Category Management Association’s Post

Visiting the Category Management Association Conference in Dallas today or tomorrow? Fancy seeing these two beautiful faces in the flesh? Head over to booth #620 and let Ben Attenborough and Jamie Kelton explain how Attest can help you to become a #categorycaptain ⚓ #cmasummit #categorymanagement #categorymanager #consumertrends #consumerinsight

Hot take Friday 🔥Lazy people should not be on the executive team… If you’re in a smaller CPG or Restaurant brand (say, $5m-$50m), each member of your executive team needs to be high impact… At this scale: - any particular member who doesn’t wear multiple hats or have solid capabilities cross functionally drags the team down - likely the company doesn’t have the budget for a massive team for executives to hang out and manage a tiny piece of the puzzle - diverse skillsets allow lower overhead and longer runway (there will be a time for radical specialization later, but this scale doesn’t reward that yet necessarily) ________ If you want to learn critical financial concepts for this size CPG or Restaurant brand you need to implement asap, download my free book linked in my bio 📕✌️

**Bold Move in the Food Industry: Todd Kaplan Takes the Helm at Kraft Heinz** 🚀 **The Unfiltered Truth**: Todd Kaplan, a seasoned marketing genius with an impressive 17-year journey at PepsiCo, is stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Kraft Heinz North America come August 5, 2024. 🗓️ **Why This Matters**: With a staggering $22 billion portfolio under his watch, Kaplan isn’t just joining Kraft Heinz—he’s about to lead a revolution. From legendary brands like Heinz, Kraft Mac & Cheese, to Capri-Sun and Jell-O, Todd's task is to blend creativity with cultural relevance and boost the company's modern marketing prowess. We've seen Kaplan's magic at play with Pepsi—remember the iconic Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show or the introduction of Nitro Pepsi? His bold strategies didn’t go unnoticed, bagging him accolades from Forbes and Cannes Lions. 🎖️ Now, imagine what he'll concoct for Kraft Heinz. Can a brand known for classics like Oscar Mayer and Cool Whip reinvent itself for the Instagram generation? 🍲✨ **Your Move**: How do you think Todd Kaplan's experience will shape the future of Kraft Heinz? Comment below with your thoughts or tag someone who shares your excitement! 💬 #KraftHeinz #ToddKaplan #MarketingGenius #CMO #BrandRevolution #FoodIndustry #BrandTransformation #MarketingMastermind

🚨 Best Ways to Bounce Back from Brand Blunders 🚨 Even the biggest brands can stumble—just ask Kellogg’s after their recent “cereal for dinner” campaign faced backlash 🍽️🗯️. But a brand blunder doesn’t have to be the end. The key to recovery lies in a solid crisis communications plan: apologize sincerely 🙏, clarify the intent 🗣️, and work tirelessly to rebuild trust 🤝💪. As crisis communications expert Thomas Mustac from Otter PR advises, being open to dialogue 💬 is crucial. Understanding why your message triggered an emotional response 💥 can prevent future missteps and help you navigate the storm 🌩️. #PublicRelations #CrisisManagement #BrandReputation #TrustBuilding #Leadership

At 2b Limitless, we deeply value our relationship with Kraft Heinz and it was fantastic to reconnect with their dynamic team this week. Our session focused on the vital aspects of developing personal brands and enhancing brand equity. One of the highlights was delving into the power of a growth mindset and the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in career progression. We drew inspiration from Jeff Bezos’ famous quote: “Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.” This thought-provoking idea led us to ask: What do you want people to say about you when you are not there? Understanding and shaping this narrative is incredibly powerful. During the session, we explored participants’ strengths using the CliftonStrengths enabling them to identify and build on their areas of strength. Equally important was recognizing areas of weakness to manage around them effectively. By knowing your narrative and exploring the perceptions others might have of you, you can bridge the gap between the two. This self-awareness and proactive approach to personal branding are key to achieving long-term career success and fulfillment. Thank you to the Kraft Heinz team for their enthusiasm and engagement (as always!). We look forward to continuing this journey of growth and development together! Special thanks to Ecaterina Ursu and Sarah T. for making this happen and Olivia Marshall and Dania Saad Mehmod for all your help. Mick Todd, Peter Charles Turner, David Labouchere, Olga Cassidy, Patrick Harrison, Ian Ward, Garreth Ewing, Ciarán McBreen, Jack Wolstencroft, Tony Martin. #yourbrandiseverything #highperformance #eqoveriq #growthmindset #dreamteam

This month, our team’s core value is Accountability. At Koch Comm, we’re driven by collective success. Our individual accountability cultivates trust, strengthens our team and drives results! Learn more about our core values: https://bit.ly/3IyNaEs #KochComm #CoreValues #Accountability #CompanyCulture 

I recently read an article about Marks & Spencer in 2018 that highlights how unpredictable weather can disrupt business plans. They prepared for a cool autumn and stocked up on winter clothes, but when the weather stayed warm, customers didn’t buy what they anticipated.This left them with a lot of unsold inventory and BIG OFFERS WERE ON THEIR WAY! This showcases how M&S took the AIR principle a bit serious “Agile, Inventive, and Reflexive”. They were Agile in quickly responding to the situation by discounting excess inventory/attracting customers. They were also Inventive in their approach, finding ways to adapt their sales strategy even when faced with unexpected challenges. Finally, being Reflexive allowed them to learn from this experience and better anticipate future weather changes. Being agile,creative and responsive is the strategy for the unpredictable environment. Here’s a similar productive find from my Doomscroll #BusinessStrategy #StrategicPlanning #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #MarketAnalysis #marketing

Great to catch up with Sally Taylor today, planning our next category strategy project - talking about a diverse range of topics from: * Challenging assumptions (and the role of unconscious bias) * What it takes to completely change or create a category (thinking back to our time at Walkers and how we were both involved in Doritos/Dips launch) * Finding pepsi mirrors in a garage (and what to do with them now) * How long it takes to write a linked-in post.... This slide is one we created for a recent workshop, talking about the need to make category visions impactful (and think differently to stand out from the crowd) and we just keep coming back to it, because it makes us laugh :) #categorymanagement #fridaythoughts #lateralthinking

Everyone knows what Ketchup is. So how do you maintain relevance and continue to be part of the cultural conversation instead of becoming a commoditized condiment that becomes an invisible part of people's lives, or worse yet, background noise? You tap into culture where it's appropriate for your brand. You find adjacent categories where conversations are already happening and you become part of those conversations. Kudos to Heinz for having the chutzpah to approve these creative activations that have kept them top of mind. From their pandemic puzzle to their role as "marriage counselor" between big buns and big wiener companies, Heinz consistently finds ways to "build the big tent" around brand-relevant conversations and invite people in. #strategy #creativity #innovation #heinz --------------------- Looking for more ideas, insights, and inspiration? Check out my weekly newsletter - Light Bulb at chriskocek.com/newsletter. Every Thursday, you'll get three aha moments that are guaranteed to inspire your next project, creative briefing, or campaign.

Did you know the second half of the year is the SUPER BOWL for our wine business? Check out these 2024 Holiday Shopping Trends stats (according to e-marketer.com): 📈 Total retail sales expected to reach $1.372 TRILLION ( ⬆ 4.8% from 2023) This includes: ⚫ E-Commerce Sales: $271.58 Billion ( ⬆ 9.5% from 2023) ⚫ Non-E-Commerce Sales: $1.1 Trillion ⬆ 3.5% from 2023) A report from nonprofitpro.com stated that corporate giving is expected to increase by 1.9% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025. This growth is attributed to the stock market and GDP but is still below average. According to https://lnkd.in/gbUi4pmi, the following are major trends in the corporate gifting market: --Innovations in packaging --Customization and personalization --Tech-driven gifting solutions --Focus on eco-friendly and sustainable gifts Are you amping up for the 2024 corporate gifting season? If so, I'm here to help take that stress off your plate! I offer gifting concierge services with amazing Corporate Gift sets as well as bulk wine ordering with multi-case discounts. Let's connect so I can give you a preview of what we offer and then get started on your gift list now! #corporategifting #holidaygifting #clientgifting #vendorgifting #nostressgifting #concierge #wearescoutandcellar #sustainable #ecofriendly #wine #coffee #oliveoil #charcuterie