Road Trips with People Building and Growing Emerging Brands.

Discussion points

• What is this meeting? Who attends? What do attendees hope to accomplish?
• The consulting firm Kearney presented "Winning Amid Consumer Uncertainty". This work synched nicely with "The Tradeoff Consumer" work Big Chalk has done.
• Retailer presentations from Wakefern, Walgreens, and Walmart. Interesting discussions of their key initiatives for the upcoming year.
• The entire industry is waiting for M&A to pick up. Lots of pent-up interest for sure!
• Lots of discussion around Retailer Media Networks: effectiveness, how to measure, and how to best utilize. Our friends at Incremental can help brands work through this complex matter.
• Like all industry meetings and trade shows- you get out of it what you put into it. Strategic discussions started at NACDS Annual can bear fruit at the August NACDS TSE meeting when more of the retail buying teams are present.

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Discussion points

• A very interesting brand origin story that came out of a college assignment.
• The importance of building the brand YOU want and hope others will like it too.
• A chemistry lesson about how Cheers works in the human body and the story of getting the product approved in the US for sale.
• With regard to marketing- don't move on to 'the next thing' until you have nailed 'the current thing'.
• Why having a profitable DTC business was vital prior to the move into brick & mortar retail.
• A billion impressions anyone?

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Discussion points

• In the spirit of true entrepreneurship
• Dan discusses tuning out those that said he had no shot- he followed his instincts and looked for opportunities to get his brand into people's hands.
• The importance of believing in yourself.
• Hear about his big break at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn.
• The importance of taking feedback and remaining curious- led to several packaging breakthroughs!
• Don't assume all equipment purchases are out of reach! An induction sealer was a great investment!
• Interestingly, Nancy Kalish of Rule Breaker Snacks led us to Dan & Tango Chile Sauce when she named it as a favorite brand!
• Always great to have a Deadhead on the show!

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Discussion points

• What drove him to sell a vitamin infused brand of water in a can?
• The B-12 in Acid Rain Water offers a hydration product that is part pure water with a trait of an energy drink
• How he overcame the brand's first huge challenge of launching during a pandemic when cans were tough to source
• The importance of testing, learning, tracking and course correcting with regard to your marketing spend in order to find where your target consumers can be found
• Jason discusses how working with good people right from the start helps you find (and build a network of) other good people. There is no substitute!
• 'Welcome to the Jungle' - you will have to listen to get his view on this one!

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Discussion points

• What do you look for in an emerging brand? Spoiler alert: a great story, solid marketing, and the potential to add incremental performance to the category.
• How to get a meeting with a buyer and what should be included in a presentation deck.
• She discusses GNC's commitment to high quality products- all brands are vetted through their legal and science team members.
• Roberta shares the variety of ways they launch products at GNC and how she helps brands navigate the onboarding process and her performance expectations.
• A common theme across successful emerging brands is the presence of a solid and effective marketing plan put in place at the start (and ongoing) to drive demand.

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Discussion points

• How Backstroke utilizes AI to customize messaging for their clients, so they speak to different consumer targets in their voice
• Email marketing can effectively be utilized to drive both new sales conversions and as a very effective retention tool to keep your consumers inside your brand franchise
• Backstroke's tech driven process delivers 31% more revenue than email campaigns cobbled together "the human only way"
• Backstroke can design and target your email campaign to a specific geography and even target it to drive business at a specific retailer. Another account specific tactic to utilize
• The Backstroke team's experience and their use of AI will free up your team to work on other business building initiatives versus building out email campaigns in house using old technology

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Discussion points

• What led her to write her new book The Ozempic Revolution (available at local bookstores and Amazon)?
• Many users of GLP-1's discontinue using the products within a year due to side effects
• Dr. Sowa explains what the body needs to replenish while on a GLP-1 in order to keep the body properly nourished and to minimize side effects
• The importance of being very discerning when partnering with a contract manufacturer
• How she and her team are thinking about when to seek growth capital and what they will look for in an investor

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Discussion points

• A welcoming address by CEO Scott Melville outlining the issues in front ofthe industry during these interesting times and a reminder of CHPA's importantmission.
• A great presentation by Circana discussing industry trends andobservations. Learn about what makes a trend a trend vs a fad! Arecap of ROIs for self-care products across advertising platforms.
• Professor Joe Fuller from Harvard offered a very interesting take on the statusof AI and how it is currently impacting business as well as some thoughts onfuture impact.
• A couple of CEO panels. Trends were discussed by Ron Lombardi (PrestigeBrands), Tiffany McLaud (Ultima) and Greg Bradley (Foundation). SusanRoddy of Perella Weinberg hosted an M&A panel with Abigail Buckwalter (CEO-Nestle Health Science) and Mike DeBiasi (CEO of Arcadia Consumer Health)where they shared 'lessons learned' over the course of the various deals theyhave participated in: tips and watchouts!
• Scott Melville led an insightful discussion with "Face the Nation"host Margaret Brennan around navigating today's political landscape.
• A very informative presentation of the ever evolving retail landscape. The rate of change continues to be high and consumers have never had greateraccess to information to help them remove at least some of the uncertainty inmaking their self-care choices.
• Leading retailer HEB closed the activities with a discussion by Chief MerchantScott Mitchell and then a store tour so all could see and learn about theirfirst class operation.

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Discussion points

• Emerging brands generally need a sales agent or broker sooner than later! The smart play is to engage early and to be properly prepared to launch or expand your brand.
• Signs that an emerging brand is ready to go for growth: brand claims & benefits are identified and validated with the consumer detailing that the product will actually serve a financially viable market segment. Manufacturing partners are vetted and capable of supporting your launch or expansion. You have the funding to drive demand and build inventory.
• The questions you as a brand should ask a broker to ensure they are the match to help you drive growth. This match includes capabilities, experience and personality. Relationships matter. A lot.
• We also address the questions you should expect a broker to ask of you as a brand. They will have expectations as well.
• A good broker brings much more to the table than simply representing your brand to retailers. They can help with marketing, data analysis, business development, and constructing high quality go to market strategies.
• We also discuss the importance of communication on many fronts- often the key ingredient to any successful business partnership.

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Discussion points

• An overview of the Expo West show: who attends and the primary purpose of theshow
• Before you decide to exhibit- you may be best served by going for the firsttime as an attendee. Hear his rationale
• Aside from exhibiting or walking the show- what else goes on at Expo West froma content standpoint?
• A point of view on hot trends and some unusual products
• And finally- how to best go about following up with contacts from theshow. Spoiler alert: don't send them your 80 page deck in an email!

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Discussion points

• If you want to be successful with using influencers- you need to do math! Set goals and establish metrics for success.
• Math will help you understand both the cost to acquire an effective influencer and the lifetime value of your consumers.
• Influencers can help you shape and tell your brand story- but the core of the brand story comes from the brand!
• It takes some time for an influencer program to take root and show results. Not an overnight homerun. Planning and some patience are critical.
• There are infrastructure tools in the influencer space (such as GRIN) that can help you manage and measure the business impact of your efforts.

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Discussion points

• Understanding the scope of capabilities of your contract manufacturing partner. Many have a broad array of capabilities. Others don't.
• A great contract manufacturer wants to be a long-term partner with client brands- not just take a one-off order.
• Vet your potential manufacturing partner carefully. Tour their facility, ask detailed questions about capabilities and certifications, breadth of services, etc.
• Many contract manufacturers have products ready to go that may be able to help you expand your business and accelerate your brand's innovation cycle.
• Know that a quality contract manufacturer will have expectations of YOU as a client- so be prepared to discuss these upfront to ensure a smooth start to a business relationship.

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Discussion points

• We discuss the different kinds of trade shows and conferences there are and the purposes they serve. They are not all alike.
• The importance of having a plan and objectives for the shows and conferences you decide to attend. Simply standing in a booth all day will not cut it.
• Some shows are for selling, some conferences are topic specific such as updates on Regulatory matters or ingredients shows.
• If you decide to have a booth at an event- how do I attract people to my booth, get meetings, and differentiate my booth from others in my category? Hints: samples are great! As is motion and action. Two people standing behind a draped card table....not exciting!
• We cover the importance of working the meeting from the very beginning to the very end of each day. Opportunity presents itself to those that work the entire time.
• And finally- some key points about the importance of precise, personalized follow up.

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Discussion points

• Unleashing the Power of Social Commerce: Driving Omnichannel Growth with TikTok Shop. Presented by Oliver Bogner of MPG
• From Aisle to Amazon: Amplifying Your Success on the World's Largest Marketplace. Presented by Bryson Buck of MPG
• Navigating Growth & Innovation: Insights from Whole Foods' Local and Emerging Brands Team. Presented by Casey Gaston of Whole Foods Market
• Unlock Growth: Strategic Capital Access and Scaling for CPG Brands in a Competitive Landscape. Presented by Mollye Santulli of Springdale Ventures
• Data, Analytics & Storytelling for the Modern Merchant Mindset. Presented by Heather Grantham of MPG
• Marketing Transformation: How a Full Funnel Approach Unlocks Growth. Presented by Cheryl Policastro of MPG

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