👇 , and the industry's rate of innovation and growth confirms it. Fueled by a health-conscious consumer base, the adult #nonalcohol category is poised for continued expansion. What an exciting area for #beverage #innovation!

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Diageo doubles down on non-alcoholic spirits with the acquisition of Ritual Zero Proof & now owns three of the five world's largest non-alcoholic spirit brands Ritual Zero Proof was founded in 2019, and became the #1 non-alcoholic spirits player in the US after joining Diageo’s accelerator program in 2020. Five reasons why this deal makes sense: 1) Fast growing: The US non-alcoholic spirits has been the fastest growing category with +31% L5Y CAGR. 2) Incremental: 94% of non-alc buyers in the US also purchase alcoholic beverages, spending on avg $292 more than households exclusively purchasing alcohol demonstrating the incrementality of the category to beverage alcohol. 3) High Right-to-Win: Ritual is already a #1 non-alcoholic spirits player in the US, with a strong market position and tailwinds 4) Synergistic: being a #1 player globally in both alcoholic and non-alc spirits Diageo is well positioned to build on Ritual’s current success and scale it up further leveraging its GTM muscle and category expertise 5) Close to the Core: being a part of Diageo’s accelerator (Distill Ventures) since 2020, Ritual already knows what it takes to make cooperation with a spirits giant successful, limiting risks of integration challenges Exciting times for Diageo 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀: FF&A solves the most complex strategic problems of the world's largest FMCG companies across Corporate Strategy, Organic Growth, Digital RTM (eCommerce, DTC, and eB2B) and M&A. 14 out of the world's 20 largest FMCG companies are repeat Clients 𝗧𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗳. 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗠&𝗔 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄: https://lnkd.in/efD5RNWX 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 & 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ea4gy65y #fmcg #cpg #mergersandacquisitions https://lnkd.in/dXAZQ242 Pernod Ricard The HEINEKEN Company AB InBev Carlsberg Group Campari Group William Grant & Sons The Coca-Cola Company PepsiCo

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Check out the most recent episode on the Spotlight Series!

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This is sweet victory (with zero sugar)! No Soda Has Grabbed More Market Share in the Past 20 Years Than Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Very cool article by Adweek detailing the remarkable market share growth of Coke Zero Sugar over the past 20 years. Getting to work on Coke Zero Sugar has been a masterclass in never being satisfied and pushing the limits. It might have seemed crazy at first reformulating the product twice to get as close to the real Coca-Cola flavor as possible, but superior taste will always drive demand. One of the boldest moves (IMO) was strategically repositioning Coke Zero Sugar closer to the Coca-Cola brand. This alignment created a powerhouse duo, allowing both brands to amplify each other’s success. This is the power of a cohesive brand strategy and execution with excellence. Nothing was off limits and the incredible design teams pushed for more innovative package design were also crucial. Staying bold, continually evolving to drive long-term brand growth and capture market share. The incredible, smart, crazy talented team that it takes to pull something like this off demonstrates the power of a clear vision, collaboration, shared passion, and relentless ambition. #CocaCola #CokeZeroSugar #BrandGrowth #TeamWork #MarketingSuccess #MarketLeader #ConsumerGoods #Leadership

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Everyone in the the emerging CPG business should pay close attention to the aftermath of the Hollywood writers strike. We’ll all look back on this decades from now as the first major battle in the “AI wars”. The writers won this battle, and held back the “uber-ization” of their industry, for now. Any founder of a new CPG brand is in a similar position to these writers. As an innovation brand, you are taking on risk and doing the hard work of creating something from nothing just like they do. In the same way Hollywood studios can theoretically use generative AI to write stories and screenplays which fit Netflix’s algorithm that same AI could generate CPG products which sell at retail. Imagine a future where Big CPG can just create innovative new brand concepts on their own using AI, and hire gig worker “founders” to run them. It isn’t far fetched, when you consider that hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton have sub brands of faux “independent” hotels all over the world already. PepsiCo could for example launch 30 early stage startups per year in snacks and beverage, with the goal of 2 of them developing into the next Siete. None of this is set in stone. The future is unwritten. I’m always going to be on “team human”. Pod Foods #innovation #AI https://lnkd.in/efcz7FD9

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For CPG brands, transparency with buyers is critical. You need to be transparent about what your capabilities are, as well as what they ARE NOT. Promising a buyer you can do something and then not delivering on that promise is the surest way to lose their trust forever. I was reminded of the importance of transparency by the latest of Ryan Holiday's books, titled, "Right Thing, Right Now." It's part of his Stoic Virtues series, and it focuses on the value of doing good in this world. One quote from the book on this topic really stood out to me: "How many marriages would survive our spouse looking at our phone? Or our boss seeing what's in our email? How many reputations would survive a lawsuit that made it to discovery? If we are inclined to hide it, we probably shouldn't do it. If we dread the publicity, maybe we are not living or doing right. " We should strive for the opposite. We want people to see what we are doing. We want to be the city on a hill. We should be the kind of person [or brand, in this case] who the more they hear about us, the more they respect and admire us." Can your company survive being an "open book" to your buyers and consumers? If not, perhaps it's time to take a look inward. #business #smallbusiness #cpg #retail #ethics #ecrmrangeme ECRM RangeMe

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We're officially soccer moms 💁🏻‍♀️ Here's what you can expect with our new official partnership with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL): 1. Lactation and feeding room support across the League 🤱 2. Sharing the stories and feeding journeys of the moms on the field 🍼 3. A Bobbie Box for our Bobbie subs to catch some NWSL games! ⚽️ 4. Our name in lights along the field ✨ 5. Formula donations and giveaways throughout the League! ♥️ When women own companies we get to invest in the women also changing the world--- the female-owned League and athletes showing our little girls how to rewrite the playbook and that yes, women's sports are worth investing in.

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Roundup of All Things CPG This Week: (Follow for weekly roundups like these every Friday) 💼 Mergers & Acquisitions → Kirin Completes Fancl Buyout: Kirin finalizes the purchase of Fancl for $1.4B, continuing its strategic shift from beer (WSJ). → Newport Craft Distilling Acquires KEEL Vodka: Newport Craft adds KEEL Vodka to its portfolio (PR Newswire). → Walmart Acquires Vizio: Walmart buys Vizio for $2.3B, expanding into electronics (Intellizence). → Paramount Global Merges with Skydance: Paramount Global partners with Skydance in a $22.26B deal (Inside Arbitrage). 💰 Fundraising Highlights → Funding for UK’s Common Beverage: Secures six-figure investment led by James Watt (The Drinks Business). → InvestBev’s Ambitious Goal: Launches its fifth fund, aiming to raise $150M for beverage brands (Axios). → Emma Watson’s Renais Gin: Raises $2.3M to fuel growth in the luxury gin market (SEC). → ZeroFox Holdings Raises Funds: Secures investment from Haveli Investments to enhance digital risk protection services (Stock Analysis). → Agiliti Secures Funding: Thomas H. Lee Partners invest in Agiliti for growth in medical equipment services (Stock Analysis). 💄 Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness Updates → Briogeo Expands Product Line: Introduces new hair styling products at Ulta and Sephora (Glossy). → Unilever Prestige CEO Resigns: Vasiliki Petrou resigns to start a new investment fund (Business of Fashion). → Care/of Closes Operations: The personalized vitamin brand shuts down (Twitter). → Goop Launches Mascara: Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand expands its makeup line with a new mascara (WWD). → GlaxoSmithKline Acquires Aiolos Bio: GSK enhances its respiratory care portfolio (Stock Analysis). → Amgen Launches New Wellness Initiative: Focuses on personalized health and wellness products (Inside Arbitrage). 🍽️ Food, Beverage, and Alcohol News → Liquid Death’s New “Death Dust”: Enhanced flavors now available on Amazon (Instagram). → SCiFi Foods Shuts Down: Cultivated meat startup ceases operations after raising $40M (AgFunder). → DAVIDsTEA Introduces Sparkling Iced Teas: Launches its first ready-to-drink product (Instagram). → Mondelez Collaborates with Lotus Bakeries: New cookie and chocolate products in the works (Food Dive). → Top of the Mornin’ Coffee’s New Flavor: Introduces French Toast Flavored Coffee (Instagram). → Hulk Hogan’s Beer Launch: Debuts Real American Beer (Brewbound). 📊 Data and Distribution Developments → MERIT’s Financial Success: On track to reach $100M in sales this year (Business of Fashion). → Verb Energy Debuts at Earth Fare: Available in Earth Fare stores. → Burnt Faith Brandy at Tesco: Expands to the UK market. → Pioneer Natural Resources Partners with ExxonMobil: Focuses on sustainable energy solutions (Stock Analysis). → Alpine Immune Sciences Teams with Vertex: Enhances its immunotherapy offerings (Stock Analysis). Enjoyed this? Follow James Ball for roundups every Friday.

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