What are the latest consumer trends? What answers do the biggest names in consumer goods have in store? There’s hardly a better place to learn about what goes through the minds of marketing executives than the CAGNY conference, which, in 2017, brought together leaders of Mondelez, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Unilever, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, L’Oréal, P&G, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson and other household names.
Our report provides an overview of companies' views on market and consumer trends, and provides over 100 examples of marketing, product and strategic innovation.
2. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 2
CAGNY 2017
The Consumer Analyst Group New York (CAGNY) conference is where marketing and
other executives of the leading food, beverage, household/ personal products and tobacco
companies come together to discuss major consumer and market trends, and describe how
their companies intend to address them. The 47th CAGNY conference took place in February
14-20, 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida.
There’s hardly a better place to gain an insight into how consumer goods giants view strategy
and trends in innovation and marketing.
We are proud to have covered the CAGNY conferences since 2014. You can find our previous
reports here: 2014, 2015, 2016.
Food & Beverage:
Non Food:
Among the companies included in the report:
3. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 3
01 | Macro Trends
02 | Growing the Core
03 | Health & Wellness
04 | Convenience
05 | Personalization
06 | Indulgence
Main Themes Presented on CAGNY 2017
4. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 4
01 | Macro Trends
Changing retail landscape
+
Changing demographics: the rise of the
digital generation, the aging society
+
Digital on the rise
+
Growing income gaps among consumers
5. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 5
Market Polarization
Companies adjust strategy to benefit from market bifurcation into Premium
and Basic.
The super-premium one-cup category
has come to dominate Smucker’s
coffee activity.
Share of “mainstream” in Nestlé’s organic
growth shrunk from 71% to 67% between
2014 and 2016.
Source: Smucker’s Internal Multi-Outlet Share Report 52
weeks ending January 1, 2012 and December 25, 2016
Average OG over the period 2014-2016
*PPP = Popularly Positioned Products
2011 2016
$7.0B
$9.5B
Premium
Mainstream
Affordability
(PPP*)
2014 2016
71% 67%
16% 19%
13% 14%
4%
11%
29%
46%
1%
41%
7%
24%
27%
10%
other One Cup Instant Premium Mainstream
R&G
Mondelez has targeted discounters such
as Aldi and Lidl in Europe, but convenience
stores in the US with new formats such as
Oreo Chocolate, BelVita Protein and Ritz
Crisp & Thins.
01 | Macro Trends
Channel polarization helps companies refine geographical strategies
6. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 6
Channel Development
Companies pay a special attention to Away From Home (AFH), where contracts
with vendors are typically long-term, and which is ideal for sampling and
experimentation. The AFH channel proves to be both an innovation lab and a
source of consumer data. PepsiCo presented formats and solutions for AFH
including hospitals and clinics, the workplace, and universities.
L’Oréal has a strategy for every channel
L’Oréal highlighted that every channel deserves a special strategy: hair and
beauty salons, branded retail, e-commerce, travel retail, mass market, pharmacies
and department stores’ perfumeries. In the company’s words: “All channels, all
categories, all prices,” “Across all distribution channels.”
Unilever’s channel development focuses on digital
Unilever discussed channel development for continued growth. Digital channels
include Amazon, and China’s Taobao.com, where several brands have reported
success in 2016. The company seems set on benefitting from the acquisition of
Dollar Shave Club for insights into and data on direct-to-consumer sales.
Unilever's channel development strategy
Out of Home
Direct to consumer
Beauty
E-commerce
01 | Macro Trends
7. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 7
Digital
Digital featured in every presentation, usually in a positive light - an opportunity,
not a threat, that will continue to shape marketing, advertising, and sales.
Digital’s share in advertising spend continues to rise.
Companies develop e-commerce both direct-to-consumer and through retailers.
Companies become more sophisticated in the use of mobile apps and the
Internet of Things to support marketing but, e-commerce aside, not yet as a
new source of revenue.
Several companies highlighted e-commerce growth in China.
Amazon Echo (Alexa) starred in many presentations.
E-commerce growth at Nestle
E-commerce is ever more important for Nestlé, constituting 4.9% of sales in
2016, up from 2.9% in 2012. Last year growth in e-commerce sales was 18%
(34%, excluding Nespresso).
E-commerce is up at L’Oréal
L’Oréal reported a 33% increase in e-commerce sales (brand sites + retailers’
sites) to €1.7bn, equivalent to #4 country position. L’Oréal is the brand leader in
e-commerce in China. The company, the world’s third biggest advertiser, directs
32% of advertising budget to digital.
01 | Macro Trends
Kellogg’s e-commerce is strong on China
Another company with an e-commerce focus
On China is Kellogg’s, which reported that 30%
of its sales there go through e-commerce. The
company boosts its e-commerce presence
with Click & Collect and home deliveries.
8. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 8
Clorox is turning to e-commerce for revenue growth
Clorox is focusing on Amazon’s Dash buttons and
Echo (Alexa). The company expects e-commerce
to be up 30% in 2017 compared with last year, and
plans yet again to increase digital’s share in media
spend, to 45%.
Platform will offer gifting, large packs and
subscription (e.g., Amazon’s Subscribe and Save
feature). E-commerce strategy includes improved
assortment, pricing, content, search and traffic,
and operational aspects focus on talent, data
analytics, supply chain and digital capabilities.
E-commerce net revenue was up 35% in 2016.
01 | Macro Trends | Digital
Mondelez is building a $1bn e-commerce snacking platform
FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 Proj
45%
Clorox now spends 45% of $ ads on digital.
9. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 9
Hill's, Colgate’s pet food brand, grew
loyalty through subscription and delivery. It
improved search and mobile optimization,
and partnered up with Amazon. Global
e-commerce was up 200% since 2013 and
U.S. subscription, over 50%.
Natural Balance, Smucker’s pet
food brand, expects e-commerce
to be up 60% in 2017,
to 15% of brand’s total sales.
Loyalty is high; repeat-purchase is common; consumers prefer to buy in
bulk (cheaper), but could use help in delivering the heavy packages. Among
the brands which responded successfully:
01 | Macro Trends | Digital
Pet Food is ripe for e-commerce
10. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 10
* White spaces: unmet needs, in terms of products, consumption occasions, or demographics
02 | Growing the Core
Building awareness and trial
+
Extending or creating new uses for existing products
+
Creating or improving products to meet unmet
consumption occasions or new demographics
(white spaces)
+
Channel expansion (notably e-commerce)
+
Stretching brands into new categories
Almost every company recognized that its core brands and products were
the most effective engine of growth. Several strategies for continuing to
grow the core were prominent:
11. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 11
Companies continue to refocus their businesses on mega brands and platforms.
Mega brands
Core brands grow Nestlé
Nestlé allocates 80% of marketing spend to billion-dollar brands, which generated
77% of company’s revenues and 83% of profit, and grew 5.2% between 2012 and
2016 (compared with 1.9% for the rest of the group).
Nestlé’s highest growth category is portioned coffee, which registered 13.2%
CAGR in 2013 – 2016. The company ranks first or second in many of the fastest
growing food and beverages categories. Among the company’s successful
innovations are L’Atelier chocolate, Nescafe Gold Barista, Nespresso VertuoLine
(targeting the U.S. market) and Coffee Mate Natural Bliss. The company said
that 30% of sales come from products innovated or renovated in the past 3 years.
Les Recettes de l'Atelier Nescafe Gold Barista Nespresso Vertuoline Coffee-mate Natural Biss
02 | Growing the Core
12. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 12
Core brands generate about 70% of Mondelez’s
net revenues, and grow twice as fast as the
company, with superior margins.
Mondelez launched Ritz Crisp & Thins in Europe,
positioning Ritz as a better-for-you single-serve
salty snack aimed at the convenience channel.
The brand will next expand into the U.S. market.
Mondelez will also extend Barni platform, which
has been a success in Eastern Europe, into the
U.S., highlighting wellbeing claims (whole grains,
no HFCS) and expanding into soft cakes.
Expansion, digital and marketing grow Mondelez core brands
Oreo Dunk Challenge is a global omni-channel
campaign comprising events, a mobile app, influencers
and ads that helps in building awareness and trial.
e-commerce and digital marketing;promoting various
packaging options suitable for a variety of consumers
and occasions (pantry, immediate use).
Targeting new demographics. Adult consumers,
familiar with the brand but interested in BFY snacks, are
offered Oreo Thins. In fact, Thins became a successful
platform which includes other snacks by Mondelez.
A case study for “growing the core”, Oreo, the $ 2bn Mondelez brand,
generates further growth by:
02 | Growing the Core | Mega Brands
13. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 13
Kellogg’s: Cheez-It is playbook for core brands
Kellogg’s presented Cheez-It as the “playbook” to be implemented by its
other brands. Digital marketing, social and mobile media contributed to brand
building and growth. The brand’s U.S. net sales were $1bn, up 8.6%, in 2016,
with growth in consumption, gross margin, and share, and a 6% 4-year CAGR.
Kellogg’s continued to invest in key brands: expanding occasions and formats,
launching more indulgent versions, and more spending on social and mobile
activation. Net sales growth of Rice Krispies Treats in the U.S. was 9% CAGR
between 2012 and 2016.
Invest to Grow Expand Occasions / Formats Platform Innovation
02 | Growing the Core | Mega Brands
14. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 14
02 | Growing the Core | Mega Brands
Innovation
Expand Occasions / Formats
15. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 15
P&G uses sampling to draw new consumers
About 80% of American men aged 18 received samples
of grooming products (Gillette) for their birthday.
About 70% of new American mothers received sample
of baby care products (Pampers).
02 | Growing the Core | Mega Brands
Clorox focuses on experience and function to grow home care brands.
The Scentiva platform integrates
experience (scent) and function
Kickstart, with 60% less sugar and a
functional claim of energy, expands
Mountain Dew into “better for you”
positioning. Retail revenues have passed the
$500m mark.
Crafted Mountain Dew and Spiked
lemonade expands the brand into craft
& premium
PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew succeeds through functional & craft positioning
16. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 16
03 | health & wellness
Back to Nature
Simple, Real, No artificial ingredients
“certified”: organic, non-GMO
+
Better Ingredients
(More) vegetable protein, Whole grain/ Fiber, Veggies,
fruit, nuts & seeds, Less sugar, Functional (energy)
+
Gut Health*
Allergen-free, probiotics
* Companies increasingly pay attention to the gut and mind connection. We expect
fermented and microbiome-related products to appear soon.
17. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 17
Better For All
In 2014 we noticed that consumers tend to merge sustainability and wellness
considerations, which we dubbed: Better For All (BFA).
Vegan,vegetarian,gluten-free,Non-GMO andotherclaimsbutalsoenvironmentally
friendliness and fair-trade are perceived as healthier. We see now that BFA
emerges as a legit positioning in new sustainable and vegan products.
According to Danone’s presentation, plant-based food and beverage grew 9%
CAGR 2013 – 2016 in the US (with a 33% household penetration for plant-based
beverages), and in the 17% CAGR in the EU (20% penetration).
03 | Health & Wellness
As part of its high-growth “sustainable nutrition” platform, Unilever
launched a vegan version of Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
Knorr Meal-Makers Hellmann's Vegan Pure Leaf hot tea
Danone is developing the organic and dairy alternatives categories
The company builds on the acquisition
of WhiteWave through new products in
its Horizon Organic and Wallaby brands
(Wallaby registered 9% CAGR for 2013 –
2016 in the US), in addition to expanding
dairy alternatives in So, Silk and Alpro. And in
organic, WhiteWave’s Earthbound Farm salads
brand is growing as well (growth was 10%).
18. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 18
Locality is an effective “better-for-all” message. It empowers the consumer with
a sense of control over food production or processing, thus establishing the
better-for-all connection between personal health and community. Campbell’s
says it embraces smaller, more regional farming and food production, to “foster
new narratives around quality, community, origin and place”.
Product innovation expands the organic food and beverage market
Campbell's embraces local positioning
Strong performance at Annie's, the organic food
brand that General Mills acquired in 2014. Retail
sales in 2016 were up 40%, and U.S. household
penetration grew by 57%. The company plans to
extend distribution in the U.S. and Canada, and to
enter new categories, such as popcorn and frozen
bakery (similar to the company's Pillsbury line).
19. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 19
PepsiCo improves premium and BFY beverages through core brand
and M&A strategies
The cold pressed Naked Pressed
juice has premium positioning with
“botanical ingredients”. The company
responds to the gut health trend with
Tropicana Essentials’ Probiotics, and
strategically through the acquisition of
KeVita last November.
03 | Health & Wellness | Better for all
Clorox launched a Burt’s Bees plant-based
protein drink (Daily Protein, Protein + Gut
Health, and Protein + Healthy Radiance),
stretching the brand’s naturalness and
nourishment qualities into Food & Beverage.
Besides being rich in protein, products are
non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and
made without artificial sweeteners or flavors.
Clorox launched a plant-based protein drink
20. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 20
Many Companies engage emerging brands in what appears to be a common
strategy, in which they first take a minority stake in smaller, newish and usually
private companies whose brands could add a strategic value to their portfolio.
The major companies then experiment with those brands, applying their greater
marketing and distribution resources, to evaluate potential and added value
before making greater commitments.
Brands on Coca-Cola’s Venturing and Emerging
Brands (VEB) platform include Honest Tea, Zico
coconut water, Fairlife milk and other BFY brands. It
will expand globally, starting in Asia.
Smucker’s acquired a minority stake in the tea brand
Numi and will launch a fair-trade, organic tea in Spring
2017.
Experimentation with emerging brands
03 | Health & Wellness
21. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 21
Simple/Real
Natural positioning takes many forms, often marked with “simple” or “simply.”
PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Simply snacks are
non-GMO, organic and clean-label. The
company reports the line grows rapidly.
Clorox Hidden Valley’s Simply Ranch
Smucker’s Flogers’ Simply Gourmet is
a new premium product with “all natural
flavors.”
PepsiCo’s Frito Lay’s Sun Chips Veggie
Harvest is positioned as “real veggie.”
“Simply” (or “Simple”) and “Real” mark natural positioning
03 | Health & Wellness
Mondelez aims at “simple nutrition” with its
successful Good Thins, which it launched last
year: “real ingredients”, contemporary flavors,
“real good taste” and gluten-free options. The
brand registered $70m in sales and was the #1
new US snacking brand in 2016.
Mondelez also launched Véa, a new culinary
brand of “real ingredients” in “bold regional
flavors” that offers portability, indulgence and
wellness.
22. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 22
03 | Health & Wellness | Simple / Real
Kellogg’s is overhauling some of its BFY
brands, given their underperformance.
Note the bites format which delivers both
indulgence and function.
Church & Dwight, owner of Vitafusion, plans
Everyday Energy, using green tea-derived
caffeine, as a response to the finding that 80%
of consumers “need more energy”.
Campbell’s “Real Food” initiative is a product
development strategy which includes: adding
more vegetables, whole grains and protein;
convert to chicken with no antibiotics;
investing in non-BPA can liners; removing
artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
23. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 23
* White spaces: unmet needs, in terms of products, consumption occasions, or demographics
04 | Convenience
Portable products, On-the-go consumption
+
Faster action or preparation
+
New Consumption Opportunities
+
Direct-to-Consumer, e-commerce
+
Availability on Amazon Echo (Alexa)
Convenience is an especially potent consumer motivation
which can manifest itself in a demand for:
24. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 24
Snacks and Snackification
Companies recognize the importance of the expanding snack market
(snackification: any category may be turned into a snack).
• 90% of consumers snack multiple times a day
• 50% of all U.S. eating occasions are snacks
• nearly half of U.S. consumers replace meals with snacks.
(data from the Campbell’s presentation)
04 | Convenience
Mondelez, which derives 85% of its revenues from snacks, says this $1.2 trillion
global market has higher margins. The company plans to focus on core snacks
categories, make bolt-on acquisitions, and further streamline portfolio with
selected divestitures.
Tyson developed a snacking platform under Hillshire,
and in 2017 will focus on a more premium experience
in snacking (e.g., “small plates”).
Jif Snack Bars sales rose 32% over the latest 12
weeks period (ending Jan. 22, 2017), benefitting
from new flavors and marketing. Brand
messages include: “Great taste, no mess,” and,
“Made with real almonds/ hazelnuts” as well as
protein claims. Jif’s To Go’s sales were up +5%
for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 22, 2017.
Smucker’s is planning to expand Folgers Perfect
Mondelez is focusing on snacks
Snack premiumization for Tyson
Smucker’s Jif innovates successfully
Measures (a convenient pre-measured roast & ground coffee)
nationally in 2019. The company expects Uncrustables frozen
sandwiches sales to reach $220m in 2017.
25. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 25
Campbell’s offers several snacking platforms and focuses innovation on the market.
26. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 26
04 | Convenience
Convenience is shaping the hair
care category
Church & Dwight sees a growth opportunity in dry
shampoo that saves time washing hair. (“66% of American
women over 18 don’t wash hair daily”.) The category is
the fastest growing haircare segment, expanding from 1%
of shampoo market, or $32m, in 2012, to 4% or $115m in
2016.
Tyson offers Tastemakers, a ready-to-
cook, meal kit on Amazon Fresh, and
plans a version for brick and mortar.
It also offers slow cooked brisket under
Hillshire Farm
Ready-to-cook products and meal kits
gaining popularity
Packaged food offer ready-to-cook products and meal kits partly in response to
takeout and other options that convey convenience. Consumers are interested in
culinary experimentation but also prefer minimal shopping and preparation.
Tyson: Premium convenience
27. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 27
Convenience is Changing Breakfast
Companies appear to seize on the breakfast category.
Consumers, pressed for time in the morning, want portable and fast-prepared
products, but consumers still want healthier choices: low sugar, high protein,
high fiber, and promoting energy.
According to Tyson, the Breakfast segment is
only 0.3% of the growing $6.5bn refrigerated
meals segment, despite breakfast & AM snacks
constituting 33% of all eating occasions. The
company therefore seeks to develop the
breakfast category in the refrigerated segment.
Mondelez is building on BelVita’s wellbeing
reputation to expand into Breakfast. The
$600m brand has a 50% repeat rate.
PepsiCo’s Quaker intends to launch Overnight
Oats in summer 2017. An Amazon Echo
(Alexa) skill enables users to ask the digital
assistant for Quaker recipes.
04 | Convenience
28. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 28
* White spaces: unmet needs, in terms of products, consumption occasions, or demographics
05 | Personalization
Identify increasingly specific segments and niches
+
Use Big Data and IoT to customize the consumer’s
experience and offering
+
Use human interaction (consultants) for individual
approach and customization
+
Use digital commerce and mobile apps to replace
physical consultants
Companies approach the ever-important personalization as they:
29. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 29
Johnson and Johnson’s Neutrogena
launched Neutrogena Shade app, which
“enhances shopper experience” on the brand’s
and retailers’ websites. The brand revenue
doubled “by helping women find the right
product for their skin tone”.
J&J offers Bedtime, a free mobile-health
app to monitor sleep. It will also launch on
Amazon Echo.
L’Oréal highlighted consumers’ expectations of
personal relationship with brands, customized advice
and new services, and an immersive shopping
experience.
Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations, that L’Oréal
launched in 2016, offers, in selected stores, personal
consultations. Shoppers buy customized ampoules
of skincare complexes with which they will make a
serum at home.
L’Oréal’s Connected Brush is a hairbrush with an
IoT sensor that analyzes hair type and moisture. It
sends the personal data to a mobile app that provides
haircare tips and recommendations of L'Oreal's
Kérastase products.
J&J uses apps for personalization
Human attention and IoT drive personalization at L’Oréal
Personalization
30. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 30
Colgate experiments with personalization in Australia
A sophisticated segmentation is also a take on personalization
Colgate’s Perfect Match, launched in Australia,
advised shoppers on which toothbrush to
choose based on questionnaires they fill-in at
various stores. Colgate's market share grew 1.5
percentage points as a result.
Coca-Cola presented Category Clustering, its new product segmentation
model which is based on new consumer motivations.
05 | Personalization
Campbell’s sees Personalized Nutrition as the next step in Health & Wellness.
Technology boosts this trend. The idea is to “reconfigure diets according to an
individual’s specific physiology, lifestyle and health goals”.
The company said consumers want food to provide functional benefits:
endurance; mood enhancement; cognitive function; and energy management.
31. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 31
General Mills, leveraging the acquisition of Annie’s, plans a dairy offering
for every consumer motivation
05 | Personalization
Annie’s yogurt tubes: organic, whole milk, fruit, “mom-approved”
Yoplait Dippers: snacking, convenience
Yoplait Custard: Whole Milk, Back to Nature
Yoplait beverages: convenience, extending a strong core brand into the
snacking category
Liberte: indulgent, organic, adults —a premium offering
Mountain high: affordable and simple
Annie’s Dippers Liberte Mountain High
32. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 32
* White spaces: unmet needs, in terms of products, consumption occasions, or demographics
06 | Indulgence
Premium
+
Ethnic and local flavors
+
Differentiation between indulgence
for children and for adults
+
Portion control
(contributes to a better-for-you positioning
Companies presented various strategies for indulgence
33. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 33
Mondelez co-branded some of its well-
known indulgent brands (e.g., Milka &
Cadbury, Milka & Oreo). The company is also
experimenting with categories, choco-bakery
being a strong and growing platform.
Indulgence is too basic to be considered a trend. It’s more a prerequisite for
other developments and innovations in food: many trends represent attempts
to accommodate the ever-present demand for indulgence while satisfying other
needs. Indeed, today the main challenge food companies face is to offer better-
for-you products that do not compromise consumers’ enjoyment and taste.
Smucker’s acquired Sahale Snacks in 2014,
which offers indulgent, better-for-you, portable
snacks. The company plans to increase
investment in marketing and innovation, and
expand distribution for the brand.
PepsiCo recently launched two new flavors of
its craft positioned brand Pepsi 1893. This cola is
sweetened with real sugar (natural indulgence).
General Mills’ Larabar is positioned as “real food”, but is also
firmly based on indulgent flavors and formats, including the
“truffle” bites snack. The brand saw a 47% increase in the 12
months ending Jan. 28, 2017.
The company plans to grow the super-premium ice-cream
Haagen-Dazs, building on new products, brand retail,
geographical expansion and impulse consumption occasions.
06 | Indulgence
Indulgence
34. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 34
* White spaces: unmet needs, in terms of products, consumption occasions, or demographics
Summary
35. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 35
The CAGNY conference, which brings together marketing executives from the
world’s leading consumption goods giants, is a rare opportunity to learn about
consumer trends and business response.
Among the dozens of companies presenting you’ll find Mondelez, PepsiCo, Coca-
Cola, General Mills, Unilever, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, L’Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive,
Johnson & Johnson and many other international household names.
We have covered the CAGNY conferences since 2014. The 2017 conference
took place last February in Florida. We’ve watched and listened to the presentations,
and read the reports. Now we would like to share the insights we gleaned.
In virtually every presentation “digital” has received ample attention. If there’s one
takeaway, it is that companies which only a few years ago have been relatively
removed from the digital revolution are now feeling its heat. Surprisingly perhaps
(and maybe to save face), companies present digital not as a threat but as an
opportunity — for revenue, innovation and marketing.
Digital shapes every aspect of business:
• Across the board companies shift more dollar ads to digital. There’s no
campaign without a social media component.
• Companies spend on e-commerce (both direct-to-consumer and through
retails). The trend is international (for American and European companies,
e-commerce in China is especially critical for reaching out to consumers).
• Companies use proprietary mobile apps to complement products and for
marketing and sales.
• IoT is not yet a game changer. Companies experiment with the Internet
of Things but are yet to find compelling ways of reimagining products or
marketing on a large scale.
• But Amazon Echo (Alexa), staring in many presentations, may be a first-step
for many into the world of IoT.
Summary
36. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 36
Probably the most interesting market to emerge from the presentations is
snacking (estimated at $1.2bn a year globally), on the intersection of two important
consumer motivations — Convenience and better-for-you indulgence.
• Snackification, or the introduction of a snack format in a food category,
continues. The Breakfast segment, especially, seems to be heating up.
• Snacks are key in companies’ premiumization strategies.
Companies believe consumers want better-for-you products. Better-for-you
can take many forms, including vegan, all-natural, allergen-free, non-GMO and
so on.
• Better-For-All is our appellation for the merging effect between Sustainability
(environmentally friendly but also fair-trade and social responsibility) and
various Health & Wellness considerations. BFA seems to be an engine of
product innovation.
• Gut health is on the rise. Companies already pay attention to the gut-mind
connection (the effect of digestion and gut bacteria on every aspect of mental
and physical performance) and are starting to incorporate the concept in
their marketing and in product development, as well as through M&A.
• Companies use the nuances in BFY perception to innovate: a premium cola
(Pepsi 1893) doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners and the sugar is presented
as natural.
37. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 37
Strategic Pillars Discussed on CAGNY 2017
Enablers & Macro-Trends Discussed
Consumer Trends
Strategy & Innovation
• Changing retail landscape -Emerging channels
• Emerging Demographics – aging vs digital generations
• Digital penetration
• Income Gaps
• Health & Wellness
• Convenience & Snacking
• Indulgence & Premiumization
• Personalization
• Grow the Core and drive trial
• Optimize channel strategy, focus on direct to consumer
• Stretch brands and expand platforms
• Bolt-On acquisitions, focus
38. Consumer Goods Strategies and Trends | Apr. 2017 38
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Schieber Research is a market research and competitive intelligence firm that helps companies
recognize new opportunities, innovate, and grow.
Founded in 2009, and with offices in New York and Tel Aviv, Schieber Research has served
hundreds of companies worldwide, from startups to private equity firms to major consumer
goods manufacturers. We provide tailor-made research, ongoing competitive intelligence and
reports on industry and consumer trends.
We developed a special methodology to monitor, analyze and facilitate market trends, and
our worldwide network of field analysts monitors developments in retail and consumer goods
on site.
Wehaveworkedwithclientsfromdiverseindustries,including:foodandbeverages,automotive,
finance, pharma, retail, beauty and personal care, hospitality, home appliances and digital.
Founder and CEO Hamutal Schieber is an expert on consumer goods and innovation, and
frequently writes for major business publications and lectures at business schools. She is a
graduate of the Hebrew University Faculty of Law and has over 16 years of experience in
market research.
CEO Hamutal Schieber founded the company in 2009.
Our offices are in New York and Tel Aviv.
Visit us at www.researchci.com