Kraft, P&G, J&J Unite to Share Sales & Marketing Insights
June 9, 2010 - More than 200 consumer goods executives convened yesterday for the kickoff of the 2010 Consumer Goods Sales & Marketing Summit at The Roosevelt Hotel in NYC. In its seventh year, the event has one aim in mind: to provide attendees with more insight into hot topics, like effective retail partnerships, marketing investments, promotions and brand penetration, through its thought-provoking agenda and abundant networking opportunities.
Here is a recap of the event's many highlights:
- In an opening keynote presentation, attendees heard from award winning author Robert Morison. Based on findings from his new book, "Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results", Morrison demonstrated effective ways for organizations to create an insights capability to routinely make better decisions in every aspect of the business. "Despite all of the information we have, 40% of major decisions are not based on facts but on the manager's gut. And few organizations have formal decision-making processes. Analytics are not the cure, but they do provide disciplined ways to improve business decision making," said Morrison. Michael J. Haaf, recent senior vice president of Sales, Marketing and Business Strategy for Food Lion LLC, joined Morrison on stage to provide real-world perspectives on how the book's findings are benefiting retailer/manufacturer relationships. "When it comes to collaborating analytically, are you giving open-handedly if you are expecting to receive information open-handedly from your customers? At FoodLion, we ask you to bring intellectual capital, tools, analysts, etc., and in return, we will share everything we know with you," said Haaf.
- OMG, LOL, Follow me, Friend me, Like this -- are you overwhelmed by the social networking world? You're not alone. Rick Brindle, customer vice president eSales & Industry Affairs, Kraft Foods N.A.; Steve Knox, president and CEO, Procter & Gamble Tremor; and Nhat Pham, president and CEO, Successwerks, took the stage to help companies understand how they can build their brands in this so-called digital age. "The best way to get started in social networking in the consumer goods industry -- or any industry -- is to just get started. I always say version 1.0 is better than no.0," said Pham. According to Knox, "Advocacy is going to be the future of marketing. Today in marketing, brands advocate on their own behalf. But the key is getting consumers to advocate on your behalf through word of mouth."
- A handful of companies have moved beyond the basics of TPM and SFA to elevate promotional activities into strategic opportunities. Justine Gagnon, director, Change Management & Training, and Claire Bara, national director, Revenue Management, for Molson Coors Canada, shared their journey toward achieving this sophisticated view of managing the end-to-end sales process. "The ambitious change management program has transformed our organization and established a true culture of training at Molson Coors Canada," said Gagnon. Get the full story here.
- The challenge with business intelligence is not just getting data, but knowing what to do with it. Reckitt Benckiser CIO Gareth Hill examined his company's journey from multiple data silos to a single data repository, highlighting its use of culture to drive performance, the business dimensions to better understand the data, and the best practice lessons learned along the way.
- In an interactive session, Tom Weck, vice president of IT for Global Market & Product Development, Johnson & Johnson, explored the product innovation cycle and the cultural and structural barriers that inhibit or facilitate commercial success. Weck shared a candid perspective on several topics, ranging from interdepartmental collaboration to portfolio management, and then facilitated an open discussion.
For a more in-depth review of the 2010 Consumer Goods Sales & Marketing Summit, including exclusive video interviews with key speakers, click here to sign up and receive the July/August digital issue of CGT.