The CPG Guys

The CPGGUYS talk to Vinima Shekhar - Vice president of wellness at Walmart on new beginnings in wellness with a new year 2024 upon us. Most of us set health goals as our #1 priority - what does that mean for Walmart? Find that and more in this episode....

Follow Vinima on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinima/
Follow Walmart on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart/
Follow Walmart online at: https://www.walmart.com/

Here's what we asked Vinima : 

1. Take us through your career journey from being a masters in Engineering to a career in merchandising at the one of the world's most iconic retailers Walmart?
2. What leadership attributes have served you well over the years and championed your career success?
3. A successful leader builds a good team around them. What do you look for in a team and how do you help build teams?
4. It's an omnichannel world - how did you adapt over the pandemic to stay on top of these trends in go-to-market strategy?
5. New year, new you indeed. What does this mean to you, how are you setup for success in this space?
6. Business has changed again over the last 9 months, how are you adapting to driving demand and consumption for wellness in a marketplace where consumption has slowed down??
7. Your role in merchandising leadership requires significant knowledge across broad spectrums of the category. How do you keep your knowledge refreshed, and how do you translate that knowledge you gain to the shelf - online or at the store?
8. What advice do you have for other women wishing to pursue a corporate career in the Retail industry?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com

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 this Recap Episode, Sri & PVSB review what they consider to be the top CPG/Retail stores of 2023:

1. The end of Boxed.com
2. Omnicom & Albertsons Media Collective partners with trade desk
3. PepsiCo redesigns logo
4. Giant Eagle circulars March no, April yes
5. Kroger/Alb announce decision to sell over 400 stores to C&S
6. Who owns Taco Tuesday? Taco John won over Taco Bell.
7. No way Jose, Trade Joe’s very clear ECOMMERCE not a priority
8. Instacart adds AI component to search to allow flexibility with ask Instacart,
9. Amazon launches AI based PDP content populator
10. Amazon introduces AI based review summary that summarized sentiment
11. Food retailers spend over $13BN on tech investments in 2022
12. Amazon touts biggest prime day $12.7 BN
13. McDonalds launches cosmcs drink
14. Overstock rebrands as Bed Bath & Beyond
15. Instacart IPO
16. Rite Aid bankruptcy
17. Getir delivery buys Fresh direct from ADUSA
18. Many retail media networks emerge : HyVee, gulp, DGMN, maturity is on the way
19. IAB retail media standards

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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. 

It’s our annual OMNIES Awards episode!

Emcees:
Andrea K. Leigh
Melissa Burdick
Bryan Gildenberg
Sri Rajagopalan
Peter V.S. Bond
Liz Buchanan - NielsenIQ President, North America
Marta Bowles - NielsenIQ Chief Marketing Officer

Awards & Winners:

• Best eCommerce Retailer or Marketplace: Kroger
• Best Omnichannel Retailer or Marketplace: Target
• Best Retail Site Functionality: Sephora
• Best Retail Mobile App: Amazon
• Best Retailer for Supplier Partnerships: Walmart
• Best Digitally-Forward CPG: PepsiCo
• Best DTC CPG Brand Experience: NYX by L’Oreal
• Best Digitally-Driven Campaign of the Year: Mars Wrigley Halloween
• Best Omnichannel Insights Provider: NielsenIQ
• Best Retail Media Platform: Amazon
• Best Retail Media Measurements & Analytics: Albertsons Media Collective 
• Omnichannel Hall of Fame Inductees: Diana Haussling & Kristi Argyilan

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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 welcome Caroline Goodner, co-founder & CEO of OrganiCare, whose mission it is to create all-natural and organic OTC healthcare products that are safe, effective, and simply better than the petrochemical-based industrial products used by most consumers today.

Follow Caroline on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-goodner-98b32/
Follow OrganiCare on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/organicare-llc/
Follow OrganiCare online at: https://www.organicare.com/

Here's what we asked Caroline : 

1. Take us through your career journey from Duke University to genotyping, to other leadership roles for brands, to babycare to now co founding and leading feminine care?
2. What leadership attributes have served you well over the years and championed your career success? Given that, a successful leader builds a good team around them. What do you look for in a team and how do you help build teams?
3. You started organicare right before Covid - and it seems private investor funding has dried up over the last 2 plus years - how have you sustained business? 
4. Take us through the portfolio of organicare and the various need states it addresses. What unique proposition does it have for consumers? Why should they buy your products?
5. It's an omnichannel world - how did you adapt over the pandemic and stay abreast of these trends? Especially in the categories you are in privacy triumphs - how do you handle that? 
6. What is curoxen? How is it different from Organicare? Why do you have two websites?
7. How have you approached retail partnerships to drive scale? How are you doing this for Organicare? 
8. What advice do you have for other women wishing to pursue an entrepreneurial career?
   
   

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com

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 welcome Chad Matthews, Chief Commercial Officer at PepsiCo.

Follow Chad on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-matthews-a4773711/
Follow PepsiCo on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pepsico/
Follow PepsiCo online at: http://pepsico.com

Here's what we asked Chad : 

1. Chad - your career spans a couple decades in selling. From KAM to account leadership to region to SVP to CCO. Take us through the years, the valuable lessons you learned and how you got to this role.
2. No successful leaders delivers plans and goals without successful talent surrounding them. What do you look for in good talent and how does one spot and champion good talent.
3. Business in 2023 looks very different than 2021 or 2022 which was rampant with inflation and supply chain challenges. A lot of food and beverage consumption seems to have slowed down - how are you adapting and delivering against this for your retail partners and the consumer?
4. We would love to hear your perspective on innovation. How important is innovation to the lifeline of beverages in our industry. How do you personally champion it at PBNA?
5. How do you evaluate success for your sales teams and what resources do you provide your team to help them achieve this success?
6. In the world of omnichannel, how important is content marketing and retail media to today's customer ecosystem?
7. What role does AI, technology, automation play in today's world of CPG & retail. How are you championing this for PBNA?
8. The last question is what we call fast forward, what trends to do you expect to start, stop or continue next 3 years, Where do you spend most of your time in learning new trends and applying them to PBNA.
   
   

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com

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 Ben Reynolds, VP of Business Development for STRATACACHE, to discuss the future of in-store retail measurement.

This episode is sponsored by Stratacache.

Follow Ben on LinkedIn at; https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrreynolds/
Follow STRATACACHE on LinkedIn at:https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratacache/
Follow Buzzballz online at: https://www.stratacache.com/en/

Ben tackles these topics:

1. You've been involved in retail media since it's inception with PRN at Walmart - what's most exciting about the opportunity you have with the Walkbase solution at STRATACACHE today?
2. Talk a little bit about how Walkbase measures and assesses in-store traffic and what the implications are for a retailer looking to promise true metrics on in-store retail media?
3. How does Walkbase personalize this information - can it link in-store behavior to individual purchase?  How?
4. What are some of the differences with the Walkbase approach vs. other providers within the context of retailer cap-ex requirements and changing privacy rules?
5. What are the implications for retailers and brands to be able to translate in-store behavior into granular, clickstream style analytics?
6. What are some of the best in-class applications you see your client partners undertaking?
7. What's next for the world of in-store retail media?

Also, we discussed STRATACACHE'S upcoming event (partnering with NRF before their big show) on January 13, 2024 in New York City called "What's In Store For Retail Media"...for more information click below!

STRATACACHE EVENT: https://nrfbigshow.nrf.com/session/whats-store-retail-media-networks

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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 Tracy Frisbie, EVP of Sales & Marketing at Southern Champion, manufacturer of the RTD cocktail brand BuzzBallz.

Follow Tracy Frisbie on LinkedIn at; https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-frisbie-11044713/
Follow BuzzBallz on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buzzballz/
Follow Buzzballz online at: http://buzzballz.com

Tracy  answers these questions : 

1. After a successful career working for large scaled brands like PepsiCo and Constellation Brands, you made the jump to BuzzBallz 5 years ago. What appealed to you about the opportunity and what skills 
2. What sets BuzzBallz apart from other alcohol brands in the market?
3. How did the alcoholic beverage industry evolve during the pandemic, and how did BuzzBallz adapt & capitalize on these changes?
4. What is the target audience for BuzzBallz products, and how do you tailor your marketing & distribution strategies to reach them? What strategies have been most effective in promoting BuzzBallz products?
5. Can you share some of the memorable marketing campaigns that you think drove the acceleration of BuzzBallz’ business and what resonated with consumers?
6. Can you discuss the role of social media and digital marketing in promoting your brand?
7. What advice do you have for individuals, particularly women interested in pursuing a career in the alcohol industry, particularly in sales and marketing?
8. Looking forward, are there specific trends or focus areas that you are looking to explore as catalysts in driving growth for BuzzBallz?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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 Ben Galvin, VP of Sales, National Accounts at Flying Embers, a hand-crafted, alcohol beverage brand based in Ventura, California that develops great-tasting botanical brews with functional benefits. 

Follow Ben Galvin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-galvin-a62aa35/
Follow Flying Embers on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-embers/
Follow Flying Embers online at:https://www.flyingembers.com/ 

Ben  answers these questions : 

1. Would you run us through some of the pivotal roles in your professional career relative to important skills you developed and what drew you to Flying Embers?
2. Would you share with us what you see as the role of challenger "growth" brands within the beer /bev alc industry?
3. What is the importance of portfolio & flavor/style evolution from challenger brands & role within retail (i.e. what is new & what isn't "so last year"?)
4. How is your business focusing on consumer preference changes & how/where they discover new alcohol beverages?
5. You know we love to talk about retail media on this podcast. As a brand that is subject to The “Tied-House” Three-Tier system of regulation, how do you navigate investment against retail media for bev alc brands?
6. What do you see as the importance of retail media for challenger brands in building "mental awareness" & improving findability? 
7. How are retail media tactics woven into Trade Marketing practices & budgets for alc brands, regardless of size? 
8. Looking to the future, what are your recommendations for challenger brands to focus on to "win" in 2024 and beyond?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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. 

Simon Miles, VP of Global Omnichannel Customer Platforms at the Coca-Cola Company joins the CPG Guys in conversation at the recent Groceryshop industry conference in Las Vegas Nevada.

Follow  Simon Miles on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-miles-727290/
Follow Coca-Cola on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company/
Follow Coca-Cola online at: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/

Simon answers these questions:

1. Retail media is a fast changing landscape and finally we have IAB talk to standards? Would love to get your opinion on the reality of standards - is this good and realistic?
2. Data has become a monetized platform for retailers. Some scaled data represents consumer habits, some is very retail centric movement, kinda making the syndicated data world less relevant. What’s your thought on retail centric data that now is all over the industry?
3. Retail media proliferation - again everyone has a platform, and even in store is now a part of retail media. Do you see this continuing or will there be consolidation - surely brands cannot be shaping strategies on media with 50 retail media engines and retailers?
4. Talent - simply put what makes a good digital or omnichannel leader. Both Sri and you come from the brick & mortar world and adapted to digital and go back and forth all the time. What’s the mojo?
5. Take us through your thoughts on planning as it relates to commercial strategy - when annual plans are built do they have to now be built for retail through an omnichannel lens, or is brick & mortar driving it and digital is a bolt on to cover the gaps?
6. Metrics that matter - give us your views on what metrics matter in the digital world, for eg does content scorecards 10 years into measuring it even many anything?
7. How is Coca-Cola evolving in how it collaborates with retail customers around omnichannel and is digital a core component of the joint business planning process?
8. The last question on the CPGGUYS episodes is always fast forward - what’s next for you and for what you do in role at Coca-Cola? What trends are you following that you think are non - negotiable for our industry?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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 Ajay Sharma, North America VP of eCommerce & Omnichannel for Bayer Consumer Health, manufacturer of iconic brands like One-A-Day, Claritin, Alka-Seltzer, & Miralax.

Follow Ajay Sharma on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-sharma-26900360/
Follow Bayer on Linkedin :  https://www.linkedin.com/company/bayer/
Follow Bayer online at: https://www.bayer.com/

Ajay  answers these questions : 

1. Take us through your career journey from school in the UK to pharmacy management to Coca-Cola to Bayer and now as an ecommerce leader in our industry?
2. How do you work with your teammates at buyer in the physical world of brick & mortar and how do omnichannel plans get developed?
3. Retail media - would love your thinking on this. How do you approach retail media, secure budgets and what would you advice others on planning effectively for this?
4. What are metrics that matter in the omnichannel world - we would say content, search, etc - would love that from you - what do you measure as success?
5. The world of artificial intelligence - how are you learning and keeping pace with its development? How do you connect it to what you do for Bayer and the industry?
6. Data has become a monetized platform for retailers. Some scaled data represents consumer habits, some is very retail centric movement, kinda making the syndicated data world less relevant. What’s your thought on retail centric data that now is all over the industry?
7. Talent - simply put what makes a good digital or omnichannel leader. You come from the brick & mortar world of pharmacy and adapted to digital. What’s the mojo?
8. The last question on the CPGGUYS is always fast forward. What trends are you following and what do you think is next for the industry with omnichannel?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
CPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.com
NextUp Website: http://NextUpisnow.org/cpgguys
RetailWit Website: http://retailwit.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lararajj

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.