Steve chats with PlantStrong Founder Rip Esselstyn.

Steve chats this week with Rajaa Grar, CMO of Nutrabolt.

The future of the physical retail experience may be murky, but product innovation, creativity, relevance and meaning will always drive consumer interest. Foot Locker has launched literally hundreds of sneaker models in the last year, many tied to everything from human rights issues to breakfast cereal, sports stars to Gummy Bears. It is part of a customer acquisition and brand building strategy that brings CMO Jed Berger and his team to the center of the product development cycle. What does it take to reorganize thinking, people and budgets around a product-centric marketing model?

Even a crusty, jaded critic of the advertising industry like Steve Smith can be a sucker for a great ad concept like JewBelong out-of-home campaigns on New York streets. Steve chats with JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman about a range of things — from the real impact of cause-related advertising, being snarky on bus shelters, and rebranding an entire religion.

Grounded in pandemic and post pandemic behavior research, Rexona/Unilever's Degree deodorant brand's Move Again effort is as you'd expect from the CPG giant, a massive multimedia rollout leveraging every imaginable channel. One of their new buzzwords is "un-missable," says Kath Swallow, Global Brand VP for Rexona at Unilever. But that doesn't mean relentless TV spots and billboard coverage. As she tells Brand Insider this week, it's as much about creating critical partnerships: from a famous drag celeb to video games. It even includes a Degree branded "Pit Mobile" making neighborhood stops with truly un-missable pit-related imagery.

Steve chats this week with Vivid Seats CEO Stan Chia.

If Millennials have a signature food, then surely avocados would be it. But herein lies the opportunity, says Mission Produce head of marketing and communications, Denise Junqueiro. Mission is a farm-to-grocery avocado brand that is both b2b and increasingly b2c. By focusing on creative product development, especially around Millennial lifestyle needs, Mission is working a different lane of produce branding and trying to de-commoditize this trendy fruit. If like me, avocado minis or even the prospect of avocado baby food sounds even zanier than avocado toast, think again, Boomer.

Post-pandemic ad campaigns are trying to thread the needle - find ways of gently alluding to the past 15 months of lockdowns, grief and social unrest, while pointing towards brighter days. Clif's "Move the World" messaging wraps such a light note of return-to-normal in purposeful branding as well as a an overall theme of adventure. As Senior Director, Clif Brand Portfolio, Liza Darnell explains, it is designed for open interpretation around evolving notions of adventure, movement and social impact. In many ways, "Move the World" recalls the fleeting age of the big idea but executed across a wide range of video, display and marketing partnerships. The big idea meets the fragmented customer journey.

Even locked-down seekers of eating therapy eventually crave variety. Apparently, Bob Evans Farms is on it. The company famous for freezer aisle comfort dishes like mac and cheese sides and  countless sausage varieties, recently launched a new line of riffs on classics and breakfasts. CMO Thyme Hill discusses how product development is central now to CPG marketing.

MediaPost's Lisa Singer fills in this week for Steve. El Pollo Loco is in growth mode. With several recent record breaking weeks, the company sees itself entering a growth trajectory that includes new audiences, deepening digitization and enhancing its brand position. Lisa chats with CEO Bernard Acoca about how the brand learned from and even grew during the pandemic year.