Kraft chief exec talks about changes, challenges in CPG industry

Big Geyser enters manufacturing with Hal's Beverage | Kraft chief exec talks about changes, challenges in CPG industry | Mondelez names chief growth officer in reorganization Created for cpgbrokers.input@blogger.com |  Web Version   August 1, 2014 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE Company Watch Sponsored By Big Geyser enters manufacturing with Hal's Beverage Big Geyser, a well-known New York distributor, has entered the manufacturing game with the introduction of Hal's Beverage, a line of seltzers named after founder Irving Hershkowitz, known as Hal. The company decided to launch the brand after failing to find an existing seltzer brand to add to its portfolio, COO Lewis Hershkowitz said. BevNet.com (7/31) Share:  Kraft chief exec talks about changes, challenges in CPG industry Food and beverage businesses are challenged by the pace and manner in which the consumer has changed, according to Tony Vernon, CEO of Kraft Foods Group. "In some ways we have to unlearn what we believed to work in the past and re-learn what will make a difference today," Vernon said. One of the shifts should be away from a reliance on promotion pricing, which boosts volume sales but can be a drain on profits, he said. FoodBusinessNews.net (free registration) (7/31), FoodNavigator (7/31) Share:  Mondelez names chief growth officer in reorganization Mondelez International Chief Marketing Officer Mary Beth West is exiting the company as part of a reorganization that will place marketing under the control of North American President Mark Clouse, who will become the company's first chief growth officer. Clouse's role will also include strategy, sales, and research-and-development responsibilities. Advertising Age (free access for SmartBrief readers) (7/31), CandyAndSnackToday.com (7/31) Share:  Cargill to close Milwaukee beef facility A shortage of cattle has led Cargill to close a beef processing facility in Milwaukee. A separate ground beef facility at the site will remain in operation. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) (free registration)/The Associated Press (7/30) Share:  1 Week Left to Get Early Bird Rates for SupplySide West! Attend the world's largest expo gathering ingredient suppliers and finished product manufacturers, Oct. 6-10 in Las Vegas. Discover raw ingredients to fuel your next success and learn how to make your products quicker, cheaper and better without sacrificing quality — all on our Expo Hall floor featuring 1,700+ exhibitor booths! REGISTER TODAY   Trends Tapping unmet demand key to new product launches Only 15% of CPG products are still on the market two years after launching, according to Nielsen. Success is never certain, but meeting an unmet demand and growing incrementally improves the odds, according to James Richardson, senior vice president of Hartman Strategy. FoodNavigator (7/31) Share:  Companies live and die by their employees Businesses with fewer than 500 employees drive the economy, and represent about 55% of all jobs in the country. However, finding suitable employees can be tough. Small Business Owners with limited time and resources need to make every new hire count because the actions of each employee can go straight to the bottom line. Download your free white paper, Welcome Aboard: A Guide to Small Business Hiring and learn how to hire smarter. SmartBrief Originals General Mills social media manager: Make content interesting Companies often struggle with creating a relevant social media strategy, and Kevin Hunt, corporate social media manager for General Mills, outlined some general guidelines in a presentation at SocialMedia.org's Brands-Only Summit. Brainstorm with departments that deal with consumers, turn to your employees for content ideas and ask customers what they want, Hunt suggested. "The world doesn't need more content," he said. "It needs more interesting content." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (7/31) Share:  Essential news for mobile marketing professionals Get a daily news summary written by SmartBrief's expert editors, compliments of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). Get the news today. Advertising & Marketing Kellogg to focus on nutrition in Special K marketing Kellogg is breaking away from its long-standing focus on weight loss in its Special K promotions and placing more emphasis on nutrition in a bid to boost sales of the brand. The company also announced changes in its Kashi division, including naming David Denholm CEO. Advertising Age (free access for SmartBrief readers) (7/31) Share:  Instagram reportedly expands ad pilot Instagram is reportedly expanding tests of advertising on its site, and widespread availability of ads could generate revenue as high as $100 million per quarter for parent company Facebook, according to industry insiders. "The key to Instagram's monetization efforts is if Facebook can really scale a video business on a [cost-per-thousand] basis," HyprMX CEO Corey Weiner says. Adweek (7/31) Share:  Retail Spotlight Natural Grocers aims to grow locations by 20% into 2015 Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will increase the number of locations by 20% into the coming year, including 15 new stores this year and 18 in fiscal 2015. "We are excited about the increasing demand for natural and organic food and believe this supports the growth opportunity we see ahead of us," said Kemper Isely, co-president. Supermarket News (free registration) (7/31) Share:  Other News PepsiCo exec Brian Cornell to be Target's new CEO The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (7/31) Share:  Featured Press Releases Customer Marketing Group Announces New Principal, John Koury Click here to publish your own press release   GMA News Early bird discounts available for GMA's Food Law forum GMA’s Food Law forum will take place Oct. 8-9 in Washington, D.C. This event will be the optimal opportunity for CPG legal and regulatory professionals to engage in food law discussions. Topics include key information on FDA regulation, relationships with state law, regulations that affect food safety and much more. Registration discounts are available for a limited time only. Share:  SmartQuote No one wants advice -- only corroboration." -- John Steinbeck, American writer Share:  Learn more about GMA -> About GMA | Become a GMA Member | Issues and Policy | Newsroom | Events | Research and Tools Subscriber Tools Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.   Editor:  Patricia Smith Advertising:  Chris Warne   P: 646.462.4647     SIGN UP   SHARE   ADVERTISE   SEND FEEDBACK Update Profile | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe |  Archive | Web version (print friendly) Download the SmartBrief App  iTunes / Android   Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2014 SmartBrief, Inc.® Privacy policy |  Legal Information