THE CPGGUYS are joined in this episode by Jeff Cohen, tech evangelist for Amazon ads. We did this LIVE from the Amazon port podcast studio at Cannes Lions international festival of creativity at Cannes, France.

Find Jeff on Linkedin at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/
Find Amazon on Linkedin at : https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon/
Find Amazon ads online at : https://advertising.amazon.com/

This discussion is about career leadership and how it is to work at Amazon day to day. Here's what we asked him : 

1. Jeff, your career touches textbooks.com, has wheels in it, then principal evangelist for amazon ads. Take us through the years and learnings you have picked up on the way?
2. What is a principal evangelist for Amazon ads? What does a day in your life look like?
3. Talk to us about mentoring and mentorship? Are they different, have you had influential mentors? Do you mentor others today?
4. Brand excellence - you are obviously a brand builder as well. What coaching would you give brands - sitting right here in Cannes about building. What principles have you used for this?
5. How do you motivate and inspire your team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential?
6. What are some of the key qualities that you believe are essential for effective leadership, and how do you cultivate those qualities in yourself and others?
7. In today’s crazy “I want it now” world, how does Jeff balance the need for short-term results with the need for long-term strategic planning?
8. This last question is called fast forward. What trends are you following these days in the industry? What would you advise the CPGGUYS to follow?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on PopStar Academy: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81587828?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en
Kavita's podcast: Spotify   Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPGGUYS are joined in this episode by Kenny Juskowiak, MD for emerging brands. Our discussion was recorded LIVE at NielsenIQ's annual c360 conference in May 2024. We discussed NielsenIQ's offerings and services for startup and emerging brands.

This episode is sponsored by NielsenIQ.

Find Kenny Juskowiak on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-juskowiak/
Find NielsenIQ on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/nielseniq/
Find NielsenIQ online : https://nielseniq.com/global/en/

Here's what we asked him:
1. Let’s start with your career background - you have extensive client service experience in customer success at Nielsen itself over 10 years in the past. How did this set you up to be the leader for emerging brand success at NIQ?
2. Take us through how you approach services for small brands at NIQ? How do you bring focus to brands thay may not have the scale or financial resources to partner with you in a scaled way?
3. I want to double down on ecommerce - Amazon obviously is the behemoth here and a brand should not be looking at comprehensive share without Amazon coverage. How do you provide a full view of coverage for them with ecommerce in the mix?
4. We just saw the second annual pitch slam. How did NIQ conceive this? How do you go about sourcing the finalists and what happens next to the winner - how do you support them?
5. So, with coverage and partnerships for smaller emerging brands, how do you partner with private equity or VC who is probably the desired exit outcome for many of them?
6. What about founders who are in very early stage - can they partner with you on measurement and insights? If so, how do you support them?.
7.  NIQ has a whole offering on consumer insights led by panel data, shopper journeys, etc. and a thorough understanding of the shopping experience - do small brands have the ability to do this with you?
8. Thanks for the summary of how NIQ covers emerging brands - lets do a section called ‘fast forward’ - how do you see small brands competing in today’s over complex ecosystem of extensive data and digital shelf vs physical shelf? Are you ready for this mega shift in consumer response?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in the band Katseye debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg6aMDQ_TA   

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

In our 400th episode, the CPG Guys are joined by Seth Dallaire, Chief Revenue Officer at Walmart. The episode was recorded at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 DSN Issue Summit, December 4 in New York City. To learn more, visit: https://events.drugstorenews.com/issuesummit 

Seth answers these questions:

1. Welcome back, since we last had you, Walmart connect, Walmart Data Ventures, and Walmart plus are on a great ride. If you look back at the last few years you’ve been here, do you feel the magic moment has arrived?
2. Walmart connect - growing every day in leaps and bounds, providing value everyday to brands. What’s the heartbeat of WMC, and why should brands continue to invest with you? 
3. Walmart Luminate has now also been around a couple years. At General Mills, I was a big believer that we should used the outputs from the platforms for our everyday business - penetration, growth, share, etc. How are brands leveraging Walmart luminate?
4. Can you take us through the larger Walmart data ventures endeavor - what else does it involve, are there services that we are not discussing on the CPGGUYS?
5. On the people side, how do you ensure your teams are staying abreast of new technologies and trends in the industry? Inflation has challenged all of us - how are you helping brands to navigate it?
6. In store retail media - we have to discuss what’s next here. What do you offer and what’s next here? How are you delivering upper funnel out of platform capabilities for brands?
7. Walmart plus is also a few years in - how is it performing, are consumers excited to continue to leverage it - what’s in the works?
8. Lastly, we always ask - what’s next. What trends are you following and coaching Walmart on? What adoption curve are we at the edge of?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on PopStar Academy: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81587828?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en
Kavita's podcast: Spotify   Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Deren Baker CEO of Flywheel Ventures and Molly O'Bryen Sr. Director, Head of TikTok Shops at Flywheel Ventures, part of the Flywheel Commerce Network.

Follow Deren on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derenbaker/
Follow Molly on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-o-bryen-3a050147/
eMail Molly at: [email protected]

Read Flywheel's new White Paper "The Big Shift" at: https://www.flywheeldigital.com/guides/the-big-shift-retail-power-dynamics

Deren & Molly answer these questions:

1. What is this new group Flywheel Ventures?
2. What is TikTok Shops?
3. Why should CPG brands be interested?
4. What does a brand need to concern itself with to activate the commerce opportunities on the platform?
5. If doing your own shop, what are the FAQ's 
6. How is FW making this easier?
7. How long does it take to get up and running?
8. How do brands get involved?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on PopStar Academy: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81587828?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en
Kavita's podcast: Spotify   Apple

TikTok Shop

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Jay Richman, VP of product & technology for Amazon. This episode was recorded LIVE at Cannes, France during the Cannes Lions festival of creativity in June 2024. Customer obsession, experimenting with new technology are at the core of Amazon. In this episode, we discuss everything from today's artificial intelligence trends to user experience improvements and of course creativity.

Follow Jay Richman on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrichman/
Follow Amazon on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon/
Follow Amazon online : https://www.amazon.com/

Here's what we asked Jay :

1. Jay, you come with a solid media background that includes NBCU & spotify before Amazon. What have you learned over the years in this space and what advice would you give an earlier you to navigate this?
2. What is your role at amazon as a VP of product & tech and how does it intersect with AI?
3. AI - buzzword to many, reality to amazon for a long time. How has AI developed over the years in the industry and where is AI today?
4. AI and Amazon. I have to imagine the UX is directly delivering through AI. Can you share where Amazon is on this journey?
5. Core customer obsession has always been at the heart of Amazon. How do you connect AI and customer obsession for Amazon?
6. You have so many brands on the seller platform. Not all of them are equally built for resources. How are you helping them in their journey of content and scale with AI?
7. Lets talk Amazon ads and helping even larger brands scale there. The sheer volume of content needed between native and standard ads is different. Are you using AI to help brand creators scale easily? Does an aura of test and learn quickly get born now?
8. What tech trends are you following these days? What matters? What would you coach us to follow?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on PopStar Academy: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81587828?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en
Kavita's podcast: Spotify   Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Evan Hovorka, VP of Product & Innovation at Albertsons Media Collective & Lori Johnshoy, Head of Global Retail, Media Network & CPG Industry Strategy at LiveRamp, the data collaboration platform for the world’s most innovative companies. A leader in consumer privacy, data ethics, and foundational identity, LiveRamp sets the new standard for building a connected customer view with unmatched clarity and context while protecting brand and consumer trust.

This episode is sponsored by LiveRamp.

Follow Evan Hovorka on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanhovorka/
Follow Albertsons Media Collective online at: https://albertsonsmediacollective.com/amc/default.aspx
Follow Lori Johnshoy on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-o-neal-johnshoy-4560621/
Follow LiveRamp online at: https://liveramp.com/

Evan & Lori answer these questions:

1. Why don’t you each give us a high-level overview of your history in the industry and your history working together
2. I just spent a week in Florida with a multitude of different retailers, and the thirst for growth in the marketplace has never been more pronounced…not just advertising or ad revenue growth but sales growth.  Are you feeling this on the media side, and is it shifting how you think about what you do?
3. Even though Google has continued to postpone cookie degradation for what feels like the 100th time personalization and identity remain top of mind for this whole ecosystem right?  What do you see as next for that?
4. How are LiveRamp and Albertson’s working together here?  How does 1+1 = more than 2?
5. Of course retail media networks are now working harder to monetize their data as well as their inventory - Evan, can you talk about how Albertson’s is amplifying that?
6. How does that dovetail with what LiveRamp sees-  rise of self-service, programmatic; how to control "cannibalization"....
7. What are the ways data collaboration unlocks new insights and improves media performance?  What are some of the opportunities and challenges you’ve seen?
8. What’s the future-state of this type of data sharing?  Do you think this is sufficient to offset any signal loss from cookies or any other data privacy initiatives?  Where does CTV fit in short and long term?  

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in the band Katseye debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg6aMDQ_TA   
Kavita's podcast: Spotify  Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

This episode was recorded at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with a live audience. The CPG Guys were joined by Ryan Mayward, SVP of Sales at Walmart Connect and Jacquelyn Baker, CEO of Omnicom Commerce Group, part of the Flywheel Commerce Network.

Follow Ryan Mayward on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-mayward-b67458/
Follow Walmart Connect online at: https://www.walmartconnect.com/

Follow Jacquelyn Baker on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelyn-baker-a5b6811b/
Follow Omnicom Commerce Group online at: https://omnicomcommercegroup.com/

Ryan and Jacquelyn answer these questions:


CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on PopStar Academy: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81587828?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en
Kavita's podcast: Spotify   Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Joell Robinson, Senior Director for Retail Media Sales & Activation at Giant Eagle & Neil Murphy Chief Revenue Officer at Bridg, a division of Cardlytics.

This episode is sponsored by Bridg.

Follow Joell Robinson on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joellguglielmo/       
Follow Leap Retail Media Network online at: https://www.leapmediagroup.com
Follow Neil Murphy on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-murphy-49b940?
Follow Rippl Media Network online at: https://www.bridg.com/rippl-for-advertisers

Joell & Neil answer these questions:

1. As you seek to build out a meaningful retail media program, having a complete understanding of shoppers connected to transactions is fundamentally important. Would you elaborate on this and some of the challenges you face in this area?
2. As you thought about seeking to resolve the identities of anonymous transactions, connecting them to Giant Eagle loyalty program members in order to further enrich Leap Media Group, what were important elements of your decision to partner with an external service provider?
3. After deciding to partner with Bridg, what was the integration process like? How much effort on Giant Eagle’s side did it take to activate the partnership and what were the KPIs you employed to evaluate the investment?
4. In order to attract brands to invest in retail media, scale is a major consideration. How has Giant Eagle’s recent announcement that it has entered the Rippl Data & Media Network enabled you to address the scale challenge that many regional & super-regional retailers have faced?
5. How are brands able to leverage the Bridg-enhanced purchase behavior data of Giant Eagle shoppers to drive successful full funnel advertising outcomes?
6. Where are you hoping to take the partnership with Bridg and what advice woul you give to other regional retailers looking to make their networks more appealing and accessible to brand advertisers?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in the band Katseye debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg6aMDQ_TA   
Kavita's podcast: Spotify  Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appe

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Marco Steinsieck, Head of Sephora Media Network, the retail media division of Sephora, a global omnichannel beauty care retailer.

Follow Marco Steinsieck on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosteinsieck/
Follow Sephora on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sephora/
Follow Sephora online at: https://www.inside-sephora.com/en/about-sephora                                                

Marco answers these questions:

1. Can you share some highlights of your journey to becoming the head of Sephora Media Network? 
2. Why do you think retail media is experiencing such an enormous growth trajectory? What is it about the market conditions that are enabling this and why is the beauty category at the front of this media channel?
3. Let’s get into Sephora Media Network. Would you start by dimensionalizing the size of your audience, the behavioral & attitudinal data set that underpins targeting capabilities and finally the advertising solutions you have for your opened & operated site & mobile app properties? (Follow-up: Do you offer both self-service and managed services?)
4. While lower funnel conversion is a core objective for brand advertisers, upper funnel tactics for discovery and awareness are also important particularly in beauty. What solutions exist for advertisers to engage Sephora shoppers off-site and in-store and what partnerships with other ad tech partners are enabling these?
5. What types of performance measurement solutions does Sephora Media Network offer advertisers either in-house, through third parties or via clean room access?
6. Do you have some examples of how brands partnering with Sephora have been able to achieve success in different areas of the marketing funnel?
7. How do brand advertisers collaborate with Sephora Media Network to drive meaningful growth?
8. Looking forward, what should we expect to see from Sephora in helping to advance the retail media landscape?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in the band Katseye debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg6aMDQ_TA   

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Jeff Malmad, global head of commerce at Mindshare. He is also the host of our weekly programming on Tuesday's - the retail media minute. Jeff's previous episode can be found here and is one of our top performing episodes of all time to the day : 'the ABC's of retail media'
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-abcs-of-retail-media-with-mindshares-jeff-malmad/id1517335575?i=1000567672015

Follow Jeff Malmad on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-malmad-4141198/
Follow Mindshare on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindshare/
Follow Mindshare online at: https://www.mindshareworld.com/

Jeff and Sri have a discussion on the following : note - Sri and Jeff had a back and forth discussion vs our standard format of 8 questions.

1. Your first episode of the Retail Media Minute launched almost 2 years ago.  What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in retail media and commerce marketing since then?  

2. So many retailers and companies have launched retail media networks over the past couple years – what has surprised you about the moves you’re seeing in this space? 

3.  You’ve talked before the convergence of ecommerce with the in-store experiences. What would you like to see more of from retailers and brands here? 

4. We can’t talk about ecommerce without talking about AI. What are some of the interesting use cases you’ve seen for AI in the retail media space?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Kavita's podcast: Spotify  Apple

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.