Catching Up With Chris Miller, VP Marketing, LeapFrog Enterprises

Consumer Goods Technology Executive Editor Kara Romanow catches up with Chris Miller, vice president marketing for LeapFrog Enterprises and gets his perspective on the latest issues for manufacturers brought on by the current state of the economy. He also touches upon what the greatest marketing challenge is when it comes to today's consumer and makes a few suggestions to retailers on how to make "mom's" life easier.

For more from Chris' vantage point, see him speak on the Sales & Marketing Study panel on June 11 at the 2008 CGT Sales & Marketing Summit in New York City.

What keeps you up at night? (Biggest challenge for Consumer Goods manufacturers in the next three years)
Miller: In the near-term, working through the sales and profit challenges of increasing commodity costs and decreasing disposable income. American consumers have gotten used to food prices falling as a percent of income for decades, and energy prices similarly dropping for the last 20 years. Housing values also were on an almost 10-year increase. All this has changed in the last year or so. Manufacturers will find that they must justify every price increase or competitive differential by offering more value for the dollar, with superior products and experiences versus other options.

In the long-term, how to cut through the proliferation of choices available to consumers -- increasing choices in products, including faster cycle time to imitate; fragmentation of media and a wider range of consumer interests in an increasingly affluent world (near-term difficulties aside). The marketing challenge has moved from being the best in a mass market to finding your niche in a multi-tasking consumer's life.

How do manufacturers and retailers better collaborate?
Miller: Put your heads together to optimize the shopping experience -- give not only a great product, but a great shopping experience. One example: make it easy for Mom by putting the most popular products at the ends of aisles so she can pick them up without walking as far. Another example: improve her total experience by making it easy for her to gather all the components of a good family evening -- all the meal components, beverages, entertainment, etc.

How will LeapFrog continue to be a leader in helping children learn?
Miller: LeapFrog makes learning fun for kids. We know that kids learn in different places, in different ways, and we also know that kids are often on the cutting edge of technology. This year, we are launching our Learning Path which will give parents the tools they need to personalize as well as guide their child's learning process, then enjoy watching their children progress at their own pace. This same technology that allows innovation in how we help kids learn, also changes how they learn and play. LeapFrog must keep at the forefront of understanding how children learn so we can continue to deliver the most innovative and fun learning products.

How many things can an audience remember, either in marketing communications or articles?
Miller: Three is the maximum before you lose people's attention -- thus a big challenge for companies like LeapFrog, with products and technologies that offer so many great benefits, is to focus on which are the most compelling ones to communicate to our customers, and which should be best optimized in our products.