Happy Holidays’, Seasons Greetings, and Happy New Year to all of you, your teams, and your families!
The entire POI Team hopes you, your teams, and families are all healthy, as that is most important.
As we look forward to the New Year, we can all take a moment to reflect upon the events of 2020…
2020 was a year full of challenges and great adversity, adaptations for all of us in the CPG and Retail industry, as well, it included major milestones and a series of firsts for POI. In our first quarter, POI saw advancements in nearly all aspects of our organization – research, Certification, project RFP’s and advancements. We connected with more CPG Leaders around the globe with our vision and momentum. We held a series of successful webinars, POI Connect Groups, and Share Groups while gaining strong support from leaders across CPG, Retail, and Solutions in our efforts to advance the industry.
Through the balance of the year, we have been nimble, undaunted, and were quick to innovate and adapt in the face of Covid-19 to quickly pivot from in-person events to our inaugural POI Virtual Summit in May. We continued to make major changes and advancements with our membership and broader community. In April, May, and June we added more than 500 new POI CPG Members. In September, we executed the first of its kind Global Virtual Summit.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”Franklin D. Roosevelt
Our leading research (spearheaded by Pam Brown) has advanced, and further solidified POI’s value to the global community centered on TPx, RetX, RGM, advanced Analytics, and Collaborative Marketing. We connected more CPG’s around best practices, and projects while delivering global webinars with great insights. We continued working to develop the next generation of leaders with Dr. John Stanton, Chairman, Food Marketing Dept. at Saint Joseph’s University, holding our first virtual orientation for our largest incoming class, including international candidates for a stronger and more diverse group of next generation leaders! With so many firsts and so many advancements from the fundamentals all the way through to investments in new platform capabilities (for the 2021 virtual and hybrid summits), we are proud of our growing community, what you have accomplished through adversity, and what we accomplish together.
The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, although simpler here in 2020. That sentiment is ringing truer than ever at POI. We are proud of the significant strides we are making in improving our capabilities and reach this year.
As we review 2020 and how we’ve adapted, we look forward towards building upon that re-energized foundation and making 2021 spectacular with you, and your teams. We thank you for your faith, engagement, and continued support as Members. We believe that we have the most passionate leaders, and that you are vital to our collective successful navigation through the pandemic plus leading our evolving industry into the new reality. We enter 2021 on a fundamentally solid footing, with great expectations for what the New Year holds for our Global Members.
It is in this spirit of the holidays that we extend our warmest greetings and best wishes for the New Year! We accomplished much in the last year, but there is no doubt in our mind that our best days are in front of us. Pam and I with the POI team kindly thank you for your trust and continuing loyalty. We hope that you are surrounded by love, family, and warmth, this holiday season and that the New Year brings you many reasons to celebrate life, success, health, and simple joy!
Always our best,Michael and Pam
We sincerely invite you to share your thoughts, and needs with us by dropping us a note at mkantor@p-o-i.org, or pambrown@p-o-i.org
Have a sensational 2021! Manufacturer and Retailer Members and Attendees may access the POI Summit presentations here https://poinstitute.com/about/resources/ Registration is open: February 23-24 for the POI Virtual Mid-Winter Engagement Summit – Fusing Digital and Trade Strategies to Drive Mutual Growth. Downtown Marriott, Chicago, View more here
Industry News
Kimberly-Clark: Customer Engagement and Solidarity Marked 2020 Source: (Explica December 21, 2020)Many companies took the lead and moved in that direction. In the case of Kimberly-Clark, it not only fulfilled its mission of providing essential products that are part of the daily life of the entire population, but also strengthened its community support strategy with different actions at the global and local level. Learn more
Register today for the POI Mid-Winter Virtual Engagement Summit! Experience the New POI Virtual Engagement Platform, from your desk February 23-24, 2021 Reach Joanie for eligibility for your complimentary pass at jhampto@p-o-i.org
Join already registered from: – Join already registered from: P&G, Schreiber Foods, General Mills, Mondelez, PepsiCo, Kimberly-Clark, Dart Container, LaCroix Sparkling Water, Bonduelle, Nomad Foods, McKee Foods, Campbell’s Soup, Colgate Palmolive, Conagra, Grupo Bimbo, Deloleo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestle Coffee Partners, Postobon, Johnsonville, Nestle, RJ Reynolds, Simply Good Foods, Apex Global, Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Ocean Spray, Dart Container, Edgewell Personal Care, Riverside Naturals, BIC, Grupo Bimbo, Clorox, Constellation Brands, Quilmes J&J, RBH, JM Smucker, Walgreen’s, Mill Fleet farm, GSK, Church & Dwight, and more.Register Here
Cheerios Spot Points to Influencers’ Marketing PowerSource: (Mktg Dive December 18, 2020)
Cheerios’ uplifting ad reboot arrives one day after parent company General Mills reported strong sales linked to consumers eating at home more frequently, beating analyst expectations for the second quarter. Net sales rose 7% to $4.72 billion, a pace the company said it expects to continue into the next quarter. Learn more
Impossible Foods’ CCO: ‘Lessons Learned in 2020”Source: (The Drum December 21, 2020) Rachel Konrad, chief communications officer at Impossible Foods, said “In March, our flagship product was available in fewer than 150 grocery stores. Within six months, Impossible Burger was in more than 15,000 stores, displacing animal-derived meat at an astonishing clip…Based on data from retailers, at least 75% of people who try Impossible become repeat customers. There’s no reason to believe that they’ll revert post-pandemic: “Normal” is right now.” Learn more
Promotion Optimization Institute Releases POI 2020 TPx Vendor Panorama, and Names Best-in-Class Across Capabilities“Even in the face of COVID-19 and the consumer products industry paradigm shift that is taking place, Trade Promotion and Revenue Growth Management is more relevant today than ever before,” said Pam Brown, Chief Commercial Officer of the POI. “COVID has dramatically accelerated the move to eCommerce and the majority of CPG companies are struggling with online trade promotion. While much work needs to be done, many POI members and the vendors are rising to the challenge”. Learn more
Mtn Dew Opens ‘Direct-to-Gamer’ Store for DTC SalesSource: (Mktg Dive December 21, 2020) By setting up an online store for Mtn Dew Game Fuel, PepsiCo is adopting a strategy developed by digitally native brands to sell their products directly to customers instead of through established supply chains. The strategy gives PepsiCo more control over the customer experience (CX) and helps to support more one-to-one relationships with the most loyal fans of Mtn Dew. The online store and loyalty program also help to collect first-party data about consumers, which has become a priority for brands whose media strategies are shifting to audience-based targeting. Learn more
If you missed this webinar, POI members can Access Recording here
POI & DELOITTE WHITEPAPER: RESHAPING COMMERCIAL PRIORITIES A global pandemic, social justice advocacy, the ubiquitous rise of digital commerce, advanced last-mile fulfillment technologies, and sensitivities toward environmental and social purpose with brands—these topics are all changing how consumers think and interact with CPGs manufacturers. This ever-changing business landscape means CPGs must reevaluate their trade promotion funding, communication, and spending strategies, and align their systems road map to fit new priorities and marketplace opportunities. Access the complimentary Whitepaper
E-commerce Emerges as Trend of the YearSource: (Food Biz News December 21, 2020) The volume of e-commerce transactions in the United States for the second quarter of calendar 2020 was remarkable. Sales during the period were estimated at $211.5 billion, up 32% when compared with the first quarter of 2020 and up 45% when compared with the same period during 2019, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. E-commerce made up 16% of total retail sales of $1.3 trillion during the period. For context, during the first quarter of 2020 e-commerce was 12% of total retail sales and 11% of retail sales during the second quarter of 2019. Learn more
General Mills’ Sees 2nd Quarter LiftSource: (Yahoo December 17, 2020) In the North America Retail segment, net sales surged 9% to $2.92 billion, largely due to robust demand for at-home food during the pandemic. Sales increased 18% for U.S. Meals and Baking, 4% for U.S. cereal, 7% for Canada and 3% for U.S. Yogurt. By contrast, net sales for U.S. snacks slipped 2%. Segment operating profit totaled $702 million, reflecting a growth of 9% year-over-year. The pet segment recorded $460 million in revenue, up 18% year-over-year. Learn more
Walmart To Solve Biggest Pain-point of Online Shopping Source: (CNN December 21, 2020) Walmart (WMT) is attempting to heed off challenges from its largest rival, Amazon (AMZN). Customers who buy items on amazon can drop off packages without a box or label at some Whole Foods markets, Kohl’s and UPS stores and lockers. Some items are also eligible to be picked up at home through UPS with a fee. Learn more
Blacksmith Applications: 5 CPG Trends We’ll See in 2021 Source: (Blacksmith.com December 2020) Without a doubt, adaptation is the key initiative firing up business strategies in the new year. Food brands – regardless of products, sizes or channels – must adapt to new consumer behaviors and mandated restrictions. Because of the fast-paced changes the food and beverage world is experiencing, 2021’s key CPG trends all stem from adaptability: At home dining, No contact food shopping, Health and sanitation, Brand loyalty & SKU rationalization. Learn more
Deloitte: CEOs Will Ask More of CIOs in 2021Source: (CIO Dive December 21, 2020) In shaping company strategy for the years ahead, CIOs gained a brighter perspective on how tech and business priorities align, serving an augmented role in shaping company strategy. As the process of strategizing itself becomes more data-driven, the CIO’s purview also expands. The creation of company strategy is “increasingly going from an exercise with pencils and pieces of paper,” to one that relies on AI and other tech tools to provide insight, said Scott Buchholz, emerging technology research director and Government & Public Services CTO at Deloitte Consulting LLP, speaking on an online panel last week. Learn more
Jeff Bezos: How Amazon Thinks About CompetitionSource: (HBR December 21, 2020) Jeff Bezos said: In the space domain we are facing adversaries who are going to innovate. So that’s the real issue. If you’re facing adversaries who are not good at innovating, then you don’t have to be that good at innovating…..When it comes to competition, being one of the best is not good enough. Do you really want to plan for a future in which you might have to fight with somebody who is just as good as you are? I wouldn’t. Learn more
POI Pulse Weekly Newsletter October 12, 202
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