Category: Blog

Your Consumer Is Key to Your Next Brand Refresh. Are You Listening?

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Your Consumer Is Key to Your Next Brand Refresh. Are You Listening?

August 25, 2022

Written By: The GRO Agency

Stalled growth, an evolving category, or an outdated package design might have you considering a brand refresh at your CPG. While each of these is a valid reason to reevaluate your brand and its position, the emotional impact your brand has on consumers should be at the forefront of any brand considerations. 

After all, the strength of your market position is only as good as your bond with your consumer. 

But building a strong relationship with your consumer depends on more than simply collecting additional demographic information. You need to dig deeper to increase your understanding of their motivations, needs, and perceptions. Today’s consumers are evolving. Your brand needs to evolve with them. 

Choices are multiplying, making it easier for their preferences to shift. But the number of potential touch points consumers can have with your brand is increasing, too. That’s why it’s critical to connect in skilled and meaningful ways — ways that show you really know them. 

And it starts with consumer listening. 

1. Structure Your Brand Refresh With Your Customer’s Evolving Needs in Mind

Your brand identity can be crafted in a number of ways. It all depends on the aspects and attributes you want to amplify. The key is choosing a thoughtful position based on what’s happening in the world of your consumer — not what you think about your product — because how you see your product may not be how the market accepts it.

Consider YouTube. When the platform first launched, YouTube was a video-dating website. But it didn’t work. Users didn’t want to upload videos of themselves talking about their perfect mate. They did, however, have an appetite for uploading videos with their own content. So YouTube’s founders pivoted and leaned into how their customers used the site. That pivot resulted in the YouTube we know today, with 2 billion people using the platform each month. 

For legacy brands that started strong, a pivot may come later. We see that in the success of Velveeta’s brand refresh and  the “La Dolce Velveeta” campaign. The 100-year-old brand made processed cheese sexy, delectable and desirable. 

How? They listened to their consumers. 

Consumers didn’t want healthier, regular cheese. Regular cheese doesn’t melt the way Velveeta does. Knowing this, Velveeta didn’t reformulate their product. Instead, they leaned into the cult following that loves the drip and melty gooey-ness of their product to usher in a new generation of brand loyalists.

Velveeta utilized emotionally connective ways of gathering insights to guide their campaign. They masterfully listened to their consumer, identified what they loved, and translated that into their differentiator for a modern, provocative approach.

To understand who was eating Velveeta, why they loved it, and how to attract a new generation of consumers, the brand had to go beyond the data.

2. Don’t Rely on Big Data Alone When Refreshing Your Brand

As a CPG Brand Director, you likely spend a good amount of time looking at data — the average age of your consumer, median income, buying frequencies, etc. Yes, knowing and understanding these numbers is important to the overall success of your brand. But data alone won’t help you make an emotional connection with your consumer.

The goal is to make the consumer in your marketing scenarios a whole human being, not just a bunch of numbers. So, rather than just looking at what they’re doing, you can also answer why they are doing it. 

In other words, you need to balance the quantitative findings of Big Data with a more qualitative story.  

Emerging technology platforms have made it easier to build on your quantitative data with qualitative discoveries. Social listening tools scan blogs, publications and social media channels to identify what people are actually saying about your product or your competitor’s products. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning help make connections to a consumer’s emotions by providing multidimensional psychographic insights that provide a deeper look into personality and psychological attributes (think interests, wants, and needs).

When coupled with the numbers, these insights put a face to the data and answer questions like “Why does the consumer feel that way?” and “What is motivating the consumer’s behavior?”

The answers to these questions can be a key differentiator for your product and help steer your brand refresh in the direction that will best meet your current audience’s needs while also appealing to new consumers.

3. Let Consumer Needs Drive Your Differentiator

In the branding world, we talk about being different in order to stand out. But in reality, sometimes the best thing to do with your brand refresh is the same thing you’ve always done — only better. 

If your brand refresh is too vastly different from your already established brand identity, consumers may not recognize you. This can lead to confusion, especially if your new position doesn’t match what consumers are looking for. Your current consumers may shift to another brand — one that is more aligned with their needs — and it may be more difficult to attract new audiences. Then you’re left with nobody buying your products. 

But on the other hand, when the category and consumer shift, resting on your laurels won’t work either. The key is finding the sweet spot between being different and being better. This is where the market will understand who and what you are.

Consumer Listening in Action: Ian’s Foods

For example, when Ian’s Foods first launched in the early 2000’s, they positioned themselves as a gluten-free brand. At the time, that was certainly one of their most compelling differentiators so it’s where they focused their positioning. As a result, they cultivated a sizable and loyal customer base.

Ian’s Foods also happened to be a “free from” brand (free from most common allergens). But at the point when Ian’s entered the market, “free from” wasn’t a recognizable category. Consumers weren’t asking for it, so even though the “free from” claims were true of the brand, Ian’s only focused on the “gluten-free” aspect that the market was demanding.

But as both the consumer and the category shifted — the market began demanding more “free from” options (not just gluten-free, but also nut-free, dairy-free, etc.) and more competition entered the market — Ian’s Foods needed to shift the narrative. 

Ian’s had an opportunity to think outside their gluten-free box and appeal to a wider audience. It was time for them to pivot. They really were more than just gluten-free and the consumer was poised for that message. 

By keeping a pulse on both the category and their consumer, Ian’s was able to reposition with a new brand identity, packaging, and website that met the needs of an expanding consumer market without alienating their current clientele. 

They didn’t do anything different with their product. Instead they told (and sold) the full story of what made their products unique — why they were better. 

4. Make Time for Consumer Listening

While there are no hard and fast rules for how often you should refresh your brand positioning, you should always be keeping a pulse on your category, your competition, and your consumer. 

Based on your brand and the structure of your team, a more formal audit might happen quarterly or it might happen twice a year. Determine a regular cadence, but also watch for triggers. Changes in consumer behavior or new competitors in the category are good indicators that it’s time to take a closer look at your brand. Regardless of the cadence you determine, it’s important to give yourself and your team ample time and resources so that the process receives the attention it deserves.

In fact, as a CPG Brand Director, time and space for these kinds of activities should be built into your role. That requires giving yourself (or members of your team) the ability to step out of the day-to-day grind of running your brand and into a space where you can innovate, think creatively, and strategize. 

Create a framework for weaving consumer listening into the fabric of your brand and operational culture of your business. The intentional execution of surveys, focus groups, social listening activities, etc., and the time spent reviewing the outputs will help you better understand what’s next for your brand. 

5. Listen to Your Consumers. They’ll Help You Craft Your Brand Story

Your brand refresh should be all about getting consumers to look at your products in a new way — and to feel an emotional connection. But for your consumers to have that emotional connection to your brand, your brand story needs to be relevant and needs to resonate. 

Your brand story can focus on many different aspects. But it can’t (and shouldn’t) focus on everything. You just can’t say all the things that your product or brand does at the same volume, with the same intensity, and expect any of them to resonate with your customers.

Instead, let your consumers help ground your brand story in what matters most to them.

When consumer listening is used effectively — when it’s part of your operational DNA, when it personalizes Big Data, and when the results guide brand positioning efforts — you’ll start to see impact through sales lift, increased consumer buzz, and ongoing customer loyalty. And those are worthwhile results.

What Walmart’s Juneteenth Ice Cream Means for CPG Brands Moving Forward

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What Walmart’s Juneteenth Ice Cream Means for CPG Brands Moving Forward

July 21, 2022

Written By: Esther Sully

With the use of smart devices and social media as primary means of connectivity, today’s consumer is both smarter and more vocal than ever. You add in the rise of cancel culture and an uptick in social consciousness, and it seems nothing goes unnoticed or unaddressed by consumers when it comes to how brands show up in today’s marketplace.

Just recently, Walmart found itself at the center of a consumer controversy with the release of a “Juneteenth” themed ice cream that fell flat when it came to consumer opinion. The release was met with immediate backlash and many took to social media to express how damaging it is when brands capitalize off of the exploitation of the experience of one group of people. Walmart eventually pulled the ice cream from their shelves and issued a public apology. 

Perhaps the most unfortunate part of Walmart’s misstep is that it is not the first—and most likely not the last—example of how CPGs get it wrong.

Pepsi placed a white celebrity at the center of a commercial, indicating that sharing a drink is the solution to the social injustice at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.  H&M missed the mark with a little Black boy modeling their “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” hoodie. Gucci sparked major outrage over their blackface turtleneck sweater. Dove faced the heat for a “whitewashing’” advertisement that transformed a Black woman into a white woman after using their new soap.  It’s surprising how global brands, with access to extensive market data and research to inform their decisions, can still fall victim to these levels of marketing mishaps. 

Despite extensive resources made available to today’s marketer from DEI to best practices,, there seems to be a trend where many brands are only making a concerted effort in the right direction after a public backlash from an avoidable misstep of viral proportions.

There are however, many CPG brands getting it right and Hershey Black Music Month Campaign is one clear example. 

In June, Hershey partnered with Memphis Music Initiative to elevate Black voices while creating actionable solutions that supported the next generation of Black creators. This collaborative campaign centered Black voices at the core of the message. The stories were illustrated for and by Black creatives – the same audience being targeted. Cause marketing is a mutually beneficial approach that allows CPG brands to better serve a diverse audience while strengthening their corporate social responsibility. 

So, how can you keep your CPG brand on the right side of successful campaigns? 

Let’s start with a few questions that you may want to ask yourself about your own CPG marketing processes. 

Where did Walmart (and other brands) go wrong?

It is common for food and beverage companies to introduce holiday-themed products. So, when Juneteenth became a federal Holiday on June 19, 2021, it was expected that companies would run to their marketing departments to start strategizing all the ways to make a dollar from it. 

Corporations that honestly want to highlight social causes, commemorate historical events, or even contribute to philanthropic movements or activism, must proceed cautiously. There is a high level of awareness and sensibility that needs to frame their participation. Assuming what is acceptable without the input of the target audience, is a sure step in the wrong direction. Misappropriation has been at the forefront of these failed campaigns – and it’s almost always because corporation leaders believe that they have enough knowledge and experience to narrate stories of other people and cultures without their input.

Consider engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethically oriented practices. Take a grassroots approach to your campaigns by partnering with community-based organizations and community leaders who are already on the ground doing the work. Center them, their cause, and their mission at the forefront of these campaigns. Instead of simply using their faces for profit, lend your global platform to further their vision and amplify their voices.  

Why It’s Important for CPGs to Bring Diverse Voices to the Table.

The easiest way to avoid call-out culture and the embarrassment of pulling products and issuing public apologies is to diversify the faces at the decision table. That starts with your hiring process and who you are making a part of your team – at every level. 

Ask yourself this question honestly: When it comes to racial diversity does your corporation hire seat fillers or key team players? In other words, do you hire to look like a diverse company but operate otherwise?  

Diverse faces, means diverse experience, and ideas from a global perspective. That means fresh ideas, more innovative approaches, successful marketing, and a broadening audience of consumers…satisfied consumers at that. 

No matter how long your brand has been on the market, there is always a need to learn and relearn what you think you already know about the industry. Where diverse people and cultures are concerned, be sure to involve them at every step of the campaign process to ensure that the final product does not misrepresent them, their communities, their ideas, or their cultures. CPG companies cannot continue to assume that their decorated resumes in marketing and brand strategy qualifies them to make those decisions, while continually misrepresenting BIPOC on tv, print ads, and on our products. 

Start by taking a deeper look into your company and the commitment you have to redefine the ways you market to Black people and all people of color. How well informed are your decisions? Who and what is influencing the direction of your campaign? As CPG industry leaders it is necessary to ask these questions and have real conversations with BIPOC. Your marketing process should require you and your teams to listen attentively, incorporate what you hear, and revise and refine the final touches – all with their input. 

It’s a process that requires diligence and oftentimes, going back to the drawing board. The truth is, unless they are part of the storytelling,  it may only be a matter of time before your CPG company is at the center of online backlash for a product or campaign that should have never happened.

Don’t Let Greenwashing Drown Your CPG’s Reputation

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Don’t Let Greenwashing Drown Your CPG’s Reputation

June 10, 2022

Written By: Matt Sanders

There’s a lot of performative eco-friendliness from well-intentioned (and not-so-well-intentioned) companies trying to grab consumer interest with flashy marketing about their superior sustainability pushes.

This is an example of greenwashing. It’s an increasingly problematic practice, especially for sizable corporations already facing skepticism from cynical consumers.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to making empty environmental promises. These strategies have the power to attract loyal customers and committed employees to your large CPG company.

Greenwashing Explained

Greenwashing refers to promoting some aspect of a product, packaging, or entire company that seems like it’s creating a more eco-friendly future. Upon closer inspection, however, it’s clear the initiative is nothing more than window dressing. The company isn’t doing anything of substance to help the planet.

Here’s a pretty cut and dry example. You’ve heard of bioplastics, right? These new polymers often used for food and beverage packaging sound promising — at least to unsuspecting consumers. Bioplastics are supposed to be more sustainable because they break down through composting. Emphasis on “supposed to.” The problem is that these plastics only break down in industrial composting facilities, not in your average backyard composting bin.

If bioplastics are the only step a company is taking to reduce pollution, that’s greenwashing. After all, how many consumers would realize they have to take a bioplastic bottle to a special facility? How many would do it even if they did realize? How many have access to such a facility in the first place?

The hypothetical company in question is putting the onus on the consumer when they should be taking meaningful measures to combat climate issues themselves.

Why Greenwashing Is Increasingly Problematic for CPG Brands

Bioplastics are just one example of greenwashing and there are plenty of other ways companies practice it. But if you want to build a brand-loyal customer base, hiding behind dubious claims on your pack or in your marketing activations isn’t going to cut it.

Today’s consumers are savvy. They’ll take the initiative to research questions like, “What are bioplastics?” Consumers are also more cynical than ever. They often think corporations — CPGs included — are only out to make money.

Even employees are demanding more from their employers. They want to work for a company that genuinely cares about the planet as well as doing something about our climate change problems. In this employee-driven job market, job seekers can afford to be as choosy as they please.

Steer Clear of Greenwashing with the Right Sustainability Strategy

To mitigate consumer and employee skepticism and sidestep greenwashing, your CPG has to be transparent about sustainability. Bring your audience along for the ride as you navigate the complicated landscape of eco-consciousness. Be forthcoming about your efforts and the work that still needs to be done. Your honesty in building a cleaner company will go a long way in developing consumer trust and loyalty.

But how can you be transparent about your efforts and ensure you’re not greenwashing? You have to adopt a rigorous plan that outlines the steps you’re taking toward change. These steps need to make your CPG company authentically sustainable and environmentally friendly. Such a plan can take one of two forms:

1. Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy

The words like “sustainable” and “sustainability” have become so broad they can be deceiving. They also don’t provide any real context for consumers or accountability for companies. Frankly, these words often misdirect consumer thinking just like greenwashing does.

For your large CPG brand, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) gets closer to what you really need to do to be sustainable — not just say you’re sustainable.

CSR is a self-regulating practice/strategy within an organization that achieves economic, environmental, and social impact goals without negatively affecting the bottom line. The foundation of your CSR strategy can be a framework such as the triple-bottom line method, among others.

2. Environment, Social, Governance Strategy

Because CSR is self-regulating and qualitative — meaning companies monitor their own progress — it might not be the best path toward transparent sustainability.

The term environment, social, governance (ESG) is more apt. ESG strategies force companies to construct a reporting framework and rock-solid accountability practices that provide quantitative results on not only sustainability initiatives, but also corporate culture and community efforts.

ESG strategies are arguably more holistic than CSR strategies in addition to being more measurable. What’s more, ESG is trending upward. At the moment, it’s most popular in real estate development and construction spheres — but that’s to your advantage. Adopting an ESG strategy at your CPG company would put you on the cutting edge and endear you to your ever-suspicious audience.

As if you need more convincing that ESG is the future, Blackrock’s Larry Fink reinforced the value of robust ESG performance in his groundbreaking letter to CEOs, naming “purpose as the engine of long-term profitability.”

His sentiment was echoed by a growing number of exec teams in a recent survey. The report found that 63% of executives claim ESG is a very important or critical factor in their company’s long-term success, up from 36% just two years ago.

Next Steps to Ditch Greenwashing for Good

No matter which path you take — CSR or ESG — you’re on your way to more transparent, effective sustainability initiatives for your CPG brand. If you need help starting a strategy, consider hiring an external environmental executive.

If you also need a hand ensuring your food and bev pack isn’t guilty of greenwashing, we’re CPG packaging experts at your disposal.

4 Trends Elevating the Importance of Connecting with Your CPG’s Customers

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4 Trends Elevating the Importance of Connecting with Your CPG’s Customers

May 27, 2022

Written By: The GRO Agency

Social consciousness and consumer psychology continue to shift in 2022. Your CPG company’s target audience is likely more aware than ever of how brands make them feel — especially since they’re being bombarded with marketing messaging 24/7 from all angles. 

As a result, one of the most valuable assets your CPG company can have today is a meaningful connection with your consumers. You can foster that connection by paying attention to the four trends — all related to reaching consumers effectively — elevated here. 

Being aware of these trends can strengthen your customer relationships. But it can also position your business for growth as foresight into what’s next translates into dollar signs. 

1. Comfort Your CPG Brand’s Consumers to Keep them Coming Back

As mentioned, consumers today are in tune with how brands make them feel. And you can’t reach them effectively — let alone on a personal level — without understanding this trend. 

“Make customers feel good and make everything a little easier for them” should be your mantra in 2022. Consumers want to be reassured and comforted post-pandemic and amid the complexity of their daily, digital-driven lives. 

If it makes sense for your CPG, you can create new products that relieve consumer stress — like ashwagandha gummies if you’re a supplement brand. Otherwise you can also simply alter how you’re speaking to your audience to make the customer journey more zen. 

Keep this trend in mind as you review the next three trends. No matter how you decide to leverage these trends to reach and grow your audience, you must offer reprieve and comfort. 

2. Leverage Artificial Intelligence to Customize Consumer Connections  

As companies look to form deeper, more delightful connections with their target audiences, it’s no wonder artificial intelligence-driven research is increasingly popular. 

AI marketing leverages customer data through machine learning techniques. This enables you to anticipate consumers’ next moves and therefore customize the customer journey, making it more resonant. Additionally, the insights AI marketing produces get at consumers’ personality types and psychographics — not just surface level demographics.

AI marketing is powerful beyond improving how you relate to consumers. It’s also able to distill heaps of data almost instantly. If a human had to sift through that amount of data and extract actionable information, it would take months. Or even years. 

Consider a case study that proves the potential of machine learning. Consumer goods company Unilever put AI marketing to the test. Using AI data centers from across the globe, they discovered a link between ice cream and breakfast. The company then developed a range of cereal-flavored ice creams for food and beverage brand Ben & Jerry’s, taking advantage of their newfound insights into consumers. And giving consumers something they didn’t even know they wanted. Bonus: Breakfast for dessert sounds pretty comforting! 

You might be thinking: AI marketing isn’t new in 2022. And that’s correct. What is novel is its availability to more and more companies. When machine learning software first emerged, only the largest, wealthiest companies could afford it. Now it’s becoming more widely accessible, making it the perfect time for your CPG company to explore the tech (if you haven’t already). 

3. Use Your Data to Inform Your Storytelling  

In 2022, CPG brands have access to an unprecedented amount of consumer data. There’s AI marketing, as discussed, but also market research, syndicated data, and the goldmine that is your owned first-party data. It’s great and powerful for making those meaningful consumer connections — but only if you actually act on the data you have. 

We’re seeing an increasing disconnect between creative marketing/brand teams and analytical data/research teams. The teams are too siloed. Consequently, the raw insights data experts have aren’t always getting translated into marketing strategies and narratives consumers respond to. Those consumer/brand connections aren’t being made. 

Don’t sit on quality data. Remember, you need to understand your customers to cultivate those all-important relationships that keep buyers coming back to your brand. 

4. Make the Customer Experience Seamless for Overwhelmed Consumers 

The customer journey looks nothing like it did even a few years ago. Way back when, it started in the store, or maybe with a mailer. Today, there are seemingly endless entry points for customers to access your brand, including:

  • In store
  • On your website
  • Via social media
  • With apps like Instacart 
  • Through your own apps

Despite the complexity of the customer journey, your task this year is to streamline the experience across all these platforms (and more) for your target audience. Don’t let them feel the complexity you see in the customer journey. You must meet shoppers on the channels and at the times that work for them to achieve meaningful connections. 

You have the data necessary to cater to your customers as individuals. Again, don’t let that data go unused. 

Meaningful Customer Relationships Are Possible with Foresight 

Advances in technology like AI marketing, the near-instant availability of consumer data, the after-effects of a global pandemic — there’s a lot shaping the marketing landscape for CPG’s in 2022. 

Being in the know about these shifts means you can be proactive instead of reactive: responding to your customers in the right place with the right tone to create mutually beneficial relationships.

To Win Over Gen Z, Your CPG Brand Must Understand Wellness

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To Win Over Gen Z, Your CPG Brand Must Understand Wellness

May 13, 2022

Written By: The GRO Agency

CPG brands are already reacting to the wellness trend. Because nutrition is a core tenant of wellness, this movement is particularly prevalent within the food and beverage space. People want to put “better for you” whole foods in their bodies. Everything in emerging CPG has some tie to “better for you.” But you’ve definitely noticed that already. 

One demographic for whom wellness is particularly important is Generation Z. What you need to consider now is how Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) will propel the wellness movement forward. You also need to understand how your CPG brand can capitalize on this generation’s rising interest in their health and wellbeing — as backed by research. 

Why Gen Z Matters to Your CPG’s Wellness Marketing Efforts

Gen Z doesn’t know a world that’s not focused on wellness. And we’re not talking about your grandmother’s Jane Fonda workout in the morning and cocktail in the afternoon. Gen Z has an intrinsically more sophisticated view of wellness that encompasses physical and mental health as well as appearance, nutrition, and fitness. 

As Gen Z grows as a distinct market segment, you have no choice but to incorporate wellness into your brand in some way. Or at least learn about wellness before Gen Z overtakes every other generation of shoppers and insists on wellness-promoting products. 

Besides, your company has to look at Gen Z research anyway. They are the up-and-coming consumer group. If Baby Boomers are your main target market, what happens when there are no more Baby Boomers? 

3 Findings that Prove Wellness is Gen Z’s Bread and Butter (Or Coffee and Spotify Playlist)

The popularity of wellness along with the rising influence of Gen Z — which are inextricably linked — compelled us to review some of the latest research on Gen Z behavior. And this research is what led us to this article’s title: 

Your CPG brand can’t attract Gen Z without understanding wellness. 

Let’s look at three findings about Gen Z that prove this thesis:

1. Alcohol Consumption Takes a Backseat 

Cocktailing was a way Boomers tended to their mental wellbeing. But the opposite is true of Gen Z. Research shows they’re ditching alcohol and even CBD products in favor of self-care treats. 

You’re much more likely to find a Gen Zer at a coffee shop sipping an oat milk latte and listening to music than you are to find them at a bar. Or perhaps enjoying a dark chocolate bar with the same Spotify playlist on loop. 

For CPG, less emphasis on alcohol could explain the rise of non-alcoholic drinks. Bigger picture, what do Gen Z’s preferred treats mean for your product line?

2. For Emotional Health, Podcasts Are out and Music Is in 

Along the same lines as caring for their mental wellbeing with coffee over cocktails, Gen Z has its own ideas about staying emotionally sharp and well. 

Unlike their Gen X and Millennial predecessors, Gen Z doesn’t search for podcasts, grab their yoga mats, or cut down on caffeine on their quest for emotional happiness. Instead, Gen Z folks prefer: 

  • Listening to laugh-worthy content
  • Jamming to even more music 
  • Connecting with friends and family 
  • Exercising 
  • Acknowledging their thoughts and feelings throughout the day 

These findings about Gen Z and emotional health can influence your marketing, especially partnership marketing. For example, it would be powerful to create a Spotify playlist curated to match the vibe of drinking a cup of your brand’s coffee. Add a QR code to your packaging to make the playlist accessible and take a campaign like this to the next level. 

3. Whole Foods Are Here to Stay 

The most food and bev-related research finding is that healthy fats and natural whole foods are at the top of Gen Z’s grocery list — duh. 

The takeaway is that the trend toward whole foods, ingredient transparency, and so on is continuing to grow. And the COVID-19 pandemic has only reinforced consumers’ commitment to wellness through food. 

Getting on board with this piece of research might mean simplifying your ingredients and/or your label. 

Let Wellness Influence Your CPG’s Next Marketing Moves

We’re not saying your CPG has to develop elderberry gummies tomorrow (unless you’re a supplement brand, then go right ahead). But you should be aware of the larger wellness craze and its deep-seated connection to the growing Gen Z consumer group. 

Let all of this research come together to inform your marketing strategy, including what brands you cross-promote with, the content of your marketing activations, and the areas you explore to innovate.

5 Emerging Trends for Large CPGs

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5 Emerging Trends for Large CPGs

April 29, 2022

Written By: Matt Sanders

The CPG industry comes with a lot of red tape. Your internal processes have to be complex to support all of the moving parts keeping your company going. But even though these intricacies serve a purpose, they can still get in the way of your ability to jump on trends before they’re overdone. 

You also may be more risk averse (understanbly) than smaller CPGs because of your size. As a result, you don’t pivot as quickly to follow trends. 

Still, it’s important to examine what’s coming down the pike in your industry. Food and beverage products that seem inconsequential now will be overtaking the shelves in the near future. Additionally, following CPG trends can inform your acquisition strategy, allowing you to consider investing in up-and-coming companies before others do. 

Consider these five emerging CPG trends to see what’s on the horizon — and what piques your brand’s interest. 

1. Holistic Eco-Consciousness Beats Empty Sustainability Promises

Sustainability, climate change, and eco-consciousness have been on our minds as consumers and industry professionals for years now. What’s new in 2022 is sustainability’s prominence. Product and brand sustainability claims that were once buried on a random site page are now front-of-pack fodder and features on their own webpages. 

There’s no more shying away from the realities facing our planet. Companies are reacting by rejecting one-off, greenwashing sustainability initiatives and working to make the planet healthier through their entire missions. 

All you need to do is take a look at a few brands to see the holistic eco-consciousness trend in action: 

  • Moonshot Snacks. This brand’s homepage banner image reads, “Welcome to the climate-friendly food movement.” It doesn’t get any more prominent than that. And they’re not empty words. Moonshot Snacks is committed to healthy food systems. That means every part of their process — from ingredient sourcing to packaging materials — is selected with planet health in mind. 
  • Epic Provisions. This brand is out to “heal the land” through regenerative agriculture, not just sell an idea of sustainability they don’t back up with action. 
  • GoodSam Foods. This company has completely shifted the narrative to the point where their product is secondary to their mission of supporting small farms. GoodSam consumers are knowingly buying sustainably. 
  • Pulp Pantry. These snacks prove sustainability is about so much more than recyclable packaging. Their chips are made from upcycled veggie pulp that would have otherwise been trashed. Talk about a newfangled approach to fighting food waste.

2. Plant-Based Foods Get Another Facelift

With sustainability and the health of our planet on our minds, it’s no secret that plant-based foods have been on the rise for years. In 2022, plant-based products are leveling up yet again. 

Gone are the days of plain old soy chicken patties. Today, you can fill your cart with plant-based substitutes for fancy foods like caviar, foie gras, sashimi, and eggs. In addition to these specific products, we expect plant-based foods to offer even more diverse tastes and textures moving forward. 

Plant-based foods are becoming so good they’re competing not only with other plant-based alternatives, but also with their animal product counterparts. That means your large CPG might have competition from some unexpected brands and categories this year and beyond. 

3. Better-For-You Comfort Foods Take Over the Frozen Aisle

The popularity of plant-based foods is also driven by our collective desire to be healthier. That’s why traditional comfort foods — like mac and cheese and ice cream — are getting a makeover, too. 

It used to be that we didn’t care what was in our go-to foods so long as they comforted us. But consumers don’t have to sacrifice nutrition or health for comfort these days. That’s because brands are creating better-for-you versions of favorite comfort eats with cleaner ingredients. 

Of course, there are your standard cauliflower crust pizzas, lentil pastas, and gluten-free cookies. But the frozen foods aisle is really seeing an increase in better-for-you comfort foods. It could be because COVID forced us to eat at home more often and frozen foods are simply convenient. No matter what sparked the trend, better-for-you comfort foods — especially frozen varieties — are here to stay. 

4. Certain Adaptogens Go Mainstream

Functional foods — foods that have a positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition — are not new on the food and beverage scene. That said, we see certain functional foods emerge as favorites each year. In 2022, adaptogens, specifically mushrooms as well as pre- and probiotics, are really taking hold. 

Lions mane, cordyceps, reishi — these are all mushrooms that are making their way into products, generally in the form of a powder. In the near future, we expect to see mushrooms baked into foods as well, like bars. That’s because the benefits of this adaptogen are becoming more widely accepted. 

Pre- and probiotics were everywhere when the GRO team attended the food and beverage industry conference Expo West this March. They’ve gone way beyond kombucha. These adaptogens are popping up in sparkling water, baked goods, bars, and much more. 

It was only a few years ago that kombucha was fringe. Don’t miss your chance to explore these up and coming ingredients. 

5. Global Flavors Land in the U.S. 

Millenials are the largest consumer base right now, and they’re much more into food experiences than previous generations. On top of that, COVID kept us all from traveling for a while. These compounding factors and more have led to an increase in access and interest in global flavors. 

Brands like Fly by Jing, Fila Manila, and Omsom are bringing novel flavors into homes across the globe. 

Even though many of us have resumed traveling and eating outside of the home, these trending global flavors aren’t going anywhere. 

Learn From These Trends or Fall Behind

There are a lot of cool trends in CPG this year that are already shaping what the future of the industry looks like. It’s crucial to check in on even the smallest CPGs from time to time to strategize how your company can take advantage of the next big thing — before it’s the next big thing.

What Any CPG Brand Can Learn from NBA Fan Audience Research

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What Any CPG Brand Can Learn from NBA Fan Audience Research

April 6, 2022

Written By: The GRO Agency

The way you foster a consumer/brand connection is by knowing your audience inside and out — and relating to them with your marketing efforts. But getting to know your audience that deeply isn’t easy. You need to go beyond surface level demographics, invented personas, and your own intuition as a marketer. You also need actual data. You need psychographics — or descriptions of someone’s personality traits and psychological attributes. 

Audience research reports do just that. They study the demographics and psychographics of real people. This latest report takes a deep dive into the NBA fan audience segment. While this may not be your company’s target audience, there is still plenty every organization can learn.  How much does this young, multicultural, predominantly male audience overlap with your CPG brand?

What is an Audience Research Report?

An audience research report aggregates qualitative research that identifies a personality profile common to a particular audience — in this case, NBA fans.

The information in our proprietary reports is created from gathered data from a variety of social networks, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. We also rely on public censuses. We gather this information using a combination of psychological frameworks, AI algorithms, academic research, and, obviously, social data. 

Crucially, all of our data is highly statistically significant because it’s obtained from a sample of 17,000 people with a margin of error of less than one percent. The resulting personality profile from all of this data is completely custom every time. 

Why NBA Fan Insights Are Relevant to Most CPGs

The personality profiles that come out of our audience research reports can help you predict consumer behavior and just get to know your audience better. You can also reference the profiles to craft relatable content and messaging for all of your marketing efforts. 

But why NBA fans? First off, it’s an interesting, provocative audience segment worth getting to know for the sake of edification. More importantly, there’s a lot of overlap between NBA fans and target CPG audiences. 

Anyone marketing to a young, multicultural, male audience can extract the insights and psychographic information in this report and apply them to their own targeting strategies. To state the obvious: There are a lot of young males buying a lot of food and beverage products. 

Additionally, consider all of the megabrands that partner with the NBA, like Nike. You might not have Nike’s budget. You can’t actually partner with the NBA. But if even part of your audience intersects with Nike’s, you can feel confident using these insights to reach your own consumers. 

Key Characteristics of NBA Fans 

You can download the full audience research report on NBA fans here. There’s a lot there to consider. But we wanted to provide you with a few important takeaways to get you started. 

Personality Assessment Findings 

The audience research reports use the “Big 5” personality traits as a basis. NBA fans score highly in the following sub personality traits: 

  • Intellect
  • Authority challenging
  • Being deliberate and dutiful
  • Hedonism (aka high immoderation) 

That might not mean much to you unless you’re well acquainted with the “Big 5.” Basically, these results indicate that NBA fans are intellectually curious and can process symbols and abstract concepts with ease. From an advertising perspective, you could reach NBA fans with conceptual ads with a creative edge. They don’t necessarily need hard facts and feature descriptions like other personality types. 

NBA fans aren’t afraid to push back against the status quo. Compounding that, they are interested in and devoted to social causes. As a marketer, don’t shy away from politically charged messaging or of-the-moment causes. This audience won’t be deterred by your directness. They’ll be intrigued and engaged. 

Other notable personality attributes of NBA fans include brand consciousness, a tendency to indulge, and an affinity for engaging with social media content. All of which you can use to your CPG brand’s marketing and targeting advantage. 

Brands and Influencers NBA Fans Love

Taking the research a step further, we analyzed the brands and influencers NBA fans are most attracted to. Some of this information may be surprising given the makeup of this audience segment. 

NBA fan influencers include some expected celebrities, like current NBA players such as LeBron James, former players like Shaquille O’Neal, general sports media figures, and even President Barack Obama. But they also follow Chrissy Teigen and some other unexpected pop culture figures. 

As far as food brands, NBA fans are into Wendy’s and Starbucks, but also Food and Wine Magazine and famously mean chef Gordon Ramsay. And for fashion? They love Nike, which is obvious. But they’re into Vogue Magazine as well. 

You can read about many other influencers and brands NBA fans (and young males in general) follow in the full report — both the expected and surprising finds. Seeing the surprising influences impacting this audience can open up marketing channels you hadn’t considered before. 

Digital Media Habits of NBA Fans 

If you’re wondering where you should try to reach the NBA fan audience (or a young male audience in general), our research reveals that their favorite platforms are Twitch and TikTok, with Medium trailing closely behind. They’re also highly engaged with fantasy sports, gaming, and fashion apps — great advertising options for your CPG brand. 

It’s vital to mention that NBA fans are active on social media. They are likely to post to their own profiles as well as engage with and reshare other posts. Some audiences are passive scrollers, but not this one. Take advantage by being active on your food and bev brand’s social media platforms. 

Up Next: Personalized Marketing for Your CPG Brand

You can never have too much information on your CPG brand’s audience. And psychographics help you take one-dimensional demographic information up a notch. 

Whether you saw overlap between your audience and NBA fans you can use to better target your consumers or you simply learned more about audience research, you’re one step closer to more personalized marketing.

5 Effective CPG Cause Marketing Campaigns in Action

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5 Effective CPG Cause Marketing Campaigns in Action

March 18, 2022

Written By: Danielle Muller & Kelly Criswell

Your cause marketing campaigns must be effective. They have to align with your brand’s values, your customers’ values, and (when applicable) the retailer’s values. They also have to be emotive and authentic to connect with shoppers. Crafting this type of campaign is no easy task. 

When done right, CPG cause marketing campaigns can:

  • Foster committed, long-term customers. Consumers want to support brands who support the causes they care about
  • Fuse a stronger connection between your brand, consumers, and retailers (in the case of shopper cause marketing) through meaningful cause marketing activations
  • Elevate the overall ethos of your food and beverage brand in the marketplace

Not to mention giving back is simply the right thing to do when you’re a large, successful CPG company. 

We’ll look at some specific examples in a minute, but first we need to distinguish the two types of cause marketing activations you’ll need for your campaigns. Both shopper and brand cause marketing come with their own benefits, and understanding the difference will help you determine which approach is best for your campaign. 

Shopper Cause Marketing vs. Brand Cause Marketing

All CPG marketing campaigns will either be shopper marketing or brand marketing — cause marketing campaigns included. 

Shopper marketing refers to activations within a specific store with the help and cooperation of the retailer. Brand marketing, on the other hand, does not include a third party, the retailer. Instead, brand marketing campaigns happen at the company level and are rolled out regionally or nationally, not just within certain stores.

Many cause marketing campaigns use the shopper marketing model. This is advantageous because:

  • The retailer sometimes supports the campaign financially, so the CPG isn’t left to foot the entire advertising bill.
  • An in-store campaign pushes consumers to take action — buy the product — in the moment, leading to increased sales. 

But brand cause marketing shouldn’t be cast aside. It’s an excellent choice because:

  • Brand marketing is a top-of-funnel, brand awareness tactic. You need to target every level of the sales funnel for success. 
  • It builds your company’s ethos by deepening consumer connection with your brand on a larger scale.

In an ideal world, you’d have both shopper and brand cause marketing activations — or, better yet, both in one. You’d run a commercial about the cause you’re supporting (brand marketing campaign) and offer a deal related to that same cause and your product in select stores (shopper marketing campaign). 

5 CPG Cause Marketing Campaigns Worth Emulating 

Each of these recent examples demonstrates an effective approach to cause marketing. They’re a mix of shopper and brand marketing, so you can get an idea of how to craft both well. 

1. Mars Petcare Increases Walmart’s Pet Product Sales and Gives Back 

First up is a classic shopper marketing success. What makes it a success? It works for every party involved: the brand, the retailer, the charity, and the consumer. 

Walmart, the retailer, had a problem. Shoppers were coming in to purchase their home consumables, but going elsewhere to purchase their pet food. As a result, Walmart just couldn’t establish itself as a pet brand destination. 

This problem manifested in Walmart’s research and data. But Mars Petcare saw it as an opportunity. They partnered with Greater Good Charities to donate a meal to hungry pets for every qualifying pet food purchase in Walmart stores and on walmart.com. 

This Extend a Paw campaign put Walmart on the map in the pet food category. It increased sales and buoyed brand perception for Mars Petcare. It satisfied consumers’ desire for Walmart and its brands to invest more in social causes. And finally, it fed undernourished animals with 2.5 million donated meals. Again, this shopper cause marketing campaign created value for all parties involved. 

2. 7-Eleven’s Unique Social Media Contest Supports Veterans

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has been running their annual “Fuel Your Fandom” campaign and contest during football season for years. Consumers share pictures or videos on social media with the hashtag #FuelYourFandomContest. These posts depict fans enjoying a football game with their 7-Eleven products, and a panel selects winners. 

Contest winners are taken to “Superfan Influencer Crew” boot camp in Texas where they receive training on how to build their own fan base and create social media posts that attract likes and followers. Additionally, winners receive $11,000 cash along with $1,100 in 7-Eleven store credit. 

Then, in 2021, 7-Eleven added a cause marketing twist to the campaign. One of the winning spots was reserved for a United States veteran or active reserve member. The veteran winner received the same prize as the other influencers, but this aspect of the campaign was also promoted leading up to Veterans Day with the help of sportscaster Erin Andrews. 

This is a standout, successful campaign. It’s rare to see a cause marketing initiative that specifically includes veterans. Additionally, the cause marketing portion of the campaign overlaid 7-Eleven’s typical marketing push seamlessly. 

3. Tide’s Sustainability Push Leads to Measurable Change   

Laundry detergent company Tide’s #TurnToCold campaign is a great example of brand cause marketing in action. 

The goal of #TurnToCold — and the cause portion of the initiative — was to encourage consumers to wash three out of four loads of laundry in cold water. The reason being that washing clothes in cold water cuts greenhouse gas emissions significantly. 

Tide got the word out about the campaign with their clever commercial featuring celebrity “cold callers” Ice-T and wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. 

What makes this campaign effective? For one, leveraging celebrity power is a great way to make campaigns memorable. And being memorable matters for brand marketing campaigns. You want shoppers to recall the commercial the next time they’re in the store browsing the detergent aisle, even if there’s no related shopper marketing campaign to back up the commercial’s message. 

More importantly, Tide managed to avoid greenwashing, which can be difficult with sustainability-driven initiatives. The brand pushed for meaningful consumer action that actually cuts greenhouse gas emissions instead of just talking about reduction. Finally, because it’s a brand marketing campaign, it elevates Tide’s ethos in the minds of consumers in a way that will (hopefully) stick with them long after the commercial stops airing. 

4. Kellogg’s “Feeding Reading” Campaign Offers a Tangible Solution to a Relatable Problem 

Kellogg’s does such a good job with their cause marketing campaigns, we decided to include two recent examples from the cereal and snack food CPG company. 

First, let’s talk about their “Feeding Reading” back-to-school program with retailer Meijer and publisher Random House Books. The premise of the campaign is that, for up to six qualifying purchases per shopper, consumers receive a free book. They can either keep or donate that book to a local library. 

The campaign came to life with large pallet displays and in-store point-of-sale (POS) touches as well as on the Meijer website and digital channels. 

There’s a lot to love about this cause marketing push. Namely, it’s different from typical back-to-school shopper marketing ploys. It’s highlighting an issue — literacy — that Kellogg’s consumers care about. Importantly, it’s also offering a tangible solution — not just a financial contribution — in the form of a free book. 

5. Kellogg’s Pride Month Product Proves the Brand’s Authenticity 

Last but not least on our list of impactful cause marketing campaigns: Kellogg’s partnership with retailer AHOLD Delhaize and LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization GLAAD.

To amplify and celebrate Pride Month, Kellogg’s released a special edition cereal product and packaging that was displayed in stores. A portion of cereal purchases went to nonprofits that support the LGBTQ+ community. 

Any brand can throw an athlete on a limited edition package and call it a campaign. And limited edition packaging is an effective and underutilized tool when it comes to CPG cause marketing campaigns. But Kellogg’s took it a step further by crafting a custom Pride product, too. Not only does this product and its bright, eye-catching packaging bring awareness to an important cause, it also signifies Kellogg’s commitment to that cause. They care so much about the LGBTQ+ community that they were willing to invest in an entirely new product formulation. 

Overall, the Pride Month cause marketing campaign speaks to Kellogg’s authenticity as a brand. 

Take Your Cause Marketing Campaign to the Next Level With GRO  

Cause marketing can make a real difference — both for your CPG brand and for the organizations you support. If you need help getting your campaign to be as effective as the examples here, GRO is all ears. Not only will we strategize your campaign, we’ll also create custom packaging to take your cause marketing push to the next level.

What Your Large CPG Can Learn from 3 Challenger Brands Disrupting the Content Game

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What Your Large CPG Can Learn from 3 Challenger Brands Disrupting the Content Game

March 4, 2022

Written By: The GRO Agency

Established consumer goods brands — yours included — need to rethink their marketing strategies as challenger brands disrupt the content game. 

Glossy, manicured production value no longer wows consumers, especially the elusive and highly sought-after Gen-Z audience. All consumers are more interested in content that tells a story, fosters genuine connection, and speaks to the whole human. Content that only serves to reiterate product features just won’t cut it. 

In other words, today’s consumers want authenticity. 

How can a large CPG company like yours create authentic content like smaller, more agile companies? You might feel like there’s too much red tape at your organization. But give yourself a little credit. You have the resources to create innovative content, even if you take baby steps to get there. Use these three brands as inspiration.

1. Fly By Jing: A Personal Narrative Creates A Popular Brand 

This spice and condiment company was born out of a suitcase when Jing, the founder formerly known as Jenny, stopped trying to assimilate and started claiming her own identity. She left a corporate job, moved back to her hometown in China, opened a restaurant featuring Sichuan cooking, and found herself. 

All of that soul searching led to the Fly By Jing its devoted consumers know and love today. An emerging, New York Times-featured company selling authentic Chinese sauces. 

How do we know all of this about Jing? She writes about her journey openly through content on Fly By Jing’s website. It doesn’t get more relatable and authentic than Jing and her story. She shares so much more than the (amazing) features of her (delicious) products. 

This company’s content is so engaging, it makes the consumer feel instantly connected to Jing and her line of products. But Fly By Jing didn’t stop at storytelling on their website. To remain relatable and retain their cult-like following, the brand joined the NSFW platform OnlyFans. They’re one of just a few companies experimenting with the platform, which, like Fly By Jing, is all about appealing to intimate audiences. 

Fly By Jing’s content strategy is nothing short of brilliant. The proof is in the pudding — or hot sauce. 

2. Mid-day Squares: Likable Founders Make For a Loveable Company 

Speaking of success, Mid-Day Squares started with one snack chocolate bar and is now a phenomenon. All of their offerings are plant-based and delicious. 

The company was founded by a husband, wife, and brother team. They bake authenticity into their brand by documenting every step of their journey as inexperienced entrepreneurs — from the challenges of being young and married to a Cardi B-inspired podcast episode. They’ve even discussed visiting a business therapist. Talk about transparency. 

Mid-Day Squares built a narrative around their brand before they even mentioned the actual chocolate. And it’s a good thing, because while the product itself might not garner a huge following, this kind of 360 degree access to its owners sure has. 

Even now that the company is more established, they continue to make fun, authentic, and inspiring content that gives consumers full access to what it’s like behind the scenes at Mid-Day Squares. 

3. Last Crumb: Exclusivity Breeds Notoriety 

Last Crumb — a cookie company launched in LA that ships everywhere — is less than a year old. But it’s already made a huge splash thanks to the drop model. 

The food brand offers a limited number of cookie batches every week to an exclusive list of subscribers and social media followers. You have to get on a waitlist just to hear about the drop. And even then you’re not promised any cookies. They typically sell out in under a minute once a drop goes live. The icing on the cookie? Consumers don’t seem to balk at the $150 per box price tag. 

It might sound too good to be true. But content and branding have made it possible for Last Crumb to attain this level of success and notoriety. The brand is built on exclusivity, and every word of their content speaks to that as well as their cheeky, irreverent ethos. Without this level of confidence and exclusivity — and the content to back it up — Last Crumb probably couldn’t do what they do. 

The drop model isn’t the best choice for every brand, at least not on the scale Last Crumb is using it. But you can still work exclusivity into your content strategy. Perhaps use the drop model for a single product in your line, or something limited edition. You could even try talking about this limited edition offering with the nonchalance that works so well for Last Crumb. 

Authentic Content Can Future-Proof Your CPG Brand  

Crafting content that truly resonates with consumers and provides value outside of the attributes of your product is the wave of the future. That goes for brands both large and small. Consumers’ expectations for connective, creative content are already increasing.  

We know your food and beverage brand is feeling the pressure from two sides — challenger brands like the ones discussed here and sophisticated private labels. Perhaps the only way to compete is to up your storytelling game with authentic, unique content.

If you’re still feeling uninspired or don’t know where to start, let the storytellers at The GRO Agency do the marketing strategy and copywriting work for you. Get in touch.

It’s Time for Your CPG to Enact Sustainability Goals — Here are 2 Brands Leading the Charge

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It’s Time for Your CPG to Enact Sustainability Goals — Here are 2 Brands Leading the Charge

February 28, 2022

Written By: Matt Sanders

Packaging sustainability and recyclability continue to be at the forefront of food and beverage brands’ climate-friendly initiatives. Why? Because the food industry as a whole typically exploits so many materials. But how long can this continue? 

It’s not enough to simply mention sustainability any more. It’s time for CPG companies to back it up. We’re once again in the Paris Climate Agreement as global warming grows more dire by the day. 

Instead of empty talk, many CPG companies are taking action. They’re committing to limit CO2 emissions to 1.5°C by 2030, per the Paris Climate Agreement. Organizations like the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Science Based Targets, and the Recycling Leadership Council are even tracking companies’ emissions numbers. They know accountability is paramount. 

All to say, this is a moment for your CPG company to take action, too. Think there’s too much red tape or not enough resources to commit to sustainability? If these two behemoth food and bev brands can do it, so can you.

Recycling and Greenwashing Are Not the Answers

Let’s get something out in the open. There’s more — much more — to meaningful change that will better the environment than recyclable materials and packaging. Recycling alone will never achieve the results needed to slow down climate change. 

Of course, creating recyclable and/or sustainable packaging for your company’s products is crucial. But ideally, your brand should embrace corporate social responsibility and sustainability holistically. It’s a mindset that should affect everything you’re doing.

For example, look beyond that actual pack itself to the larger supply chain it’s a part of. Lessening the steps in your supply chain will reduce overall emissions, which helps reach that all-important goal of abating global warming. 

Skeptical that corporate social responsibility can be more than an oxymoron? Consider brands like Allbirds, Burt’s Bees, Patagonia, and TOMS. All of these companies (and more) have led with sustainability from the get-go — and they’re undeniably successful. 

And please, no greenwashing. Fighting climate change is too grave to waste time fooling consumers with environmentally friendly claims that aren’t transparent or wholly true. 

Business Reasons for CPGs to Target Sustainability 

There are motivations beyond altruism to care about heading off global warming. Study after study shows sustainability connects with consumers on a personal level. Additionally, more and more people point to a brand’s sustainability as a key part of their buying decisions. Case in point, 44% of consumers say they care more about environmental issues today than they did just one year ago. 

But it’s not only consumers who care about the environment. According to the Consumer Brands Association, investors and employees are driving change and commitment to sustainability as well. 

Your CPG company should hold itself accountable before your loyal customers and employees force you to do so. 

Two CPG Companies Committed to Sustainable Packaging and More

There are a lot of companies in the food and beverage industry and beyond that are working toward sustainability goals. In fact, 80% of the 25 largest CPG brands are working to develop fully recyclable packaging by 2030. That’s in addition to any CO2 reduction promises they might be making. 

Hershey’s and Pepsi, two companies we’ll examine below, are great examples of large CPGs working toward specific sustainability objectives. As you might suspect, it can be difficult for large, established brands like these to be agile and make big changes. But their commitment to change should be a guiding light. Let them serve as examples of how possible it is for your CPG to embrace meaningful sustainability goals while remaining profitable. 

1. Hershey’s Is Eliminating Hard-to-Recycle Packaging Materials 

The Hershey Company has been making high-quality, affordable snacks for more than 125 years. They’re a CPG powerhouse. And of course, chocolate is their signature offering. 

The company is also committed to sustainability. Many of their candy bars are currently wrapped in plastic. But that won’t be the case by 2023. By the end of this year, Hershey’s will eliminate hard-to-recycle materials from all packaging. 

They’re not just making their packaging more recyclable. Hershey’s has also reduced the weight of their packaging by 25 million pounds. And they did it five full years ahead of schedule. Reducing the amount of materials they use affects the supply chain. Hershey’s products are now cheaper to manufacture as well as emitting less CO2 in the process. 

2. Pepsi Will Only Use Recycled Plastic Bottles 

Pepsi-Cola has been on the market since 1893. Yep, almost 130 years of sodas. Today, PepsiCo is a giant in the food industry.

Yes, the plastic bottles Pepsi uses for their soft drinks are already recyclable. But the company is going a step further. By the end of 2022, their packaging materials for plastic bottles will use 100% recycled plastics (rPET) for all Pepsi Zero Sugar products in the United States and many other products in Europe.

They’re also living out their corporate social responsibility values holistically. Pepsi is repurposing used chip packs to build artificial turf soccer fields around the globe starting this year. 

This is Your CPG Company’s Call to Action 

Corporate social responsibility initiatives, sustainability measures, environmentally friendly policies — these are no longer nice-to-haves for CPG companies like yours. Frankly, they haven’t been for a while. Taking care of the planet is a must-have for any responsible, forward-looking firm. 

Start mapping out your company’s plan. Identify your goals along with steps you can take today, this month, and this year to create a more climate-friendly brand. Ultimately the question remains, how will your food and bev brand actively contribute to the sustainability efforts at the forefront of today’s consumerism?