The CPG Guys

The CPG Guys speak with Kristin Wolf, SVP Enterprise Strategy & Transformation at Ulta Beauty, the largest U.S. beauty retailer and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services.Follow Kristin Wolf on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinwolf-ub/ Follow Ulta Beauty on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ulta/Follow Ulta Beauty online at: https://www.ulta.com/company/about-usKristin answers these questions:1) Kristin, why don’t we start with your career journey? What are some of the pivotal experiences that you see as being critical to developing the skills needed to succeed in your current position at Ulta Beauty?2) You joined Ulta in August of 2019, shortly before the beginning of the Covid pandemic. What were some of the most significant implications to your strategic plans that the pandemic brought and how did you go about to confront these challenges?3) How do you see innovation as the fuel that drives business transformation and forward momentum? 4) Why do retailers need to leverage transformation as a core tenant of a successful enterprise strategy to deliver on or exceed business goals while enhancing brand reputation? 5) Recently, Ulta announced Q3 results which included comp store sales growth of 14.6%. How is Ulta’s strategy on driving in-store sales delivering such tremendous results?6) Specifically as it relates to omnichannel customer experience, how are you focused on delivering the powerful content component to the in-store shopping experience that people browsing online get from realtime access to images, videos, UGC, etc?7) How is Ulta’s new retail media platform UB Media contributing to the strategic imperatives of your business?8) Where are some of the focus areas for your future strategic development that we should be watching in 2023?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comNextUp Website: http://nexupisnow.org/cpgguysRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Katherine Black, Senior Partner at Kearney, a global consulting partnership with presence in 40 countries.Follow Katherine Black on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-p-black/Follow Kearney on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kearney/Follow Kearney online at: https://www.kearney.com/about/our-people/kearney-originals/article/-/insights/katherine-blackKatherine answers these questions:1) Let’s start with your professional background. I met you over a decade ago when we both worked for dunnhumby. Would love to understand your career progression, focusing on what has led you to being a retail & CPG area practice leader at Kearney.2) Why is data at the center of all good business decisions? Are there particular types of data that you prefer to employ in your client engagements and when is there “enough” data to drive decisions?3) Digital engagement is a core component of how brands & retailers go to market these days. But digital is a very broad description. Would you help us break digital down into the most common components that your clients really need to focus their attentions?4) Building customer loyalty and Lifetime Value is a primary tenet of our time at dunnhumby. Looking across your area of focus, what trends are you seeing in loyalty and where do you think that is headed?5) Nothing is hotter in media right now than Retail Media. Retailers are accelerating the development of offerings to capture the higher retail media margins than traditional product sales. Brands are often struggling to construct a comprehensive and productive retail media strategy. In your work with clients, where are seeing the biggest challenges for retailers and brands?6) Retail media has really exploded in recent years.  Do you see that continuing and what does the future of retail media hold?7) For many retailers, retail media has become the cornerstone for an even larger monetization business.  What trends do you see in monetization beyond retail media?8) The capital markets have transformed radically over the past year. Venture capital and private equity is virtually non-existent. There are no IPOs happening. From your perspective, how is this having an impact upon your client base? Are there opportunities and what changes are being made to compensate for the conditionsCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comNextUp Website: http://nexupisnow.org/cpgguysRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, PVSB and Sri are joined in this episode by Kristi Argyilan, SVP & Evan Hovorka Head of Products & Innovation Management at Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm for Albertsons Companies.Follow Kristi Argyilan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiargyilan/Follow Evan Hovorka on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanhovorka/ Follow Albertsons Media Collective on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/albertsons-media-collective/Follow Albertsons Media Collective online at: http://albertsonsmediacollective.comPart I with Evan Hovorka - http://cpgguys.com/amc-pacvue/Part II with Claire Wyatt - http://cpgguys.com/claire-wyatt/Kristi & Evan answer these questions:1)  Kristi, 2022 was a monumental year for retail media growth. From your perspective, how did Albertsons Media Collective’s offerings and approach drive brand investment and activation? What resonated with your brand partners and the agencies supporting them?2) Evan, How do you go about assessing the competitive environment and what did you see that inspired you in the development of enhanced offerings for brands to reach Albertsons shoppers?3) Albertsons Media Collective has recently announced a number of strategic partnerships designed to enhance your platform’s capabilities. Let’s start with your new partnership with Omnicom Media group and the Trade Desk. What does this entail and why should brands be excited about it?4) You also recently announced a partnership with Pinterest & LiveRamp around clean rooms for use by brands seeking to leverage your audiences. What are the details on this and why should brands be investing?5) Are there any best-in-class collaborations with brands that you would want to highlight and what do you think made these efforts so successful from both sides of the partnership?6) How is Albertsons Media Collective approaching social commerce as a platform extension?7) Kristi, you were just on stage this morning at NRF, explaining how the physical store will be a significant growth driver in retail media in the next phase of growth. Would you please highlight your thoughts on this topic?8) Evan, Would love from you some predictions on where the retail media industry is going to focus in the next year or two and how Albertsons Media Collective is looking to expand its reputation as having “late mover advantage?”CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comNextUp Website: http://nextupisnow.org/cpgguysDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Bobby Watts, Vice President of AD Retail Media at Peapod Digital Labs, a division of Ahold Delhaize, one of the world’s largest grocery retailers.Follow Bobby Watts on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-watts-48571b74Contact Bobb Watts at: bobby.watts@peapoddigitallabs.comFollow Peapod Digital Labs on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peapoddigitallabs/Follow Peapod Digital Labs online at: http://peapoddigitallabs.comBobby answers these questions:1) Bobby, you have a great career in retail which spans both brick & mortar and the digital world from category management and merchandising to ecommerce and digital leadership at Peapod Digital Labs. Take us through you career journey of transition?2) Today's shopper world is truly omnichannel. What does that world mean to you and how do you connect the dots for retail from the physical shelf to the digital shelf?3) What are the most important capabilities to develop in this space and what you are therefore focused on at Peapod Digital Labs/AD Retail Media & ecommerce merchandising?4) Home delivery or click & collect - which one continues its streak over the pandemic and what makes sense for retail and your customer?5) What is the role of technology such as AI, ML or automation in this digital/ecommerce evolution?6) What constitutes a best in class partner for you at Peapod Digital Labs or AD Retail Media? What do they need to demonstrate?7) What is the connection of your role and leadership in this space to retail media? How do you work that with merchandisers for the store?8) We always ask a question future forward, and the one for you is to tell us what you think is the one area you would like vendors to see muscle up in the next 2 years?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comNextUp Website: http://nexupisnow.org/cpgguysRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Venkatesh (Venky) Shankar, Professor of Marketing and Ford Chair in Marketing & E-Commerce and Director of Research at the Center for Retailing Studies, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University. His areas of specialization include Digital Business, Marketing Strategy, Innovation, New Product Management, Retailing, Services Marketing, Pricing, International Marketing, Branding, Mobile Marketing, and Artificial Intelligence. Follow Venky Shankar on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkyshankar/Follow Venky Shankar online at: https://mays.tamu.edu/directory/vshankar/Follow The Mays School at Texas A&M on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/school/texas-a&m-university/Follow The Mays School at Texas A&M online at: https://mays.tamu.edu/Prof. Shankar answers these questions:1) So, give us your own career brief. You're from IIT, IIM, Sloan - and a lifetime of service to academia. Tell us how the years have passed.2) What is the latest research yielding these days? Is the omnichannel ecommerce-led growth ending or plateauing or still accelerating?3) Talk to the importance of retail media and its growing importance in the industry? Why is this so ungoverned to the day with limited understanding and metrics.4) What is the meaning of the trend referred to as “return to store?” What tactics are permanent and does category management have a different role to play in an omnichannel world?5) Who are the type of brands or retailers you work with and what’s a typical project? Who is the beneficiary?6) How is technology shaping marketing and retailing in consumer goods?7) Retail digital transformation requires capital on an already wafer-thin margin ecosystem unlike brands. How do you advocate for this knowing this with a healthy respect to the P&L?8) Let's ask you to do 5 predictions for retail and CPG go forward.CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comNextUp Website: http://nexupisnow.org/cpgguysRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Kara Rousseau, VP & Head of Marketing for Walmart Connect, the Retail Media arm of Walmart, the world's most elite retailer.Follow Kara Rousseau on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-rousseau/Follow Walmart Connect on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart-connect/Follow Walmart Connect online at: https://walmartconnect.com/Kara answers these questions:1) Kara, since we last spoke in early 2022 (you’re still in our top 10 list of downloaded episodes), Retail Media has been on a meteoric rise. Has it come of age? Is it a must have for omnichannel retailers? Why?2) What do you see as they key elements for a successful retail media offering for brands to invest against, onsite, offsite and in physical retail?3) Walmart Connect recently won the “prestigious” OMNIES Award for best retail media analytics. From your perspective, what makes Walmart Connect’s performance marketing measurement best-in-class?4) Is the size of a supplier correlated in any way to their use of managed services vs. self-serve? How does Walmart Connect guide suppliers in leveraging your media assets? How do you support marketplace suppliers?5) Walmart Luminate has been all the buzz over the last year. How does this customer insights asset complement Walmart Connect in helping suppliers make efficient investment decisions.6) Football playoffs are underway. What is Walmart Connect working on with key consumables suppliers to amplify this important time of the year?7) What are some of the key themes and objectives for Walmart Connect at CES?8) Should we expect to see any Walmart Connect specific supplier events in 2023 like we’ve seen with other major retail media platforms?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Amit Patel, SVP of Startegic Partnerships and Monetization at Drizly,  the world's largest alcohol marketplace and the best way to shop beer, wine and spirits. Follow Amit Patel on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patelaa/Follow Drizly on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drizly/Follow Drizly Ads online at: https://ads.drizly.com/Amit answers these questions:1) Please provide us with an understanding of your career, focusing on important experiences in establishing partnerships with brands2) How did the pandemic disrupt the traditional advertising model for alcohol brands, particularly emerging brands?3) How have your ads products evolved to meet the growing demand of BevAlc suppliers?4) Explain why brands advertising with you are not violating Tied House restrictions? And is Drizly a self-serve platform, a managed service business or both to some degree?5) Would you please walk our audience through all of the onsite display offerings for brands working with Drizly Ads? 6) What offsite media partnerships has Drizly established? (programmatic, social, connected TV, etc.)7) What types of performance measurement comes along with campaigns that brands are running through Drizly Ads?8) All the rage at recent industry conferences has been non-endemic advertising. Is non-endemic advertising for brands not selling through your marketplace an offering through Drizly Ads?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys speak with Kathy Slowinski & Erik Andrejko from Helio, the first data platform of its kind to capture data from every consumer touchpoint and consolidate it into one universal solution to help anyone looking to invest, innovate, or grow in the consumer ecosystem identify emerging opportunities.Follow Kathy Slowinski on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kslowinski/ Follow Erik Andrejko on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-andrejko-0900a51b/Follow Helio on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circleup/Follow Helio online at: https://heliodata.com/ Kathy & Erik answer these questions:1) Share a bit on your backgrounds and your respective journey's in the CPG industry. I’ll start with Erik and then pass to Kathy.2) Erik, I love a good origin story! Tell us about how Helio originated and the problems it was designed to solve for?3) Kathy, How have Helio's capabilities evolved and been applied as the software has been commercialized? 4) Kathy, Can you give a few examples of customers you've engaged with? What are some of the use cases for Helio?5) Erik, What makes Helio different than existing solutions? How is it that you are able to capture so much data on emerging brands, trends and products? How is it that you are able to harmonize all of that to those types of insights?6) Kathy, Going back to the customers you've engaged with, what are the results / outcomes Helio has been part of driving? 7) Kathy, What's in store for the future of Helio? 8) Erik then Kathy, What hot takes / contrarian opinions / thoughts do you have about this space and/or how it will evolve over the next 2+ years?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys welcome Bryan Gildenberg as the third official CPG Guy!Bryan & Sri undertake a 2022 retrospective!CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Ray Cao, Advisor to Founders at Clearco, the world’s largest eCommerce investor built by Founders for Founders. Equity-free. Bias-free. Hassle-free.Follow Ray on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raycao/ Follow Clearco on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getclearco/Follow Clearco online at: https://clear.co/Ray answers these questions:1) You have such a plethora of experiences beginning as an engineer by training, trading at Barclays Capital to then becoming a founder, starting and successfully selling a number of businesses. Tell us about this interesting journey of yours.2) What are you seeing these days? Rapid omnichannel growth? Or has it really slowed down since covid ended and is it a permanent tilt to digital/ecommerce? 3) Should all brands be leaning into digital and competing now with digital native brands?4) What are your thoughts on the basics of success in a digital world? How do you advise brand founders today?5) In addition to startups, you are also an advisory board member for Groceryshop/Shoptalk. Tell us about that role and also other things that you are personally doing to drive success for our industry.6) In your role at Clearco, you worked with a lot of ecommerce aggregators. I think many of us (and our audience) have received calls from these heavily funded startups in the last couple of years to join these startups. Can you tell us what you’re seeing in the space and how it has evolved? Where do you think things will end up?7) Many of us recently saw the acquisition of Hero Cosmetics to Church and Dwight. It looked like a great transaction for all those involved, do you expect to see more in the near future?8) A few years ago, there was a lot of discussion around how DTC brands are going to tear apart the P&Gs, Nestles and Unilevers of the world. You know and spend time with a lot of CPG executives as well. What do you feel is the overall sentiment right now amongst the CPG executive community as it relates to DTC and how real of a threat is DTC today?9) As it relates to investing, what do you personally look for in startups and what maturity do you get involved in?10) What’s next in retail and ecommerce? Are there any companies or innovations that you’re really excited by?What is your personal advice for startup founders or potential founders who are eager to run the race of competing with a scaled CPG product? What would differentiate them?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRetailWit Website: http://retailwit.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.