  | February 29, 2012 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
- Kraft launches Planters peanut butter
Kraft has launched a campaign for its new Planters peanut butter starring "Doug," the stunt double of Mr. Peanut. The character, voiced by actor Kevin Dillon, starts out confidently planning to perform a physical feat but always winds up getting crushed into peanut butter. Bloomberg (2/29)       - P&G outlines $1 billion marketing savings plan
Procter & Gamble CEO Bob McDonald said the company will cut $1 billion in marketing over the next five years while "increasing the number and quality of impressions each year." He said savings will come from increased efficiency and by shifting from traditional advertising to digital and mobile efforts. "We're using technology to more effectively and efficiently target consumers, allowing us to build one on one personal relationships with every consumer," he said. CampaignAsia.com (2/27) - PepsiCo sees "tremendous opportunity" in U.S. dairy
PepsiCo, which is building a yogurt factory in Batavia, N.Y., in a joint venture with Muller, believes the market for dairy products in the U.S. "is nowhere near its full potential," said a spokeswoman. "Yogurt is a great [stand-alone] business," she said, "but the opportunities for growth are even greater when considering the potential for 'convergence' products -- those that combine dairy with other healthful and delicious foods from growing categories such as grains and fruits." FoodNavigator (2/28)  | WEBINAR: Be a Social Media Change Agent 2 PM ET on 3/1
Featured Guest: Brian Solis, Principal Analyst, Altimeter Group
Attend this webinar to learn how to use social media to improve your customer experiences and brand relationships — including, translating activity and conversations into insights, how social media drives customer expectations and aligning internal teams and functions. Register. | | Trends |  |  | | - Retailers report sweet Valentine's Day sales
Retailers said Valentine's Day sales were strong this year, with the average transaction amount up 72% for small retailers and 26% for specialty stores. Chocolate products with a heart theme dominated, accounting for 71% of unit sales and 70% of dollar sales. CandyAndSnackToday.com (2/29)  | See how Cardmembers use American Express OPEN Cards to help run their business:
“I use my Business Card on all of my company’s shipping costs because it helps us save more money for the business.” -Anis Lacerte, Anais Corp
With The Business Gold Rewards Card, you can earn 2X points on your shipping purchases.
LEARN MORE & APPLY |
  - Unilever executive: Consumer insights drive Hispanic marketing
 Russel Lilly, multicultural marketing director for Unilever, discusses how the company is reaching Hispanic consumers through its Vivemejor effort, launched in 2007, which now includes digital and social media components. "Unilever's success in Hispanic marketing is driven by consumer insights," he said. "Our Multicultural Consumer Marketing Insights team includes bilingual and bicultural professionals who know and understand Hispanic consumer trends." ClickZ (2/28)  | How to Get the Package You Need—Without Breaking the Bank
A robust benefits package can be the difference between someone choosing to work with you versus a more established competitor. But with the cost of benefits rising each year, providing a benefits package that helps you attract, retain and motivate talented people gets harder all the time. Download, 5 Ways To Manage The Rising Costs of Benefits. |
 - Safeway chief expects wellness program to boost income
Safeway Chairman, President and CEO Steve Burd said the retailer will create a "significant wellness program that will add to operating income." Burd mentioned the plan during a call to analysts about results of the latest fiscal year. Sales increased 6.3%, to $43.6 billion, while net income dropped 12.4%, to $516.7 million. Supermarket News (2/27)  | Costs are rising in China and Japan, prompting high-tech firms across Asia to consider new sourcing locations so they can remain efficient, while focusing more on service. What will be the impact of this behavioral shift? Learn about the findings in this free white paper. |
- Diet high in soy may lower bad cholesterol, study says
People whose bodies change soy into an estrogenlike compound and those who do not both saw lower LDL cholesterol levels by eating a diet high in soy, according to a study by University of Toronto researchers. The report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that only the equol producers, however, also maintained levels of healthy HDL cholesterol using the diet. Reuters (2/24)  | The introduction of tablets and the rapidly increasing growth of smart phones are changing the way we do business. Workforce visibility and mobile data exchange can easily result in accelerated business cycles and operational cost reductions. In this webinar you'll learn the five ways smart devices are improving mobile workforce management. |
 | GMA News | | | | - "Capturing Recall Costs for Consumer Products" webcast on March 6
In collaboration with Ernst & Young, and Covington & Burling, GMA will hold a webcast on the recently released report: "Capturing Recall Costs: Measuring and Recovering the Losses" on March 6, from 2-4 p.m. EST.
This report is based on a yearlong survey of 34 participating GMA-member companies, of which 58% have been affected by a product recall in the past five years. The webcast will focus on the results of the survey, including how companies deal with recall risk and obstacles faced in recovery of recall costs. Only 5 days left -- register today!
| Editor's Note | | | | - Announcing the launch of SmartBlog on Food & Beverage
SmartBrief has expanded its Restaurants blog to include coverage on the entire food and beverage industry. In addition to coverage of restaurant management and foodservice news, you'll find the latest news and trends from the food and beverage world. The expansion comes as SmartBlogs, home of SmartBrief's original blog posts, videos and interviews, undergoes a networkwide face-lift. Now, it's even easier to get the news you need, including insight on social media marketing, finance and executive leadership.
Check out the Food & Beverage blog. We'd love to hear your thoughts. E-mail SmartBrief's Web editor, Doris Nhan, or tweet us @SmartBrief if you have any feedback.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought."
--Matsuo Basho,
Japanese poet  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers@gmail.com
| | | Read more at SmartBrief.com | | A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: | | | | | | | | | | Recent GMA SmartBrief Issues: - Tuesday, February 28, 2012
- Monday, February 27, 2012
- Friday, February 24, 2012
- Thursday, February 23, 2012
- Wednesday, February 22, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: Rebecca Pollack Scherr
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | | | | | | © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.