Sara Ostrander

The marketplace will look a lot different in five years. Mars United's Michele Roney offers 8 trends every hopeful network needs to consider in this new report. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gj7Y4HFY

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Exploring new horizons in the consumer goods industry is key to revitalizing its remarkable growth from the 2000s. In the 3rd edition of our State of CPG report, Jessica Moulton, @pavlosExarchos, and @WarrenTeichner dive into the four megatrends shaping topline growth and how companies can enhance their value creation models for the future. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/epKZjrAY

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The Mars Agency's Retail Media Report Card Deep Dive webinar is now available to watch on demand! Tune in to hear insights from Andy Howard, Katy Jordan, and Kayla Corridon on how retail media can be leveraged to drive incremental growth for your brand and what capabilities leading retailers are bringing to the table: https://lnkd.in/gxbWQ7mC #retailmedia #webinar #retailmediareportcard

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How important is content in CPG? Right now, I could argue it's one of the most crucial areas a business should focus on. It's as important as the CEO, COO, and CFO roles. PepsiCo recently hired a CCO, a Chief Creative Officer. This newly created role oversees creative but, more importantly, CONTENT. The CCO said on stage yesterday at Collision that Pepsi will be a media empire in the coming months and years. What does this mean for SMBs, and how should you be thinking about content? 1. Be the CCO. Put that hat on, and if you don't have the skill set, outsource it early on. Act as the leader, not the content producer, unless that's your skill set. 2. Partner with a team. If content creation isn't your strength, collaborate with a team that can produce content at scale across different platforms/retailers. Allow that team to operate as if they are an internal team. This is the model we encourage and execute at GreenFresh . 3. Lead with video. Our entire strategy at GreenFresh moving forward is to lead with video and work backward. Listening to this panel, what struck me was Pepsi's team setup. They have a brand team, a content team in-house, and an outsourced content and ad team. Even with all these resources, they still outsource and value an agency model.

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In-store retail media needs more benchmarks so brands and retailers know what to expect when they're investing in it. Excited to share our meta analysis that showed a double digit incremental lift for CPG brands advertised on GTV over the last 5 years. Looking forward to building on this and providing benchmarks for different in-store digital formats and specific product categories. #retailmedia #admeasurement

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Only retailers that truly deliver value to both shoppers and advertisers will be able to maintain sustainable growth. Mars United Commerce's Michele Roney offers eight changes we see taking place over the next five years that every hopeful network needs to consider going forward: https://lnkd.in/gDXpss9W #retailmedia #trends #retailmedianetworks

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Exciting to witness Krispy Kreme's uptick in social engagement and foot traffic from their recent partnership with PrettyLittleThing. However, noticing a sales gap in grocery locations highlights a key lesson: ensuring partnership alignment across all channels is essential for success. Broader distribution requires tailored strategies.

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Is it retail media or commerce media? The distinction goes beyond semantics. As my Skai colleague Nich Weinheimer explains in his article for Total Retail, the classification determines "how advertisers will manage, staff, budget and strategize their programs. This distinction impacts everything from operational execution to strategic planning and will shape the next era of advertising." Read the whole thing: https://lnkd.in/ezKFcTV2

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"From Novelty to Nostalgia 💥 🛒 Amidst economic challenges, emerging brands are having to prioritize familiarity over novelty. 🤔 Great recent article from Modern Retail on this topic. A few highlights to share: 💼 Investors and retail buyers are favoring brands that offer comfort with a simpler and trusted proposition.  🌱 Lab-grown meat, once a hot trend, continues to face challenges in winning over mainstream consumers. 💡 Startups are shifting towards basics and modernizing classics.  Focus on innovation with broader appeal. 🍝 Examples include Gorgie's green tea energy drink and Goodles' nostalgic mac and cheese.  📈 Authenticity and simplicity continue to be keys to success for emerging brands in a crowded, competitive market. 🌊 Brands like SkinnyDipped and Gimme Seaweed are staying true to their roots while innovating with purpose. In a world craving simplicity, these startups are paving the way for lasting success. 💪 Let's embrace familiarity while still pushing the boundaries of taste and innovation! 🚀 #CPG #Innovation #Trends #EmergingBrands #FoodStartups #ClassicRecipes #Authenticity #Branding

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Curious about how to navigate the ever-changing influencer landscape? Join me tomorrow at Morning Brew's NYC event, "Perfecting Your Influencer IQ" where I'll be speaking with Mae Karwowski, Founder & CEO, Obviously & Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff, Morning Brew about: 🌟 Consumer Sentiments: Understand the current attitudes and behaviors about influencers. 💡 Maximizing ROI: Strategies to leverage influencer partnerships effectively. 📈 Trends: Discuss the latest trends shaping the influencer landscape and how to stay ahead. It's not too late to register: https://lnkd.in/dwvaDSiZ #InfluencerMarketing #ROI #ConsumerInsights #MarketingTrends #MorningBrew

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This is a must-read for CMOs! Mars United Commerce recently spoke with CMOs at leading retailers to hear what business challenges they are currently facing. Michele Roney outlines three key capabilities retailer CMOs must build within their marketing organizations to help tackle these challenges. Link to read it in the comments 👇

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Much like the seltzer craze - maybe the big beverage companies should jump on and ride the wave? From NA to nootropics, and cbd to just some plain ol' mocktails (Have you tried them?!?! You might be surprised!) What would a more sober America look like? Combining the supplement market, health & beauty, and drink market.....sounds like a $$ maker!! #healthieramerica #healthierworld #mocktails #NonAlcoholicBeveragesAdSpend #GuidelineData

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This is the definition of clever co-branding collaboration. Instead of reinventing the wheel, McDonald's is smart to connect consumers with an established fan favorite. Looking forward to seeing fresh ads for these sweet 6-packs of sugar soon. #CoBranding #BusinessCollaboration McDonald's Krispy Kreme TheStreet Veronika Bondarenko

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While technology will cocoon consumers’ lives in years to come, nature will constrain them as societal conventions around growth and prosperity will be further unseated. This will create a landscape where assumptions that previously perpetuated culture and business are re-examined. At #dentsu, we are driven to innovate. Leveraging insights from 30,000 global consumers and 20 experts, our #ConsumerVision2035 report outlines the forces and trends that will reshape technology, culture, consumers, and brands over the next decade. Read the full report to unlock the perspectives needed to future-proof your business, create differentiation, and make an impact for your communities. #InnovatingToImpact

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What I find interesting here is this: People don’t buy a shovel, they buy a hole, right? So, in a world where, as Laura Thomas (She/Her) and Amy Hubbell write “while we continue to crave it, we are agitated by the content we consume”, delivering solutions to people’s problems – that is, shovels to make their holes  – can provide a welcome respite from the agitation. So while you may bristle at the word “joy”, you’d be foolish to dismiss the underlying insight and what it can mean for your brand. https://lnkd.in/gaaS6Ktk PETERMAYER #advertising #strategy #brands #joy

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This is a must-read for CMOs! Mars United Commerce recently spoke with CMOs at leading retailers to hear what business challenges they are currently facing. Michele Roney outlines three key capabilities retailer CMOs must build within their marketing organizations to help tackle these challenges. Link to read it in the comments 👇

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As we discussed last week, Gen Z’s massive spending power is reshaping brand strategies across every consumer industry. Here’s how some brands are responding: * Caribou Coffee is creating a dating show on TikTok. * Bojangles is launching Instagram-famous menu items like Bo-Berry cookies. * Chicken Salad Chick is tapping local influencers for improved imagery and virality. While these are good first steps, the companies that will truly win the Gen Z market will be those that rethink their entire customer experience, with a focus on digital engagement. Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with smartphones. Viral mobile apps like Duolingo, Clash of Clans, and Strava show that gamified experiences and a sense of community are key to retention. Restaurants of the future will need to offer digital experiences that are both fun and community-driven, blending online and in-store interactions into a cohesive, engaging journey. Gamification is crucial, but so is integrating all customer touchpoints. Whether it’s ordering online, dining on-premise, engaging on social media, or participating in branded events, the experience needs to be seamless and consistently engaging. For Gen Z, great food isn’t enough; the overall customer experience must be meaningful and memorable. At Hang, we allow brands to also offer rewards for non-purchase actions, such as engaging on social media, completing branded challenges, playing minigames, or referring friends. Brands can even offer gated specialty products or experiences to the most loyal customers to create a sense of exclusivity and “VIP treatment” for their superfans. We provide the tools for any brand to undergo a true digital transformation and redefine their engagement with customers across every touchpoint. If you’re a restaurant looking to adapt your digital strategy for the modern consumer, I’d love to tell you more– DM me!

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Really good take aways from the April POSSIBLE Get the Trends Report 👉 https://ow.ly/yOmQ50S8EF0

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