Player Coach Post

Full-Service Food Marketing Firm or Player-Coach?

Player-Coach or Full-Service Food Marketing Firm Running a hard-working, results-oriented full-service food marketing firm and growing food brands wasn’t always my plan. I found myself here by paying attention to what drives me to succeed professionally, which, in turn, is based on something personal. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my grandfather’s A&P…

Food rep meeting with retail category buyer to pitch emerging food brand to regional supermarket or local grocery

3 Questions You Need to Ask Potential Retail Buyers

Congratulations! You did it. You got your foot in the door and now you have a coveted one-on-one meeting with a retail buyer. Often a retail buyer works within a specific product category, such as “protein” or “dry goods” or “frozen.” This person’s main job is saying yes or no to what’s being sold on…

social media complaints

Converting Brand Champions, One Complaint at a Time

Brand Champions are Made, Not Born. An emerging brand dream. You’ve won the battle to get your product on the shelf. Retail reorders are coming in, and things seem to be going the right way. You’ve set up geo-fencing on your brand’s social media to drive consumers to retail stores and, of course, to talk…

things hire mktg firm blog image

3 Essentials for Hiring a Food Marketing Firm

Hiring a Food Marketing Firm? Contemplating hiring a food marketing firm to help bridge the gaps between brand awareness and brand trial and brand preference to brand loyalty…and grow your business? Here are 3 things it helps to have when initiating the conversation: 1. Specific Business Goals 2. A Marketing Budget 3. A High Value…

JAN  Stu Why Research Matters

Why Research Matters for your Brand

Get on the shelf and stay on the shelf. You’ve crafted a product that your friends and family love. They give you endless praise saying you should get retail shelf space. But before you can go into a store, are you aware of the competitive landscape? Do you know who the ideal consumer is for…

Blog Image CONF Post

Emerging Indiana Food Entrepreneur: THANK YOU for a GREAT Conference!

On Monday, November 6th, 2017 at Purdue University, my firm hosted: 80+ Emerging Brand Indiana Food Companies. 200+ Indiana Food Entrepreneurs. 9 Food Retail Buying Groups. 8 Independent and Chain Restaurants / Caterers. Word has it that close to a dozen products got picked up by retailers and distributors. Commerce in action! We realize there…

What Questions do you have for retail food buyers?

What Question Would You Like to Ask Retail Food Buyers?

Entrepreneurs ready with questions for retail food buyers If there’s one thing that 25+ years of consumer package goods marketing has taught me it’s this: If you want to sell your products to consumers in the retail shelves, you need to first sell it to the gate keepers. Also known as retail food buyers, AKA category…