Mass Marketing Tries to Target Anyone and Everyone
THROW A LARGE NET, OR USE THE RIGHT BAIT?
When we built the Barefoot Wine brand, people used to ask us why we didn’t use television commercials and radio ads to get the word out. Aside from the fact that we couldn’t afford that kind of advertising, it really wouldn’t work for a startup CPG...
5 Tips to Get Your Product on the Retail Shelf …And keep it There!
SUCCESS OR CHALLENGE?
Having actually built a national bestselling brand, we know from painful personal experience what it really takes to get your product on the shelf and, more importantly, keep it there. We didn’t just study the subject, come up with a new word, or debate what works...
Seasonally Themed Selling Make Your Products More Attractive
IS IT THEN ALREADY?
As retail store customers, we are all used to seeing the decorations and advertising materials in the retail stores changing with the holidays and the seasons. But as CPG branded product producers ourselves, we were surprised at how much effort and forethought seasonal selling really entailed....
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,...