4 Pillars of Organic Growth
IT TAKES PULL!
Organic growth requires a demand for your products that pulls them through the distribution system. Inorganic growth is fundamentally trying to push your products through the system. Organic growth takes place primarily as a result of word-of-mouth, quality, value, and third-party endorsements. Examples of inorganic growth...
Driving Sales of CPG Products Requires a Multifaceted Approach
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS!
People often ask us, “What was the one thing that made Barefoot Wine successful?” Our answer, “It was multifaceted!” Sorry, it’s usually not just “the one thing” that makes any CPG brand successful. However, we guess if you really want to boil it down to just...
Corporate Identity – Much More Than a Pretty Face
WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?
What is an identity? Simply put, it’s how people know you. Sure, they recognize you by your appearance, but they also attribute certain characteristics and behaviors to you as well. Your history, reputation, and goals also influence your identity. Corporate identity is much the same. It’s...
Product Packaging Must be Strong, Compliant, Compelling, and Responsible
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Do you feel like you are drowning in a sea of containers? You are! Most consumer products must be contained in some kind of packaging. Consumer products are, well, consumed on a daily basis, and all those packages add up. Most of them are single use....
The 10 Commandments of Consumer Brand Development
HOW HARD COULD IT BE? HOW LONG COULD IT TAKE?
Because of our success building the Barefoot Wine brand, we are often asked how to build a consumer brand. Brand building is a multifaceted and concerted effort to create recognition and demand for a product with your name and logo on the label. You must embark...
How to Grow Your Business with Referrals
NEW CUSTOMERS FROM OLD CUSTOMERS
Are your customers happy? Really Happy? Happy enough to send you a new customer? Do you feel confident enough to ask them to do so? If you can answer yes to these questions, you can expand your customer base in the most efficient way with referral...
Business Incubators Offer a Variety of Choices
LET’S GET STARTED!
We started our business, Barefoot Wines, in a 1922 farmhouse we rented in the west Sonoma County hills. We had extra space in the laundry room for an “office” because we couldn’t afford a washer and a dryer at the time. We couldn’t afford a desk...
Testimonials are the Most Effective Form of Advertising
GETTING THE WORD OUT!
You can say what you want about how great your product is, but your customer wants to know what others think about it. Third parties give the appearance of independent opinion that adds significant credibility to their endorsements. Testimonial examples that successful CPG brand builders use...
The Value Proposition Is the Consideration under Evaluation
DOLLARS AND SENSE
“So what am I buying here?” And better yet, “Is it worth it?” This is the fundamental question that goes through your customer’s mind when you make an offer. Some call it value for money. Others call it a consideration. But whatever they call it, it’s...
Intrinsic Motivation is the Driving Force Behind Success in the Marketplace
I CAN DO THIS!
One of the most common questions our audiences ask is, “What keeps you going in the face of adversity, setbacks, and roadblocks?” They want to know what it takes to keep going - no matter what! Basically, they are looking for the ingredients of tenacity and...
Use Style Guides to Send a Consistent Message
THE BRAND DRESS CODE
It’s so noisy out there that if you don’t use a style guide to keep your team on purpose, you’ll be lost in the competitive din! It’s hard enough to build a personal brand without scrutinizing every avenue of your communication. Whether it’s visual, audible, or...
Retail Branding Design is More of a Solution than a Creation
UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGE
Unfortunately, many new CPG product designers think that branding design has an open door to the world of all possibilities. They mistakenly think that they have wide latitude to create new, disruptive designs that they believe will be distinctive, attractive, and compelling. But in the CPG...
Value Based Pricing is All Relative
A MOVING TARGET!
How do you achieve value based pricing? Is it your idea of the value of your product, or is it what it cost you to produce it? Is there some outside, independent measure of value? Or is it based on a perception? These are the questions branded...
Cradle-to-Grave, Your Product Life Cycle is Fraught with Challenges
MURDER OR SUICIDE?
Most brands aren’t killed by the competition so much as they die from self-inflicted wounds. This is especially true with branded products in the consumer packaged goods space. During the 20 years we spent building the famous Barefoot Wine brand, it almost died on several occasions...
Brand Purpose Gives Your Customers a Social Reason to Buy Your Products
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
Consumers today realize that they are voting with their purchases. The world we live in is the result of the products we buy. It’s not enough for brand builders anymore to provide the best, the cheapest, or the most for the money. Now, more than ever,...
7 Missing Line Items in Most CPG Business Plans
I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
CPG Business Plans Vs Reality The day after you launch your new consumer package goods product, your business plan takes a back seat to your cash flow projection. The CPG business plan is a great way to theorize how things are expected to unfold in the...
3 Big Risks of Rebranding
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT!
Most brands don’t die because they are murdered by the competition. Most brands die of self-inflicted wounds. In the time we built the Barefoot Wine brand, we saw many brands come and go in the marketplace. Most of them fell victim to their own rebranding campaign....
7 Considerations to Improve Your CPG Ingredient Brand
NOW WITH XYLITOL!
By hawking a well-known and desirable ingredient which is included in your product, you can capitalize on the pre-existing demand for that ingredient. This is especially true in the consumer packaged goods space. After all, a big part of marketing is identifying with something your prospect...