The CPG Guys are joined in this special Halloween episode by Tim LeBel, Chief Halloween Officer and President of US Sales at Mars Wrigley,

Follow Tim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-lebel/
Follow Mars Wrigley on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mars/
Follow Mars Wrigley online at: https://www.mars.com/

Here's what we asked Tim: 

1. Tim, what does ‘Chief halloween officer’ mean to you?
2. How does Mars Wrigley think about the role of Halloween in the annual plan? When does Halloween planning start?
3. What shifts have you seen in consumer behavior around Halloween in the past few years? What trends are you seeing this year?
4. How does Mars Wrigley segment its Halloween portfolio (e.g. “everyday” SKUs vs seasonal/limited edition)?  What is the innovation cadence for seasonal items?
5. How do you balance scale vs novelty in Halloween SKUs? How much shelf “real estate” do you devote to your core candies vs seasonal or promotional items?
6. How do you think about the “kid vs adult” consumer dynamic in Halloween candy buying?
7. How do you see e-commerce / DTC / omnichannel evolving for Halloween candy?
    (E.g. subscription boxes, online-exclusive SKUs, direct-to-consumer offerings, grocery pickup, cross-channel promos.)
8. How do you align with your retail customers (supermarkets, mass, drug, dollar stores, convenience) on Halloween strategies & what is your strategy for securing premium shelf and display space (endcaps, gondolas, checkout lanes) during Halloween?
9. Can you walk us through the innovation pipeline for Halloween SKUs - From ideation to shelf, how long does it take, and how do you “test” new ideas?
10. What role does marketing/ads/PR & retail media play in your Halloween programs?
    How about social media campaigns/influencers, partnerships, co-markets, influencer tie-ins, event activations.)
11. Looking ahead: what do you see as the biggest opportunities and risks for Halloween candy over the next 5 years?

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