The CPG Scoop's Podcast The CPG Scoop

Ben Miller, VP of Original Content for Shoptalk & Groceryshop, joins Jennifer and Risa for a special Shoptalk recap episode of CPG Scoop!

Ben is endlessly fascinated by retail. He started as a grocer, working for Safeway in marketing, commercial and investor relation roles. He is constantly curious, though, and soon discovered working for just one company wouldn't be enough. He soon found himself agency-side, consulting to help CPG's develop their business by providing great customer understanding and insights. He loves travel, have constant wanderlust, and have spent more than two decades now working on global retail. He still lives (mostly) in London, working mainly on European and US retail, his two favorite places in the world.

He became totally fascinated with the digital transformation of retail and growth of eCommerce, so it didn't take long before he started hanging out and speaking at Shoptalk. He now gets to lead Shoptalk & Groceryshop's Original Content programme globally, working with amazing insight partners to bring brand new research to our shows. He gets to go on stage and interview some fascinating industry leaders, and he’s helping give his retail voice to shape our strategy and keep ensuring the relevancy of the world's best retail events.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Ben:
Good conversation on the buzz around retail media and how retailers are coming to market.What can we learn in the CPG space from other sectors to drive volume?A tease of what themes we can expect at Groceryshop this fall!

Allie O'Brien, Vice President of Marketing at Harmless Harvest, joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

At Harmless Harvest, Allie leads brand building and all go-to-market executions for the brand. In her four plus years at Harmless Harvest, she’s crystalized a mission and vision for the purpose-driven brand, launched a direct to consumer e-commerce platform that keeps loyal brand lovers hydrated, and developed fun and impactful brand awareness campaigns that firmly place the brand in culture and generate buzz and conversation around the brand’s deliciously refreshing coconut beverages and tasty coconut yogurts. Prior to joining Harmless Harvest, O’Brien worked at The Clorox Company on brands like Hidden Valley Ranch and Kingsford. Outside of her virtual office you can find Allie on a trail, river or bike, exploring Montana, where she lives with her husband and pup, Pico. O’Brien holds an MBA from the Berkeley Haas School of Business and a BSFS from Georgetown University.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Allie:
Why she chose iterative as her one word to describe her approach to marketing in 2024 and how that inspires her team at Harmless Harvest.How launching into a new category triggered a team-led analysis of how to properly repackage and showcase their new product.As marketers, we should believe that our work is driving the business. 

Michael Reda, Head of eComm, Digital, Design & Insights at T. Marzetti Company, joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Michael has a CPG focused career over the last 15+ years with diverse experience on client side, agency side and sales side which gives him a unique view of things having sat across just about every seat at the table.  He loves the pace of change with digital and eComm but believe the brand & consumer is always at the core.  His super-power (he thinks) and a key to success to date is avoiding the pitfalls of the shiny objects!

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Michael:
"Transcendent" is not a word he uses on a regular basis, but "surpassing the ordinary" perfectly describes that there is so much going on in the industry.The power of making sure that the consumer is seeing consistency and cohesion across physical and digital touchpoints is exponential.In 2024, we will continue to see the growth of retail media and the convergence of media into retail media. What else will these big retailers continue to do to grow their media sector?

Elizabeth Pigg, originally from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, boasts over two decades of leadership in digital-first marketing and communications. Throughout her career, she has made an impact on iconic brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, AXE and Lagunitas during her tenure at Edelman. Her extensive skill set encompasses marketing strategy, social media, eCommerce, and public relations, making her a versatile expert in navigating the dynamic marketing and communications landscape.

In 2020, Elizabeth joined That's it. as the Chief Marketing Officer, where she played a pivotal role in revitalizing the company’s eCommerce, advertising, influencer marketing, and social strategy. Transitioning in 2024 to the role of Chief Communications Officer, Elizabeth now oversees the complete communications ecosystem, leveraging her passion storytelling to deliver compelling and newsworthy narratives to a broader audience.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Elizabeth engages in diverse creative interests as a violist, vocalist, and voiceover artist. Elizabeth also serves on the Board of Directors for Angels Nest—an organization dedicated to supporting young adults aging out of foster care.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Elizabeth:
People are using Tiktok as a search engine now to hear honest opinions from influencers and "de-influencers". CPG brands need to be transparent on all sides of the industry. Looking at the big picture of 2024, it will be a crazy year of AI reaching its tipping point at the same time as the election.

Stacey Hartnett, Vice President of E-Commerce & Marketing at Chomps, joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Stacey attended the University of Connecticut School of Business, majoring in Marketing and International Studies, & forged a path for herself in sales through an account management development track at News Corp. Here, Hartnett acquired an understanding of traditional shopper marketing tactics in a rotational program by
working with clients like Mars and Post, kickstarting her passion in the CPG space.

After 2+ years, she forecasted a shift in traditional marketing tactics and budgeting as companies slowly began to lean into the digital space. Hartnett joined Rise Interactive, a growing Chicago boutique digital agency.

After 4+ years of Rise and a desire to focus solely on CPG, Hartnett accepted a role with Chomps in 2019 as a digital media buyer. Her role quickly evolved, to Vice President of E-Commerce & Marketing, in which Hartnett oversaw all E-Commerce and ROI strategy as it relates to digital marketing. Based in the Chicago office, Hartnett’s primary areas of focus at Chomps include a data- driven approach to testing, innovation, growth planning and channel development, with a passion for building strong teams and effective cross-functional collaboration.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Stacey:
How will brands meet the ever-changing demands of consumers?In the CPG world and omnichannel space, you have to do a lot more and get a lot more creative to build that ongoing relationship with your consumer.How Chomps has grown from DTC to retail distribution since 2011.

Neha Mallik, Head of Connected Commerce at Mizkan America, joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

With over fifteen years of experience in leading e-commerce and digital marketing initiatives for CPG manufacturers, Neha is a passionate and driven connected commerce leader who thrives on developing and executing innovative and impactful strategies for online and offline channels. As the Head of Connected Commerce at Mizkan America, she oversees the media to shelf strategy and connected commerce strategy, category management, marketing, business development, and digital shelf catalog management for various brands and categories.

Her mission is to propel Mizkan America's market leadership and growth agenda by leveraging her expertise in digital marketing, retail media networks, customer engagement, social media, planning, and analytics. She has a proven track record of delivering results and driving revenue for e-commerce and Amazon platforms, as well as creating and managing effective content and media campaigns. She also has a strong pioneering spirit and a collaborative approach, working with cross-functional teams and external partners to achieve shared goals and objectives.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Neha:
How Mizkan America is navigating the collapse of the funnel and reaching their consumersTaking testing & learning with consumers to the next levelHow the CPG industry will continue to pivot to digital in 2024