POI Pulse: February 23,2015

General Mills on Shifting Trends – Margins
Source: (Food Bus News Feb. 18, 2015)Donal L. Mulligan, executive vice-president and chief financial officer, said gross margins comparisons may not be apt between better-for-you foods and conventional products.He noted that while gross margins “are leaner” for some natural products, advertising spending tends to be lower and net margins are competitive. Learn more

This Mobile Player Uses Cash to Keep Visitors Returning  Source: (Adweek February 19, 2015)
Through purchase-required rebates, video ad watches, poll clicks and other brand-related actions, users have collectively earned $20 million during the app’s nearly two-and-a-half-year existence. They’ve also watched videos for marketing clients like Coca-Cola, Perrier and Unilever more than 130 million times. Learn more

Record Attendance Expected at POI Summit in 2015!

The most advanced and relevant agenda is taking shape.  Capacity will be limited, so register for the POI Spring Summit “Collaborative Marketing to Execute at the Rate of Change” Summit – Predicting promotional outcomes in-Store, online, and everywhere!”
Teams who have registered include:

Johnsonville Sausage, Huhtamaki, Turkey Hill, Mead Johnson, Organic Valley, Tyson, Flowers Foods, Norseland, Kind Snacks, Hain Celestial, Diageo, Land O’ Frost, Red Gold, Pilgrims, Kao USA, Kraft Foods, Prestige Brands, Pictsweet, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Pacific Foods, Wells Enterprises, White Wave, Mars, Carl Buddig, Pfizer, Pinnacle Foods, CVS Health, Topco, Organic Valley, Morton Salt, Danone, Energizer, Red Bull, MillerCoors, Keurig Green Mountain, Norseland, Walgreen’s, JM Smucker. DPSG, Windsor Foods, Bush Brothers, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson, JBSS, Musco Olives, Unilever, Del Monte, Popcorn Indiana, Post Foods, Starbucks, Giant Eagle, Hormel Foods, PepsiCo, Ainsworth Pet, Grupo Bimbo, Dean Foods, 7-Eleven, Michael Angelos, Hillshire Brands, and many more. April 12-14, 2015 — Learn more  

Campbell’s c.e.o. Offers Candid View of C.P.G.
Source: (Food Bus News February 19, 2015)

“We are seeing significant pressure on mainstream food products, on traditional channels, including traditional grocery stores; the continuing rapid growth of alternative channels at the expense of grocery stores, a value in premium offerings at the expense of the middle range, and of the retail perimeter at the expense of the center store,” she said. Learn more

POI Announces 2015 Confernce Lineup – NA and Global
Source: (Yahoo Finance, February 17, 2015)

The Promotion Optimization Institute (POI), the leading resource for trade marketing and merchandising executives, today announced the institute’s 2015 conference schedule including the first POI conferences of the year: “Collaborative Marketing to Execute at the Rate of Change” in Chicago, Illinois from April 12, 2015 through April 14, 2015 and the inaugural “POI Global Promotion Optimization Summit” in Geneva, Switzerland from May 12, 2015 through May 13, 2015. Early registration is now available with discounted pricing atPOI Event Registration. Presenters and Sponsors at POI Geneva include: Coca-Cola, Nielsen, Dr. Oetker, Exceedra, Unilever, Accenture, Premier Foods, Sequoya, Wipro, and more

Candidates Gained Collaboration Skills w/ POI SJU Source: (Next Orientation is June 10-11, 2015)

The program began by exploring how organizations develop and implement a collaborative culture and strategy. Next, core functional areas of business were explored -from forecasting, trade marketing, to merchandising, pricing, supply chain and predictive analytics- providing candidates a solid understanding of each function and how it contributes to internal alignment, and trading partner collaboration success.

Hope Springs Eternal! As we begin to see an end of a tough winter, incredible events occur all around us this past week that has leaders optimistic. And. baseball season is upon us, as Spring training brings out those fans with a renewed fervor for their teams playoff chances (regardless of their history)! Why not? Every team starts with a clean slate, all the win/loss records are 0-0. There is talk in every baseball town and among all baseball fans of how we really could win this year if only this or that goes right, if our players could live up to their real potential, if we could finally “gel” as a team, and if all the things we can’t control could go well for us and not so well for the other teams. “Have you seen that new rookie?” And “that trade we just made could make all the difference now!” Everybody is a believer on opening day.It’s a new season, and their teams have made adjustments, changes, and added new players/skills. Replace “new rookie” with “new hire”. And “that trade” with “that new product, store, or acquisition”, and here we stand ready to take on a new day with better people, strategies, execution, and advanced analytics in Retail and CPG.

Regardless of continued press about “the New Normal”, every aspect of our business is changing, and there are as many strategies to achieve growth, as there are companies, and this reason for optimism. I’m proud of all leaders that we work with at POI (Members, CCM Candidates, Summit Attendees, Sponsors, and POI Pulse Readers), as you are making changes, taking on new projects, and never settling with the status quo. The two most diverse recent examples of change that highlight how companies are shifting is Disney’s raising of their pricing in the theme parks, and Walmart’s raising of wages for employees. Each move speaks volumes about positioning, and value. Each recognizes the value of their associates, and the role they play within the customer experience. As pricing becomes increasingly transparent, leaders are recognizing the need to compete on every other variable is heightened, and value must be perceived at every touch point. Competing effectively as a team, and with trading partners requires skills, and strategies that change the game, and support the optimistic outlook for growth in any economic condition, and as shoppers/consumers continue to evolve. Collaborative Marketers are ready for every season! The POI April Summit in Chicago is fast approaching, and POI is leading in Geneva, Switzerland as well. Make your plans now (200 of you already have), as spring training, education, and networking will drive better ROI for trading partners.

Registration for POI Summits is available at POI Event Registration. As a manufacturer or retailer register today. Space is limited, as our previous events have sold out!

Reach me at mkantor@p-o-i.orgto express how you’d like to participate at POI this year! 

Have a sensational week!! 

Michael Kantor
CEO & Founder
Promotion Optimization Institute, LLC
mkantor@p-o-i.org   

www.POInstitute.com