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The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by our very own Rhonda Johnson, Lisa Kent & Rachel Tetreault to answer these questions: What areas of the CPG & retail industry are you focused on? Are you primarily digital or omnichannel? What is the importance of retail media advertising in this cookieless world and how does MPG enable that for your clients? What are the trends you see in omnichannel that we should be preparing to address? What is a digital first mentality, and is MPG living this statement in its commitments and partnerships? How should organizations structure for digital leadership? Are there best in class models you have helped orchestrate? Who is a modern commercial leader in CPG and retail? What skill sets matter and how does one skill up when not ready? Rhonda provides thoughts. What does this "great resignation" mean? Is it real? And what can an organization do to keep its people? Lisa talks about the ongoing talent drain and how you’re responding to it. What is the importance of driving change in the digital world? What do each of you individually do to drive this? What is new and exciting at the Market Performance Group/MPG? What should we expect next in this exciting omnichannel / digital space? Listen here: https://cpgguys.buzzsprout.com/1146830/11634043 CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.com

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., October 5, 2022 – Market Performance Group, LLC (MPG) — a leading end-to-end, omnichannel strategy and ecommerce consulting agency — announced today that it has acquired The Creative Partners Group (The CPG) to further expand its best-in-class Omnichannel Strategy & Services capabilities at Target® Corp and throughout the retail marketplace. A one-stop retail powerhouse, The CPG is one of the country’s top retail solutions providers, highly recognized for its success in helping brands innovate, operate, and grow in Target’s omnichannel marketplace. The company delivers world-class omnichannel consulting and accelerated revenue growth, retail intelligence, category management expertise, and creative and design capabilities spanning multiple categories. These include Health & Beauty, Wellness, Pet, Home, Travel & Luggage, Toys, Consumables, Fitness, Apparel, Accessories and Shoes, Baby, Kitchen, and Electronics. Similar to MPG, The CPG has built a strong reputation for unparalleled customer focus, deep industry relationships and deep business operational expertise which informs performance driving strategy and execution. The acquisition joins two highly successful teams, taking MPG’s rapidly-growing Target omnichannel strategies to the next level. MPG’s Omnichannel Marketing Capabilities for Target “MPG offers best-in-class, end-to-end, integrated omnichannel strategy and commercial capabilities,” said MPG Founder and Managing Partner Marc Greenberger, “and our unique value proposition has been embraced by consumer packaged goods companies of all sizes, fueling long-standing partnerships and accelerated growth momentum. Everything we do is driven by our unrelenting commitment to leveraging unparalleled service, top talent, client intimacy/partnership, and industry influence to ensure our clients are successful in the constantly changing omnichannel landscape. This same philosophy has driven growth and client satisfaction for The CPG. We’re thrilled that, through this acquisition, we can count proven leaders like The CPG Founder & CEO Jeff Sunberg and Partners Ryan Gutzmer, Pete Hinze, and Scott Sporcich—all of whom have decades of operational and executive level experience with Target—and their talented team as part the MPG team and our future.“ “We are excited to bring our experience in creating value with our retail partners to Market Performance Group, as they share our consumer-centric, collaborative approach and are fully committed to leveraging industry experience, insights and relationships to generate value for a diverse client roster of both Fortune 500 companies and emerging brands,” added Sunberg. “Together, we will provide unparalleled depth and breadth of omnichannel operational expertise – best-servicing Target, Best Buy®, Kohl’s® and other retailers, while also providing the best strategic customer solutions.” The acquisition of the Creative Partners Group further bolsters Market Performance Group’s commitment to provide exceptional capabilities that give clients the strategic advantage needed to succeed in today’s dynamic marketplace. Since its founding in 2002, Market Performance Group has continued to evolve, both organically and through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. Today Market Performance Group offers best-in-class omnichannel capabilities and integrated marketing solutions for a wide range of strategy and commercialization needs, including Strategy & Business Consulting, Omnichannel Strategy & Services, Business Analytics & Insights, Consumer Marketing & Retail Activation and Order to Cash/3 PL. Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC acted as financial advisor to the Creative Partners Group on the transaction.

I saw a report from Bloomberg a little while ago that the Federal Reserve has a new plan to end high inflation — through a “growth recession” strategy. Worrisome, huh? The economist who first thought up “growth recession” likened it to a contained tiger – not a tiger running loose, but not a paper tiger to be ignored. We need to figure out how to carefully tame, or manage, this inflationary tiger, to prevent havoc within our businesses over what could be an extended period of below-trend economic growth and rising unemployment. I don’t need to tell you that continuing impacts of inflation on retail and consumer shopping behaviors, supply chain disruptions, and ever-increasing profit pressures are already making for an uncertain business climate and highly complex planning season. Inflation combined with higher commodities prices and continuing supply chain issues has led to intensified profit pressure not seen in decades. We’re all wrestling with decisions on what percentage of costs to absorb without eroding margins, and how much to pass on to the consumer without damaging revenue and market share. And we’re dealing with the new, post-pandemic consumer. Recession or not, eight out of ten consumers believe we are already in a recession, and the economic pressures of the day are already eroding consumer confidence. Within CPG, inflation is impacting all demographic groups. Given high price increases and less frequent and lower depth of promotions, consumers are spending more across outlets but getting less. They’re purchasing fewer items per shopping trip. And they’re searching for deals and switching brands and packs that provide greater value and better price. In this quest, they continue to shift to Private Label in all major categories — except Baby, Pet and Health & Wellness, where they’re sticking with the brands they connect to and trust. While market uncertainties and changes present so many challenges, I don’t understand how so many companies who are seeing profits erode continue with the knee-jerk, reactive strategies born of the constant twists and turns of the pandemic. It’s so crucial now to take the long view — and a careful, proactive strategic approach to revenue growth management that protects the top and bottom line. Look at how you can strengthen your commercial programs while optimizing marketing spend to increase profitability, market share and ROI over the long haul. When taking price, make sure you’re developing strong strategies that not only address short-term cost pressures but also present longer-term margin opportunities. It’s worth taking the time and effort to optimize your Price Pack Architecture with the goal of maximizing category penetration and profitability. At the same time, don’t lose sight of your consumers’ “stress-flation” and make sure you’re meeting them where they are. Ensure that you have the needed analytics to truly understand your customer, what they want and what they’re willing to pay for what you’re offering. As we’re seeing, brands that differentiate and maintain a strong, emotional connection with consumers have the best chance of growing profitability during an economic downturn. In fact, purpose-driven marketing can be a critical strategy in fending off Private Label switching. Now is the time to double down on omnichannel/eCommerce promotional and advertising strategies that build loyalty and focus on the connection and value only your brand can provide. And prioritize your focus on Supply Chain. Without consistent supply, nothing else matters. Consistent supply secures promotions, distribution and sales. I’ve talked about this before and can’t stress it enough: We must overhaul and prioritize Supply Chain strategies in order to deliver on the constantly changing and emerging needs of different consumer segments across all channels. This requires transparency from end-to-end to ensure business continuity, data for improved demand forecasting and modernized capabilities to adapt to market volatility. Economists don’t expect to see inflation back at the 2% target in the foreseeable future. But you can turn today’s challenges into opportunities by tackling market shifts with actionable strategies that protect and grow your brands. Before the inflationary tiger gets loose and you find yourself chasing your own tail, now is the time to ask: Does my organization have the right strategies in place to insulate our brands from inflationary impacts and deliver value?

#supplychain … No surprise this topic is trending in a big way. Or that it’s time to rethink how retailers and manufacturers bring their products to market. When I picture every “strategy on a page” I’ve seen over the years, supply chain has always been the foundation — and almost always taken for granted. It’s been like the umpire at a baseball game — you only notice him if a bad call is made. Reliable, cost-effective — who could argue with the “just in time” supply approach back then? But we’re in the new normal now, and it’s painfully apparent the status quo is no longer working. It’s critical to start thinking of supply chain in a strategic, innovative way — and in the same breath (if not prior to) as product and pricing. Our focus has to be on transforming the foundation of what we do to meet consumers’ ever-rising expectations — no, demands — in terms of omnichannel fulfillment and customer experience. We must be agile and nimble enough to deliver on the continually emerging, fluctuating needs of different consumer groups — with technology capable of fast changeovers accommodating a range of product specs and price pack architecture. And we’ve got to have real-time data for improved demand forecasting, with end-to-end transparency and risk monitoring to avoid shortages and overstocks and ensure business continuity. We all know that in-stock is the single most important ingredient in beating sales plan, so why are we allowing store shelves to be barren? I don’t see many companies going into DEFCON 1 trying to reinvent a system that is clearly in need of an overhaul. Need some motivation? Look at the OTIF (on time in full) fines being levied by retailers that are, at best, eating into precious, sales-driving trade dollars and at worst, profoundly eroding our collective bottom lines. It reminds me of many conversations I had about Amazon in its early days. The true visionaries could see what was coming and changed their business models in a meaningful way. Others chose to bury their heads in the sand. The companies that made the tough adaptive choices early are reaping the benefits in a big way, while others … well, they are gone or now making much more costly investments to hurry up and get there. Supply chain today is on a parallel path. I see many companies handicapped by outdated processes and thinking that doesn’t allow them to effectively manage demand and supply volatility. Still, others are moving forward. Take Target, for example. Target recently announced steps to ensure they deliver to their “guests” while driving growth. The company is adding incremental holding capacity near U.S. ports to add flexibility and speed in the portions of the supply chain most affected by external volatility; pricing actions to address the impact of high transportation and fuel costs; working with suppliers to shorten supply chain distances and lead times, and building additional capacity for further growth by adding distribution centers. Ultimately, optimal supply chain solutions will be determined by a true collaboration between raw material factories, manufacturing, logistics providers, warehousers, retailers and every touchpoint in between. Don’t focus on plugging leaky buckets in existing systems. Instead, ask, “If we were one company, what would we do differently?” Start with your medium- and long-term vision to determine the best path forward to achieve that vision through scalable infrastructure, technology, software and relationships. Yes, look at efficiencies and cost management but also look to identify opportunities to create value. And remember: The current situation and outlook for supply chain require that we get uncomfortable, creative and challenge the status quo. An agile and resilient supply chain is the lynch pin to greater sales and greater profitability, and our legacy system has proven to be very fragile. Now is the time to stop lamenting the current situation and take action. This industry has never seen an obstacle that it has been unable to navigate through the best and brightest minds, unleashing the power of inventiveness and driving focused resources of each of the companies we lead. I ask you, what are you prepared to do about it?

AS SEEN IN CHAIN DRUG REVIEW - August 4, 2022 PRINCETON, N.J. — Market Performance Group (MPG), ECRM, and RangeMe – along with a panel of judges from across the retail industry – hosted their first ever Diverse Supplier Accelerator Program on Thursday, July 14th. The purpose of this program is to help accelerate distribution and sales for diverse suppliers and entrepreneurs by providing awardee-specific pro-bono support/services/expertise to guide and develop their businesses. The program kicked off early May and over 600 suppliers submitted products for consideration. After reviewing more than 12,000 product submissions against a set of pre-determined criteria, the MPG, ECRM, and RangeMe teams chose 12 finalists to compete in a Shark Tank-style competition which took place on July 14th. This virtual competition included 20-minute “pitches” from each of the 12 finalists, whose products span a variety of categories, including health & wellness, personal care, general merchandise, and consumables. These finalists shared their individual Founder Story journeys, how they are making a difference by filling gaps in the marketplace with their innovative products, and how winning this competition would allow them to elevate and scale their businesses in much greater proportions and in more meaningful ways. Suppliers represented a wide range of diverse certifications, including women-owned, veteran-owned, disability-owned, service-disabled veteran owned, and ethnic minority-owned businesses. In advance of the competition, judges received an assortment of samples from each company, which helped them to “get acquainted” with each finalist product. The judges were inspired with each presentation, and the decision to award two winners was challenging indeed. After much discussion and deliberation, the judges chose the following two winners: Each of these winners were awarded MPG services valued at $100,000, which will be tailored to their specific needs as determined collaboratively through MPG’s onboarding process. Potential services for suppliers could include strategy and business consulting, sales services representation at retail, business analytics and insights, consumer marketing and retail activation, or 3PL and order to cash services. “We often get to hear pitches from suppliers who are vying for shelf space,” said Kate Weaver, Supplier Diversity Manager for Peapod Digital Labs (Ahold Delhaize USA). “But this group represented savvy business owners who all know what it will take to get to the next level – representation, analytics, as well as marketing and logistics support.” “It was an honor to serve as a Judge for the MPG-ECRM-RangeMe Diverse Supplier Accelerator Program”, said Anthony Eagelton, Vice President at Market Performance Group. “The stories and passion behind every pitch were inspirational and energizing. Our winners exemplify those qualities and are determined to make their vision a reality.” “Thank you to MPG, ECRM, and RangeMe for using your platforms and assets to make a difference in the diverse supplier community,” said Michael Byron, Business Diversity Consultant. “It was a privilege to serve as a Judge and the opportunity to partner in advancing economic inclusion.” “Winning MPG’s pitch competition was an incredible moment for the business”, said Myles Powell, CEO of 8 Myles, Inc. “It further validates our vision and I am extremely excited to work with the MPG team!” “I’m so glad I came across the competition to compete for a chance to be part of the Diverse Supplier Development Program,” stated Beth Fynbo, CEO of Busy Baby LLC. “After two years of triple-digit growth, we’ve hit a bit of a wall in our eCommerce channel. Additionally, we are overwhelmed by the amount of work required as we begin to enter the retail ‘Big Box’ space. There couldn’t be a better time for us to learn and grow with the help from MPG!” Congratulations to 8 Myles and Busy Baby LLC – and a massive “thank you” to all of our contestants and finalists for their participation!