THE NO-BULL BRANDER

I’ve said a number of times in the past that brilliant consumer insight is fundamental to successful new product development and buy-in from retailers. But where does all this brilliant insight come from? While there are all kinds of academic ideation processes, I think most of that is bullshit. People are creative by nature. If… Continue reading Brilliant Insight. What it is and how to get it.

Nail these five questions and you’ll be positioning yourself for new product ranging success in no time… 1) What is the retailer’s strategic aim? Each retailer has an over-arching strategic aim that they are working towards. If you can frame your new product presentation in terms of the retailer’s strategic aim, the Category Manager will… Continue reading 5 Things You Need to Know Before Presenting to a Retailer

A key part of your pitch to the retailer will be the marketing support you’re going to throw behind your product. I heard a phrase once that’s stuck in my mind. To me, it sums product marketing in one simple, easy to digest, gluten-free sentence… More users. More uses. More usage. It really is that… Continue reading A Simple Guide to Selling More Shit

I work in a creative industry. For me, creativity comes naturally but this is not so for everyone. How can you inject creativity into your organisation? First of all you need to identify what’s stopping your team from being creative. Once those roadblocks have been removed you can start to encourage an innovative mindset for… Continue reading Leadership & the Creative Mindset

There are a whole bunch of academic-style new product development processes out there – Google “new product development” and you’ll see what I mean. Stage-gates, steps and phases… blah blah blah. FMCG / CPG product innovation isn’t rocket science. Basically it involves improving an existing product (incremental innovation), extending an existing product line (new flavour… Continue reading New Product Development… A No Bullshit Approach

A brand is what your customers tell you it is, not what you tell them it is. So how do you create a new brand and give it immediate meaning? Start by considering the two key elements to a brand; the name and the brandmark (or logo). The name Brand naming is fun. And hard.… Continue reading Developing Brands for New Products

According to entrepreneur.com approximately 90 percent of new products fail. This is a very depressing statistic so if you’re just starting out in this game you might need an extra hand to establish credibility. Approaching a retailer with a half-baked idea, brand or product is not going to help your chances. Presenting your product to a retailer… Continue reading Establishing Credibility When Presenting to Retailers

I believe so strongly in the power of face-to-face meetings that for over a decade I’ve been commuting around the globe to meet with my clients. Unfortunately though Category Managers are bloody busy people and sometimes it can be hard to get a spot in their diary. If you’ve exhausted every other way of trying… Continue reading Pitching to Retailers via Email. A Necessary Evil?

MONA is the Museum of Old and New Art located in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It’s inspiring, kickass and breathtaking all mixed up in a high speed blender. I have been to many top art galleries around the world including NYC Guggenheim, Bilbao Guggenheim in Spain, The Tate in London and many others but I believe David Walsh has done something super… Continue reading MONA & the Art of Confrontation

You’ll probably only get one chance to pitch a new product idea to a retailer… so don’t bugger it up! Do your homework to find out: Who is their target shopper? What are the most common trip (or shopper) missions of their target market (the primary reason the target shopper walks through the door)? Who… Continue reading Understanding Retail Strategy When Pitching Your New Product