Jinny Lam

Great time with Elanie and Kay from the Renegade Nutrition Podcast! Their content is always so timely related to changes in the science of nutrition, it's impact on our wellness, and how we can all be better at 'biohacking'. We discussed the importance of polyphenols in the diet for longevity, data from blue zones, and Goode Health. Give it a listen (if you have an hour or listen at 1.75x speed) and follow Renegade!

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There was a moment in last week's Roundtable when Emily Flannery declared, "that's right: beverages are officially a snack, too." The way we see category lines blurring, overlapping and/or completely falling away is fascinating, and a huge opportunity for food & bev brands with the nerve to keep up. Did you see it yet? Give the convo a watch right here: https://okt.to/XpGrUZ And if this glimpse into the future inspires you, let's chat! #futurefluent #futureofsnacking #cpgtrends

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“We created this study for produce marketers and all food marketers to better understand how today’s curiosities will influence tomorrow’s trends,” said Cristie Mather, vice president, food for Curious Plot. “While it’s clear that simplicity and affordability are ruling the day, it does not take away from the fact that early adopters’ curiosity for fruits and vegetables, global flavors and functional ingredients remains strong.” 💡 Don't forget to download the 2024 Consumer Curiosity Report: https://bit.ly/4csBBfy #foodtrends #consumerresearch #foodmarketing #producemarketing #produce #fruitsandveggies

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🔍 New Insight: The Rise of Functional Foods 🍇🔬 The mid-market food and beverage manufacturing sector in the Northeast USA is embracing the booming trend of functional foods, offering consumers more than just basic nutrition. Here’s what’s happening: 💪 Health & Wellness Focus: Companies are increasingly incorporating functional ingredients like probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens into their products, meeting the rising consumer demand for health-boosting foods. 🧠 Brain-Boosting Innovations: Products designed to enhance cognitive function, improve mood, and support mental clarity are gaining popularity. From beverages infused with nootropics to snacks fortified with omega-3s, the market is expanding rapidly. 🌿 Natural & Organic Ingredients: There's a strong emphasis on using natural and organic ingredients to appeal to health-conscious consumers. This aligns with the broader trend of clean labeling and transparency in the food industry. 📈 Growth Opportunities: The functional food segment is experiencing significant growth, creating new opportunities for manufacturers to diversify their product lines and capture a larger share of the health and wellness market. This vibrant sector is not just following trends—it's setting them Get ready to see more innovative, health-enhancing products hitting the shelves soon. #FoodAndBeverage #FunctionalFoods #HealthAndWellness #Innovation #MidMarket #NortheastUSA #FutureOfFood #SupportLocal #EmergingStrategy

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🦔 Hedgehog alert! 🦔 Tillamook County Creamery Association has had an unrelenting focus to reset America's dairy standards for years. With a hedgehog-like focus (where my Jim Collins fans at??), the brand has been chipping away at this 5-year brand ambition through smart and thoughtful product and sub-category expansion (cream cheese launch, butter product improvement, differentiated shredded cheese, ice cream pints), intentional geographic expansion, consumer-led positioning, rebranding and packaging updates, and last but not least, ownable marketing messaging. I should know, having had the pleasure of leading the ice cream category for several years in service of this broader goal. What are some other hedgehog brands (and companies) you love?

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Consumer experimentation with flavor is on the rise. More than a third of US consumers are trying more flavors than last year, due to an increase in "information, innovation and opportunities...making experimentation more accessible than ever." Trying new flavors is now considered part of everyday life, with consumers actively seeking out unique taste experiences. Brick-and-mortar grocery store inspiration, social media recommendations, and customizable restaurant menus are the most common places consumers discover new flavors. It is important for CPG brands to keep up with the consumer desire for flavor novelty, and to stay on top of sustainable growth trends when planning innovations. Especially considering the new focus consumers are placing on seeking out and trying new offerings. Have you tried a new flavor this year? If so, what was the flavor? #mrx #cpg #trends #innovation #consumerinsights https://lnkd.in/eqy3wq9s

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I'll be at 👉 (https://lnkd.in/geS8v3aq) the NielsenIQ C360 conference in Phoenix - May 13-16 as The CPG Guys. Will you be there as a senior leader to discuss today's important #cpgindustry topics? 1.) Total store optimization in a post pandemic world? 2.) What does today's truly #omnichannel shopper journey look like? Have #retailmedia networks changed full funnel #omnichannelmarketing? 3.) Of course, all about #artificalintelligence 4.) #innovation - most large brands temporarily slowed it down over the pandemic - now its back to the mayhem. Shelf space is not unlimited - who wins, who loses and who doesn't belong on the shelf in the first place. Watch Liz Buchanan (NA, president), Jamie Clarke (NA retail), Andrew Criezis (President, #ecommerce) and so much more.

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My gut tells me, she wasn't pushed - rather, she jumped. With Canopy Growth ready to start "helping", she has enough money and enough other things she wants to do, and having to listen to CGC tell her what do, would just become unbearable. CGC is likely to start smashing the 3 companies together - try to find cost savings - look for RTM and internal transfer synergies. Of course, given the current regulations in the US, there is no across-state transfer of product, so real scale plays are not in play. And Canopy has proven they have the executional excellence and precision of a sledgehammer in an eye operation. No one wants to be around and see their life's work ripped to rat's shite. Wana and Jetty, are pretty small businesses in the grand scheme of the US cannabis market - both, it would seem, have used licensing as their expansion strategy, which begs the question as to who will control the trademark in those states going forward. And Acreage Holdings is a debt-ridden, money-losing shell that looks to be more of liability to the whole thing. It's going to cost a lot of money to make Canopy USA work and more importantly, real strategic acumen - CGC has neither. Just wait and watch - Canopy will screw this up - it's what they do.

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Roundup of All Things CPG This Week: (Follow for weekly roundups like these every Friday) 💼 Mergers & Acquisitions → Kirin Completes Fancl Buyout: Kirin finalizes the purchase of Fancl for $1.4B, continuing its strategic shift from beer (WSJ). → Newport Craft Distilling Acquires KEEL Vodka: Newport Craft adds KEEL Vodka to its portfolio (PR Newswire). → Walmart Acquires Vizio: Walmart buys Vizio for $2.3B, expanding into electronics (Intellizence). → Paramount Global Merges with Skydance: Paramount Global partners with Skydance in a $22.26B deal (Inside Arbitrage). 💰 Fundraising Highlights → Funding for UK’s Common Beverage: Secures six-figure investment led by James Watt (The Drinks Business). → InvestBev’s Ambitious Goal: Launches its fifth fund, aiming to raise $150M for beverage brands (Axios). → Emma Watson’s Renais Gin: Raises $2.3M to fuel growth in the luxury gin market (SEC). → ZeroFox Holdings Raises Funds: Secures investment from Haveli Investments to enhance digital risk protection services (Stock Analysis). → Agiliti Secures Funding: Thomas H. Lee Partners invest in Agiliti for growth in medical equipment services (Stock Analysis). 💄 Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness Updates → Briogeo Expands Product Line: Introduces new hair styling products at Ulta and Sephora (Glossy). → Unilever Prestige CEO Resigns: Vasiliki Petrou resigns to start a new investment fund (Business of Fashion). → Care/of Closes Operations: The personalized vitamin brand shuts down (Twitter). → Goop Launches Mascara: Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand expands its makeup line with a new mascara (WWD). → GlaxoSmithKline Acquires Aiolos Bio: GSK enhances its respiratory care portfolio (Stock Analysis). → Amgen Launches New Wellness Initiative: Focuses on personalized health and wellness products (Inside Arbitrage). 🍽️ Food, Beverage, and Alcohol News → Liquid Death’s New “Death Dust”: Enhanced flavors now available on Amazon (Instagram). → SCiFi Foods Shuts Down: Cultivated meat startup ceases operations after raising $40M (AgFunder). → DAVIDsTEA Introduces Sparkling Iced Teas: Launches its first ready-to-drink product (Instagram). → Mondelez Collaborates with Lotus Bakeries: New cookie and chocolate products in the works (Food Dive). → Top of the Mornin’ Coffee’s New Flavor: Introduces French Toast Flavored Coffee (Instagram). → Hulk Hogan’s Beer Launch: Debuts Real American Beer (Brewbound). 📊 Data and Distribution Developments → MERIT’s Financial Success: On track to reach $100M in sales this year (Business of Fashion). → Verb Energy Debuts at Earth Fare: Available in Earth Fare stores. → Burnt Faith Brandy at Tesco: Expands to the UK market. → Pioneer Natural Resources Partners with ExxonMobil: Focuses on sustainable energy solutions (Stock Analysis). → Alpine Immune Sciences Teams with Vertex: Enhances its immunotherapy offerings (Stock Analysis). Enjoyed this? Follow James Ball for roundups every Friday.

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I think consumer feedback is often under used by emerging CPG brands… Coming from a Kraft Foods general management upbringing and then experiencing start-ups for many years, I’m often thinking about which “big company” practices could bring value to young emerging companies while not screwing up their great entrepreneurial culture and founder brilliance. The one area I continue to see a gap in is “entrepreneurial” consumer feedback/market research—the lack of fast/low cost consumer research options (or even confirmation research) discussed to prevent a low velocity SKU to get delisted, to maximize brand communication, and avoid wasted spend or lost opportunity on the back end. There are some great research companies out there, but their costs (while valid and worth it) are just not in the ballpark for what many founders want to spend for or go through the time on. Sometimes it’s a lot more natural for founders to go with their gut and not get bogged down by research. And I totally get this, and it does work in many instances.   I just wish there were more options out there to efficiently confirm purchase interest between two packages or between new innovation ideas to complement founder gut. In the end, it could save the emerging brand money…. Thought I’d reach out to the linkedin community, PLEASE not from research companies selling their research, but from founders/emerging brand marketers who have been through this dilemma and have found some consumer feedback very helpful and fitting for emerging brand bootstrap budget and speed (even if their own tools or alternative ways they’ve brought in consumers more)?  This sharing might help more companies maximize their moves in the future…so hope it helps… thanks! #ConsumerFeedback #jcbgrowth

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In the cutthroat world of CPG marketing, it's easy to put up a tough front. But here's a juicy truth: vulnerability isn't a weakness. Being open and genuine can set you apart like a gourmet veggie burger at a fast-food joint. 😋 Over the past few months, I've spoken to many, many business leaders and various professionals and I've witnessed a few common fears that seem to be holding some of you back. 1. Fear of Judgment: Worrying your honest moments will be met with scrutiny. 2. Fear of Rejection: Thinking your true self might not be "good enough." 3. Fear of Failure: Dreading that showing your struggles means admitting defeat. But guess what? Just like adding a pinch of salt to a sweet dessert enhances the flavor, a dash of vulnerability can elevate your game. Here's how: 1. Share Your Stories: Like a well-aged wine, your personal anecdotes can deepen connections with your audience. I've connected with people over our shared love of Bridgerton (what did you think about season 3?!), or my latest hairstyle (who knew hair could inspire so many vulnerable conversations), or even how we share kids of the same age. Bottom line, authentic stories (and connections) resonate. 2. Embrace Feedback: Think of feedback as a necessary ingredient—like yeast in bread-making. It helps you rise. When feedback is constructive and offered to an open and prepared individual, it can unlock serious marketing magic. I was raised in a house where I received buckets of unsolicited feedback that I grew to embrace (thanks mom). 🤣 In truth, this prepared me to be a more active listener and critical thinker. 3. Show Your Humanity: People relate to people, not perfection. Look, sometimes there is a random typo in my blog posts. Will I shrivel up and die of embarrassment because of it?! No! I am a human, not an AI bot. My theory, be the organic, unfiltered juice in a market full of artificial flavors. 🧘‍♀️ So, next time you're crafting your marketing message or maybe your personal brand, ask yourself—are you presenting the polished, picture-perfect façade, or are you sharing the raw, real story behind your story? Remember, in the world of CPG, the best connections are often made when we let down our guard and show a little heart. ❤️ Cheers! Here is a photo of my son demonstrating his version of vulnerability. As he said, "even football players stop to smell flowers, mom." 😊 Want to (re)connect and whip up something authentic together? Start here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gWVEYkbp

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I'm so excited to be kicking off phase 1 of our mini series: Innovation Strategy Showdown: Data vs. Gut Instinct. Listen below to see how we navigate the challenges of data vs. gut instinct here at @hellacocktailco and how we used both in tandem to transform one of our laggard products into a best-seller! From being in the industry 13+ years, I've come to learn that there's no amount of data that you can compile, that will guarantee consumer adoption in market. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? How are you navigating data vs. gut instinct in your business? Drop your thoughts in the comments 

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What an incredible couple days at The Beverage Forum! It was a privilege to hear from industry giants like Gavin Hattersley; game changing retailers (Tom Brennan of Casey's, Jesus Delgado-Jenkins of 7-Eleven, and Phil Markert of Albertsons Companies to name just a few); and inspiring brands like BeatBox, poppi, The Equitea Co., and so many more. There were a few recurring insights across the panels that resonated with what I've seen launching a new beer brand: 1. The importance of authenticity. This has to go beyond just the brand message and must be reflected in how the brand shows up at retail, how it makes its product, and how it speaks to consumers, regardless of channel. 2. The need to meet your consumers where they are. We're all busy, and convenience is key. If it's too hard to get a product (it's chronically out of stock, it's not in the expected channels, the packaging makes consumption too hard), fans, no matter how rabid, will opt for substitutes. 3. The increasing pace of innovation. Consumers are demanding variety and retailers are shifting their models to provide that. New brands have ever smaller windows to prove they have a right to stay. 4. Packaging is paramount! We learned this the hard way at EIGHT Brewing Co. As a new brand, your packaging has to work hard at retail - not only invoking the brand, but communicating your value proposition to potential consumers quicky and effectively. Thanks to the entire LA Libations team for putting on such a great event. I'm already looking forward to next year! In the meantime, here's Robert Downey Jr., co-founder of happy™, commenting on the mind-blowing competitiveness of the beverage industry.

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I'm excited and honored to have joined Perceptual Advisors as Managing Director, CPG/Food & Beverage Practice. I'm leading our global efforts to support brands in these growth categories that are projected to surpass $11 trillion globally by 2030. Since the announcement was published, here are the top questions people have asked me: Who is Perceptual Advisors? We're a unique communications, marketing, and public affairs firm with a team of more than 50 professionals around the globe all of whom have served in senior roles with iconic companies, in government, and with leading marketing & comms agencies. Why did I drink the PA Kool-Aid?  In short, it's because of the people and the value proposition we offer our clients. Those of us (like me) that have ample experience both on the in-house/brand and agency side can appreciate how compelling it is. People: Our team includes former senior executives across the globe from eBay, Visa, Tesla, AT&T, Aston Martin, Crispin Porter Bogusky, Burson Marsteller, Rolex, Proctor & Gamble, the U.S. Congress, and many more. They've successfully managed campaigns for companies like Facebook, AT&T, IBM, Ferrari, FedEx, HP, Unilever, Metlife, Mondelez, Symantec, Burger King, Allergan, SoftBank, Ford, and the list goes on. Value proposition that sets Perceptual Advisors apart: - Unparalleled Access to talent & capabilities: C-suite level professionals across industries, geographies and marketing/comms disciplines - All-senior team: No hand-offs to inexperienced staffers handling your business. - Hands-on approach: From strategy to execution, our entire senior-level team actually does the work. - Deep experience: Our team has successfully dealt with nearly every type of issue, challenge and opportunity CPG, F&B and most industries are moving at breakneck speed and facing unprecedented changes. We have a lean, agile and smart team of experts that deliver a strong ROI and successful outcomes quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively. Sound good? Reach out to me to catch-up and chat about how Perceptual Advisors can help you tackle some of your pain points and/or opportunities. Talk soon. #problemsolvers #allseniorteamallthetime #perceptualadvisors #opentowork #Food&Beverage #CPG

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In today's consumer landscape, authenticity, honesty, and transparency are not just buzzwords –– they're the pillars upon which trust is built. Third-party certifications, such as the Upcycled Food Association's Upcycled Certified mark, serve as tangible proof of a brand's commitment to sustainability. By displaying such credentials, brands signal to consumers that their products have undergone rigorous evaluation and meet certain standards, instilling confidence in the brand's claims and efforts. This transparency fosters a deeper connection between consumers and brands, empowering individuals to make informed choices that resonate with their personal values. Read about how Clif Bar is crushing the sustainability game in New Hope Network https://bit.ly/3vBnFQn #sustainability #transparency #consumervalues

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Some very good information here for emerging brands to understand as it relates to getting their brands from the store into the consumer's shopping carts (the hard part) vs. getting their brand into the store (the easier part). Fun stuff!

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🐾 Adding My Flavor to some ✅ Petfood Industry Newsletter Buzz! 🍦 ✅ It's encouraging to witness the growing popularity of "Ice Cream for Dogs" as it becomes a staple mainstream snack. ✅ Delving into the realm of plant-based milk ingredients, akin to Smoofl's ricemilk-based Creamy Caramel, presents intriguing avenues for future product development. ✅ forging an alliance with an esteemed ice cream parlor chain could present deliciously tempting opportunities. Australian Homemade Ice Cream are we ready to scoop up? 😉🍦 However, let's not overlook the importance of online sales. A recent conversation with a pet retailer highlighted their dissatisfaction with semi-thawed frozen yoghurt snacks arriving in styrofoam boxes, especially towards the end of the day. They're in search of a seamless solution – could we be the answer they're looking for? 🍨 Pierre Kemseke, Alex Cardon what are your thoughts on this aspect? https://lnkd.in/e_g3qQMS

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Modernizing legacy brands for a new generation of consumers is no easy feat. Earlier in my career, I was fortunate to work on teams that accomplished that for two legacy Kraft Heinz brands: Jell-O and Crystal Light. Critical to those successes were the same lessons Gail Hollander discusses in this article: * how to successfully update a brand by understanding its role in the culture and category without walking too far away from the brand truth and its DNA * creating winning marketing strategies by leveraging the art (creative thinking) and the science (data-driven decisions); and * breaking down silos to align the entire organization around long-term brand building I took these lessons I learned and recently wrote an article about how integral they also are for building successful CX strategies: https://lnkd.in/ecPhFpMz

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Coke is still the number one soda in America. However, there is now a new runner up, and that’s Dr. Pepper. This overtaking was not by accident, but rather through intentional strategy, and operating with a future-facing vision in mind. By sponsoring talent for long-term deals, collaborating with popular sports, having a strong social media presence, and creating content that will attract attention, Dr. Pepper has rightfully climbed the ranks. Interested to see how Pepsi will respond now that it’s been demoted to 3rd. #Marketing #MarketingStrategy #Branding

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