Circana Growth Insights

The Big Game – Private Brands vs. National Brands at CPG Retail

Private brands gained significant share since the Great Recession of 2008-2010, and retailers have invested heavily in their own brand programs since then, creating tiers and unique products that make a retailer a destination for shoppers. But Kurian Thomas, IRI’s chief operating officer of retail, finds that current recession and health crisis is upending what we’d expect to see from store brands. This episode provides insight into pandemic behavior and what we can anticipate from private brands in the months to come.

C-Suite Conversations: Albertsons’ COVID-19 Approach Feels Local

Albertsons launched an IPO during a global pandemic, an economic recession and social unrest, all the while keeping the company focused and moving quickly on implementing safety protocols for employees and customers. The company also committed an additional $50 million for hunger relief. With its vision to be a locally great and nationally strong company, it is focused on leveraging its $60 billion in sales to support well-merchandised and well-run local stores underpinned by technology to support productivity. Vivek Sankaran, president and CEO of Albertsons Companies, talks about the pandemic trends likely to last, using technology to transform CPG retail and why nothing will replace listening to shoppers.

The Rapid Rise of E-commerce

Sam Gagliardi, EVP e-commerce for IRI and Sucharita Kodali, VP and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research GET REAL in this episode about all things e-commerce.  Plenty of insights and implications are uncovered for marketers from: myths about e-comm penetration; which retailers are gaining share at Amazon’s expense; and the reality that online purchases are beginning to eliminate shopping because people aren’t re-shopping, they’re re-buying through auto-fulfillment, previous purchase conveniences and voice. Check out our [link to] “Potential Impact Of Reduced Unemployment Benefit Changes On Food & Beverage Spending” thought leadership mentioned in the episode.

Learn more:

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The Role Women and Girls Play in Marketing and Advertising

This podcast is all about women! Specifically SeeHer, a movement launched by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) at the White House in 2016 to increase the accurate and authentic portrayals of women and girls in marketing, advertising, media and entertainment. SeeHer has also developed the “gold standard” for uncovering unconscious gender bias in advertising and programming, called the Gender Equality Measure™ (GEM™). Listen in on an inspiring and soothing conversation with IRI’s Jennifer Pelino, Executive Vice President, Omnichannel Media at IRI, and Nadine Karp McHugh, President of SeeHer at the ANA, who are championing the movement and the expansion of GEM across the industry. This particular podcast will be an ongoing series, as there’s more to explore on this very important issue for our times and the opportunities for brands. To learn more, read IRI/ANA “Gender Equality in Advertising“ whitepaper.

C-Suite Conversations: PepsiCo’s Operational Excellence During COVID-19

Throughout it’s 55-year history, a top priority for PepsiCo has been operational excellence, viewed through the lenses of precision and closed-loop measurement. This value proposition held up to the strength test of COVID-19 while giving the global food and beverage company an opportunity to pressure test new tools and capabilities. Ram Krishnan, PepsiCo’s global chief commercial officer, talks with KK Davey, IRI’s president of strategic analytics, about new ways of connecting with consumers, improved go-to-market strategies, and the value of agility in making quick, smart decisions. 

The Future of Brands

CPG brands have been gaining new buyers as most of the food dollar has remained in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. An unintended consequence has been a total focus on keeping the shelves stocked with the most popular SKUs and suspended promotions. IRI’s Jennifer Pelino, EVP Omni Channel Media and Nishat Mehta, president of IRI Media, explain why advertising and innovating during the current crisis is critical to the future success of brands.

The Natural Shopper in a Down Economy

The current recession is fallout from an unprecedented health crisis rather than subprime mortgages, but we’re still able to take lessons from the Great Recession and apply them to support today’s natural products shopper. Join Kathryn Peters, executive vice president of strategic initiatives at SPINS, IRI’s partner for tracking the natural channel, and Steve Ramsey, senior executive and practice leader at IRI, to learn about new opportunities and tools that can support the natural products market and its valuable shoppers.

Sustainability in the CPG Industry

Did COVID-19 pantry stockpiling undo the good of doing good? Research conducted by NYU’s Stern Center for Sustainable Business and IRI finds that sustainably marketed products have grown share during the pandemic. Join this conversation with Randi Kronthal-Sacco, Senior Scholar, Marketing and Corporate Outreach at New York University’s Stern Center for Sustainable Business and Larry Levin, EVP, Market and Shopper Intelligence at IRI, to learn more about findings. You can also find their webinar, The State of Sustainability in CPG: Is It Sustainable? at IRIworldwide.com

C-Suite Conversations: Brian Cornell, CEO of Target

For special guest Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell, listening, learning and committing to an agile approach to business amid COVID-19 helped the retail chain not only adapt to new business models and protocols, but gain new buyers and grow sales. In a conversation with KK Davey, IRI’s president of Strategic Analytics, Cornell promotes the benefits of transparent relationships with CPG vendor partners, describes the right assortment of both national brands and owned brands available every day, explains why a combination of physical and digital stores is a winning combination, and much more. 

COVID-19’s Impact on CPG Retail Transformation

With the outset of COVID-19 we saw nearly all the food dollar transition to the home. That impact on CPG retail has been tremendous as retailers initially scrambled to get product to the shelves. But as we move into our next normal, we see other shifts occurring in retail, including where we shop, how we purchase and what we’re buying. Join Sally Lyons Wyatt, IRI’s Executive Vice President and Practice Leader, and Kurian Thomas, IRI’s Retail COO, North America to learn how retailers and manufacturers are addressing this growth and strategies for moving forward.