CMO’s who make consumer closeness a reality not a slogan

This month, like almost every month the Chief Marketing Officers of the Global FMCG companies will visit their offices around the World with the familiar war cry

“We need to get out there and spend time with our consumers and shoppers”

“I want you to bring the consumer to life, so they jump off the page”

“I want you to be great story tellers”.

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How to reduce your innovation failure rates

There is obviously a long list of reasons why some pretty awful products make it all the way through the innovation process and make it on to the supermarket shelves. Having conducted digital immersions in 42 Countries, these are the two causes that we see most frequently within both local and Global Organisations.

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How to stop launching products with terrible packaging

Every week we receive videos from consumers demonstrating their frustration with the packaging of certain fmcg products.

Given the critical role packaging plays in determining the success of new products, it seems strange that so many are launched by major companies, that won’t open, reseal, pour or store, as the user feels they should.

So how does this happen?

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Are you still guilty of “Death by Powerpoint?”

Seth Godin’s post on really bad PowerPoint 7 years ago is sadly, still as relevant today as it was then.

Organisations are often self deprecating about the internal “death by PowerPoint” that exists, but these are the same jokes that were being made ten and twenty years ago.

The individuals within our clients’ organisations, who are not happy with the status quo, but who are also determined to do something about it, are shaping Watch Me Think.

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Payment terms – why we’re bucking the trend

This weekend saw more headlines about payment terms given by the big fmcg companies, all of whom happen to be our clients.

Whether it be Premier Foods and their alleged ‘cash for contracts’ demands, 2 Sisters Food Group with their alleged 3% discount requirements for paying within 90 days or Heinz allegedly telling their suppliers that their payment terms have moved from 45 days to up to 97 (none of which, it’s worth noting, we’ve experienced).

The stories don’t mention the majority who pay promptly within 30 or 45 days.

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