Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

Why CPG Companies Will Have to Innovate or...

Wed, Nov 29, 2023 | Posted by The Chief Outsider

Challenger brands have nearly doubled the innovation success rate vs. leading brands

By: Mike Concannon and Evan Eckman

Which business author is famous for the quote “innovate or die”? Peter Drucker, Tom Peters, or Dr. Jack Matson?

Answer: All of the above. It was a fundamental business principle for the past century. So why has the collective wisdom of these contemporary business authors seemingly been forgotten by the big CPG companies this century?

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Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership - Part Eight

Thu, Mar 4, 2021 — Celebrating Success At a time when it seems that employee pay has been increasingly in the spotlight, there lies an interesting conundrum that might be just as shocking as it is contrarian. Money, it turns out, for today’s employee, isn’t everything. Though our present-day landscape is dotted with discussions about a K-shaped economic recovery from COVID-19, and the push for a $15 federally mandated minimum wage, it just so happens that there’s a lot more that motivates today’s employees besides the bi-weekly take-home check.

Focusing Your Sales Force During an Economic Downturn

Thu, Oct 1, 2020 — By Aurora Toth and Ann Anderson During times of business volatility, companies are forced to make quick decisions about how to deploy their resources – financial and human. While we acknowledge that Sales is an expensive function within an organization – it is a critical one. Times of crisis provide an opportunity to look at how the salesforce is deployed, where it creates the largest impact, areas you may be missing and how to either refine or completely redesign Sales to achieve your business objectives. My colleague, Ann Anderson is the founder at Retail Partner Solutions. Ann has spent 25+ years partnering with America’s largest retailers such as Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, Costco and more to help CPG brands thrive in-store and on store shelves.

Why Now is a Great Time to Build Customer Loyalty – A Guide for CEOs of Mid-Sized Companies

Thu, Sep 24, 2020 — Companies should always be concerned about loyalty and growing the value of existing customers. But now, perhaps more than ever before, as we navigate through the disruption of the pandemic and the resulting economic volatility, reactivating existing customer relationships is a critical path to restoring revenue. I spoke recently with Tres Tronvold, a strategist and customer loyalty expert. Tres states that at a macro level there are three broad things companies should think about when it comes to reactivating their customers -- Safety, Creating Occasions and Driving Sales.

Supply Chain Savvy

Fri, Sep 18, 2020 — How CEOs of mid-size companies should think about their supply chains during any crisis As CEOs grapple with managing through the current economic volatility wrought by COVID-19, another area we dive into in this series of articles is supply chain management. My collaborator on this subject is Juli Lassow of JHL Solutions who spent her career at Target, Inc. in Merchandising and Global Sourcing roles. Juli now helps companies plan and navigate the intricacies of a modern supply chain and adjust strategy during times of change.

Pandemic Prowess: A Leadership Playbook for CEOs of Mid-Size Companies During Challenging Times

Thu, Sep 3, 2020 — Saying that leadership is a challenge right now is an understatement. From the global pandemic, to the recent civil unrest impacting business in a myriad of ways, to attempting to ensure your business is weathering the ensuing economic volatility, how can a CEO demonstrate the sure-handed, consistent approach stakeholders expect? Particularly when the playbook is being re-written daily? I turned to David Stark, known for his Executive coaching skills and level-headed approach to guiding CEOs and other leaders through difficult situations. Here are Dave’s Top 5 Leadership Actions that form a toolkit for navigating any crisis.

No Stakeholder Left Behind: A Quick Communication Guide for CEOs of Mid-Sized Companies to Use Now

Thu, Aug 27, 2020 — During any crisis, communication from a CEO drives perception of the company and serves as a source of guidance for multiple stakeholder groups. Done well, the content and delivery may impact how quickly an organization emerges. With the global pandemic an ongoing reality, and the added impact of a volatile economy, it’s a crucial time to think about the audiences who need to hear from you as conditions continue to evolve, as well as how and when you’ll communicate with them to achieve your desired outcome.

How to Right-Size your Marketing Budget and Get C-Suite Alignment – Part Two

Tue, Jul 7, 2020 — Part Two: Aligning Priorities and Spending with the CEO and CFO Part 1 of this article looked at best practices for determining optimal marketing spending levels. In part 2, we look at how marketing leaders need to align with the CEO and CFO on marketing spending priorities. To help answer this question, I’ve turned to marketing strategy and budget expert Peter Mahoney, CEO of Plannuh, Inc. Peter has decades of experience managing marketing teams, strategy and budgets, including managing a $150M annual budget at Nuance. Peter started Plannuh in 2017 to address the pain and suffering companies experience managing marketing budgets and plans with disconnected tools.

How to Right-Size your Marketing Budget and Get C-Suite Alignment

Tue, Jun 23, 2020 — Part One: Determining Optimal Spending Levels and Overcoming Key Challenges Marketing budgets make CEOs and CFOs uncomfortable. They often are large, have lots of complicated moving parts, and their impact can be hard to measure and attribute to marketing. Marketing budgets commonly range from low single digits to 15% of revenue (and even higher for companies undergoing rapid growth). And by the way, there is no one “right” benchmark for marketing budgets. In this two-part series, marketing strategy and budget expert Peter Mahoney and CMO Jeff Loeb will pull from their experience and share tips on right-sizing marketing budgets and preparing for challenges you may encounter.

Keys to COVID-19 Crisis Communications Success: Tips for Every CEO

Wed, Apr 22, 2020 — As the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to mount, the workforce remains ever fearful. With unemployment rising by the millions, and those still employed wondering if—or when—the other shoe may drop at your company, it’s never been more critical to be transparent. Right now, your employees are looking to you for the kind of leadership that will help them, and your company, get through the crisis.

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