Food Marketing Nerds Restaurant and CPG Marketing Podcast

What to Know When Scaling From Farmers Markets to +5000 Stores with David Czinn

On the show, we have David Czinn, co-founder and president of D'Vash. If you’re not already familiar, D’Vash’s makes a line of all-natural sweeteners which are derived from superfoods, like dates and sweet potatoes, (think “syrups" and "nectars”, except with 25% less sugar than regular honey). While the idea of using dates to create a sweetener is pretty new in the US, date syrup has been around for a long time – as in, dating back to the biblical era. During a trip in the Middle East, David and his best friend, Brian, tried date syrup for the first time and became obsessed. Realizing there was nothing like it sold in the US, David and Brian soon partnered up, founding what would become D'Vash. In just a couple years, D'Vash went from two friends selling their Original Date Syrup at Farmers Markets, to now, where they're sold in over 5000 stores, and have a growing product line. On today’s episode, David takes us through how he and his partner scaled the business up, from developing the product, to shifting to a co-packer, to landing the golden ticket of their first Walmart PO. Obviously things have been going pretty well for D'Vash, but there were certainly bug learnings in the process, which David shares in today’s episode. Whether you’re thinking of starting your own food company, in the midst of scaling, or are trying to gain more market share, David’s interview will  leave you with plenty of savvy marketing ideas applicable at almost any size company. David's Recommended Reads: * Scaling Up by Verne Harnish [https://scalingup.com/book/] Learn More About D’Vash at: * @dvashorganics on Instagram * dvashorganics.com [https://www.dvashorganics.com/] Food Marketing Nerds is a production of Blue Bear Creative, the Social Media Agency for CPG and Restaurants [https://bluebearcreative.co].

How Actually Listening to Customers Can Uncover Huge Opportunities, with Jägermeister's Chas Littlefield

On the show today, we have Chas Littlefield, VP of Marketing for one of the largest spirit brands in the world: Jägermeister. As a heavy hitter in the industry, Jägermeister is recognized across the globe, in just about every country. New product launches aside, brand awareness isn’t necessarily the main challenge at Jäger’s scale. the question instead becomes “how do you influence the way consumers think or feel about a brand they already  know,” or at least think they know. In our conversation, Chas and I discuss some of Jäger's recent campaigns and innovations, all of which bring different use cases of the product to the forefront. Jäger’s marketing team has done a great job highlighting the unique strengths of their product by identifying and leaning into how consumers are actually behaving. We discuss the campaigns from insight to execution, how they’ve adapted the ideas to a changing wine and spirits landscape, and plenty of the learnings in between. It’s not everyday you get to learn from a marketing legend, discussing one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Joining us out of New York, we're excited to welcome Chas Littlefield. Recommended Reads Your Marketing Sucks [https://www.amazon.com/Your-Marketing-Sucks-details-inside/dp/0615823335] Learn More About Jägermeister: * Jägermeister.com [http://Jagermeister.com] * @jagermeister [https://www.instagram.com/jagermeister/] on Instagram

How to Stress-Test Your Brand Strategy with Michael Keplinger

Joining us on this episode, we have Michael Keplinger, Director of Strategy at Smashbrand. Even if you’re not familiar with Michael’s agency, you’ve certainly seen their branding and packaging work on shelves, both at grocery stores or even in your own home. Smashbrand uses a research-forward process to stress-test brand strategy and packaging design, which helps them better understand what sways consumers in a given purchase decision. Smashbrand works with brands like Kool-Aid, Yucatan Guacamole, 7-Eleven Private Label, Duracell, and even PayPal. While their brand work reaches beyond the food and beverage space, make no mistake, these people are absolutely food marketing experts. In this episode, you’ll learn how Smashbrand uncovers the hidden insights that validate or nullify ideas around what influences purchase decisions. If you’re in the strategy or consumer research side of marketing, I think you’ll find this conversation to be especially useful. Learn more here: Smashbrand [https://www.smashbrand.com/] For full interview transcripts and other valuable resources, check out FoodMarketingNerds.com. Food Marketing Nerds is a production of Blue Bear Creative, the Social Media Agency for CPG and Restaurants [https://bluebearcreative.co].

Demystifying Branding: How to Develop to a Winning Brand Strategy with Fred Hart

On the show today, we have Fred Hart, partner and creative director at Interact. Fred is a Food Marketing Nerds regular - he’s been on the podcast a handful of times, and he always brings new knowledge and a fresh perspective – which is why we keep inviting him back on. Interact, is a world class branding and packaging design firm that specializes in CPG. They recently launched a really informative series called SprintToSuccess, which explains the branding and packaging design process. The content dives into the research, strategy, and creative work that goes into identifying and capitalizing on the white space in a given category. In today’s episode, Fred talks us through the process of developing a winning brand strategy, and applying it through all facets of the brand. While Interact specializes in CPG, and the deliverable of the process we discuss is ultimately new packaging design, the knowledge  Fred shares around brand strategy and how to apply it in the real world is universal across a spectrum of different industries within food & beverage.  Whether or not you have a rebrand in the pipeline, there are plenty of valuable takeaways in this episode for all of you brand marketers out there. Additional Resources: * Interact Boulder [https://interactboulder.com/] * Sprint to Success Content Series [https://interactboulder.com/] * SuperFrau [https://www.drinksuperfrau.com/] For full interview transcripts and other valuable resources, check out FoodMarketingNerds.com. Food Marketing Nerds is a production of Blue Bear Creative, the Social Media Agency for CPG and Restaurants [https://bluebearcreative.co/].

Performance Branding: Building Brand Equity at Every Stage of the Funnel with Hayley Raymond of HelloFresh

We have an awesome interview lined up for you. Hayley Raymond, Associate Director of Brand Marketing at HelloFresh, joining us out of Brooklyn for today’s episode. HelloFresh has grown into the leader in the meal kit space, and as a direct to consumer company, they’ve built their portfolio of brands largely through performance marketing. While branding and performance marketing have traditionally been somewhat at odds with one another, a big part of Hayley’s role is to break down silos and make sure HelloFresh [https://www.hellofresh.com/] is building brand equity at every stage of their marketing funnel. In this episode, we talk through * How to quantify the results of difficult to measure top of funnel efforts * Why a “brand sandbox” has replaced the standard brand book at HelloFresh * How to merge dynamic creative with continuity through your customer touchpoints And plenty more. A lot of times, branding and performance marketing are discussed as two completely separate schools of thought, but Hayley connects the dots of that right and left brain thinking in a really elegant and original way, that I think you’ll find very refreshing. So without further adieu…