Get smart on Expo West
The news is first —
Quest just launched 45g protein milkshakes and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say maybe this is too much protein? Stack3d
Sales of plant based milk is down for the first time in 4 years, but the makers of Silk would like you to know people like the taste of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk better than dairy in their cereal. So buy it for the taste, not nutrition. —> Marketing campaign “Cereal Liar” kicked off with a NYC pop up where people who said they prefer dairy were challenged to a polygraph. Food Navigator
National Retail Solutions (NRS) Announces Integration with Google, Helping Local Retailers Attract In-Store Shoppers PR Newswire
—> Google has been increasing visibility of shopping ads (which perform very well) and this integration basically combines shopping ads with the ability to drive in-store purchases. How this works: you see “1 available in [your local area]” on the Target ad on the Google page instead of having to click to Target’s website first.
Almond prices are stabilizing, and could go up further because it’s looking like we won’t have enough bees.
Bain & Company's 2025 Consumer Products Report says top CPG companies are underperforming, with the 50 largest CPGs posting only 1.2% year-over-year revenue growth in the first half of 2024, while smaller insurgent brands captured about 40% of overall growth in the US market.
—> BigFood must acquire and innovate to keep up, and when it comes to corporate innovation, approaches matter. First principles/design thinking has taken over corporate innovation, and the realities of corporate make that approach super challenging. Those are big words. What am I talking about?
First principles involves breaking down complex issues into fundamental truths to reach a solution by questioning assumptions and starting from the most basic elements, often leading to more innovative ideas, and then design thinking focuses on a user-centric, iterative process to solve problems through prototyping and testing.
I will be following for how BigFood may shake up innovation in response to lagging growth projections.
It’s that time - Show Time
If you are a brand headed to Expo West next week and looking to connect with buyers, let me help you have the conversation you want to have.
Buyers are trying to decide if they should kick something else out to give you a shot. They want to grow their categories, so you must know where you will be merchandised and what your role is in the category in order to grow it.
Figure out which one of these you are:
Product Innovation
Category Expansion
Packaging Innovation
Category Creation
Everyone says they are a category disrupter, but that means nothing. Be very crisp on what you mean.
Product Innovation is taking something old and making it new; altering the dynamics of the category by increasing frequency, basket size, or trading up, through features, functionalities, or accessibility that were previously unavailable.
Example: Smearcase Ice Cream
What: Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Category: Ice cream
Segment: Pints
Category Expansion is new flavors/benefits/claims to extend category offerings and bring new users to the category
Example: Laurel’s Coffee
What: Latte beverages made with A2 dairy
Category: Beverages
Segment: RTD Coffee
Packaging Innovation is new formats/pack size/sustainable options, that bring new users to the category.
Example: Perfect Bar
What: Protein Bar
Category: Refrigerated Single Serve Desserts
Segment: Refrigerated Bars — cold fill format created a new secondary placement for bars bringing new shoppers to the refrigerated single serve set
Category Creation is a whole new way of making something, or a whole new thing, and owning it by naming it; designing your own market game rather than playing within an existing one, or bringing existing online users to in-store.
Example: MUD\WTR mushroom coffee
What: Superfunctional coffee alternative
Category: Center store coffee/tea
Segment: *NEW* Functional hot beverages
Safe travels and don’t miss this tasty pop up on Thursday, Booth 7809!
All my best,
Jennifer