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Sustainability is the New Selling Point! 

Sustainability is the New Selling Point! 

A PART OF THE SOLUTION

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Once again, the UN has released its climate report card and the grades are below passing. As a planet, we are not only failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we are actually increasing them. Meanwhile, the weather news is starting to use terms like “historic”...
A Consumer-Sided View of the Market is Recipe for Disaster

A Consumer-Sided View of the Market is Recipe for Disaster

WHY HASN’T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Ever had a great idea for a product? Wonder why nobody has thought of it yet? The products that compete with your idea seem like they are off the mark, mediocre, and missing something yours provides. In fact, you haven’t seen anything like your brainchild on...
Temporary Price Reductions Requires Thoughtful Wording

Temporary Price Reductions Requires Thoughtful Wording

“YOU’RE RAISING YOUR PRICE!”

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Customers see any reduction in price as PERMANENT! Watch out! Every CPG producer must occasionally show the end user-customer a price reduction on the shelf at the retail store. But in order to do that, the producer must somehow temporarily reduce their wholesale price to the...
Have You Achieved Adequate Market Saturation To Justify Opening a New Market?

Have You Achieved Adequate Market Saturation To Justify Opening a New Market?

BUILDING OUT WITHOUT BLOWING OUT!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

If your CPG (consumer packaged goods) business has made it past the startup phase, and you have finally built up enough customers that you can pay your bills, you may be considering expansion. This is ultimately a good way to protect yourself from one or two...
What is the Most Effective CPG Retail Sales Program?

What is the Most Effective CPG Retail Sales Program?

IF YOU’RE NOT IN THEIR FACE, YOU’RE NOT IN THE PLACE!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Building a CPG retail product is a store-by-store process. All the advertising in the world will not help you if your branded product isn’t there! In fact, it’s a waste of money. You need to be known to the neighborhood and market area of the store...
Is Your CPG ( Consumer Packaged Goods) Startup Ready for an Outside Sales Representative?

Is Your CPG ( Consumer Packaged Goods) Startup Ready for an Outside Sales Representative?

ALL AHEAD SLOW!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

There comes a time in the life of every CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) business when the founder, who has been making all the sales himself, finally asks the question, “Am I ready to hire a salesperson?” The answer is based on the answers to a series...
Largest Online Retailer Goes Bricks and Mortar

Largest Online Retailer Goes Bricks and Mortar

FULL CIRCLE?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

For years, we’ve been saying that the reports of the death of bricks and mortar retail stores was greatly exaggerated. Amazon 4 Star Stores are adding more weight to that argument. What do Amazon Go, Whole Foods, and Amazon 4 Star Stores all have in common?...
Take Advantage of Market Dynamics to Grow Your Brand

Take Advantage of Market Dynamics to Grow Your Brand

CASTLING YOUR WAY INTO POSITION

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Castling is a chess move where, under certain circumstances, you can change your king’s position and the position of your castle (or rook) at the same time. This is generally a defensive move, used to get you out of harm’s way, but it can also position...
Learn How to Build a CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) Brand by Listening to a Play?

Learn How to Build a CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) Brand by Listening to a Play?

ON THE CORNER OF HOLLYWOOD AND BRAND

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

For almost 7 years we’ve been writing on the Consumers Brand Builders site about what it takes to build a national brand that’s sold in stores. We cover everything we know and deliver lessons we have learned in down-to-earth, easy-to-understand terms. Our goal is to demystify...
Build Your Brand and Keep Your Legacy Alive with an Audio Performance!

Build Your Brand and Keep Your Legacy Alive with an Audio Performance!

SOMETHING THEY WILL REMEMBER

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

So many successful brand builders watch helplessly as the entrepreneurial spirit of their brand begins to fade as their company grows. It gets simplified and watered down with each new generation. The increasing division of specialized labor that you can finally afford to increase efficiency and...
Listening to the Barefoot Brand Story Can Save you Time, Money, and Angst!

Listening to the Barefoot Brand Story Can Save you Time, Money, and Angst!

LISTEN HERE!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

We started in our laundry room with no money and no knowledge of our industry, and ended up in the boardroom of the world’s largest wine company. Now, you can listen to the true story of how we built the Barefoot Wine brand! But don’t worry,...
Do Perks at Work Reduce Turnover and Improve Employee Longevity?

Do Perks at Work Reduce Turnover and Improve Employee Longevity?

MORE THAN MONEY

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Probably the biggest hidden cost in any business is the cost of turnover. Not only do you lose all your training efforts, but you are out the cost of replacement. You have to advertise, spend time vetting, interviewing, and onboarding. Then you have to train the...
Your Brand Reflects Your Core Values

Your Brand Reflects Your Core Values

CRUNCH TIME!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

What do you think when you hear about how committed a company is to the environment and then see their product in a single-use plastic container? Corporate disconnect at best, hypocrisy at worst? Almost every company today says they are concerned about the environment but their...
company swag

How to Get the Most out of Your Company Swag

SWAG OR DRAG?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Don’t you just hate it when you get one of those free pens that goes dry in a few uses? How about a t-shirt you can see through after four washes? How do you feel about a company that proudly puts their name on a brand...
Product QA (Quality Assurance) Is the Best Form of Advertising

Product QA (Quality Assurance) Is the Best Form of Advertising

IT’S DEPENDABLE!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

What is the #1 cause of startup failure? They simply can’t pay their bills. So why have bills that are not directly related to sales? We advise startups, especially in the CPG space, to outsource everything except Sales, Accounting, and Quality Assurance (also known as Quality...
brand integrity

Why Brand Integrity Matters and How to Get it

STAY ON BRAND!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

There’s so much noise out there, you don’t have the luxury to try to be all things to all people. You must focus on the core value you offer to your customer. We are successful consumer brand developers but we made a ton of mistakes before...
types of advertising

What Types of Advertising Work Best for CPG Products?

“THAT’S MY BRAND!”

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

Our friend called us last week and recommended a new brand of granola. Guess what? We went right out and bought it! Why? Because we trusted our friend. And ultimately, isn’t that the very best form of advertising, a personal referral from an “advocate”? Personal Referrals...
product development

Product Development Starts with Demand and Access

WHO WANTS IT?

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

“But all my friends thought it was so cool!” That’s the usual lament we hear from the producers of failed products. Why? They fell in love with their product, so much so that they actually thought success was based on the product itself. Probably the most...
entrepreneurship degree

What Can You Do with an Entrepreneurship Degree?

SAVING TIME AND MONEY!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

After 4 years in college studying entrepreneurship, you might get the idea that no one will hire you. After all, you studied to start your own company, didn’t you? Even though that is the primary objective, it’s amazing how many growing companies today actually prefer grads...
big box store

Don’t Get Boxed In By the Big Box Store

YOU CHASE THEM ‘TIL THEY CATCH YOU!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Brand Building

What is a big box store? It can be your dream come true or your worst nightmare when you are a CPG producer. Why? Because they can buy so much of your products at a time that they can make you dependent on them and ultimately...

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