Blake Crist

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• The Three Things You Need To Know About Walmart's Acquisition Of Jet.com in Marketing: CPG on 08/23/2016
  

  The Olympic Games in Rio may be over, but another battle of the bests is just starting to get interesting. Earlier this month Walmart made an offer to Jet.com - an exciting e-commerce start up - for $3 billion in cash and another $300 million in Walmart shares, making it the largest acquisition of its kind. This play not only bolsters Walmart's own e-commerce capabilities, but also makes a bold statement to Amazon that the battle over this channel isn't over just quite yet.

• 5 Ways Amazon's Echo Welcomes CPG Brands Into The Future in Marketing: CPG on 05/23/2016
  

  The future is here and it has taken the form of Amazon's Echo, a combination wireless speaker, virtual assistant, and smarthome hub. What makes the Echo feel like a prop out of the "Jetsons" is not just its innovative hardware - Amazon has essentially created an entirely new category - but rather several new opportunities for a range of services and products. It's no surprise that "The New York Times" gave it a rave review.

• Translating Social Holidays Into Sales in Marketing: CPG on 02/22/2016
  

  The mainstream holiday season may be over, but both retailers and CPG brands could be missing out on valuable opportunities to engage shoppers and drive loyalty with new "Hallmark Holidays." If you logged onto Facebook in recent weeks, you may have seen holidays being celebrated that you never even knew existed, such as Friends Day on Feb. 4 - a day to celebrate a friend or the anniversary of Facebook's founding, depending on how sentimental you are towards the social media giant. Last week, friends, co-workers and colleagues found every reason to purchase bottles or glasses of wine to celebrate National Wine Day.

• This Holiday Season, CPG Brands Are The Pumpkin To Your Pie in Marketing: CPG on 11/23/2015
  

  Once Thanksgiving hits, the marathon that is the holiday season will have officially begun. This is a season where consumers will find themselves faced with a seemingly never-ending barrage of parties, from that annual ugly sweater party to the reunions with college roommates to company potlucks and all the invitations in between. With these parties come constant trips to the store, whether it's for gifts or your holiday food staples. Juggling all that's going on can make this a stressful time for many and that's where CPG brands have an opportunity to shine.

• Shrinking, Flexible, And Focused: The Future Of Urban Retail in Marketing: CPG on 10/26/2015
  

  More and more retailers are recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work the same across developed environments. Urban shoppers will have vastly different needs than suburban shoppers and vice versa. Just like individual shoppers, not all stores are created equal and not all geographic locations can receive the same treatment.

• Halloween: An Opportunity To Change Behavior And Sell More - Permanently  in Marketing: CPG on 09/28/2015
  

  The checkout aisle has long been a power spot for retailers who use the section to tempt a captive audience. Realize you're out of gum? Grab a pack. Want to catch up on the latest Kardashian drama? Flip through a trashy tabloid. Need a pumpkin to bring the Halloween spirit into your apartment or home? They're here, too.

• Whole Foods' New Chain Puts Tech Front and Center, Unleashes New Opps for CPG Brands in Marketing: CPG on 08/24/2015
  

  When Whole Foods announced earlier this year it was planning the launch of a new chain of stores designed to cater to the needs of Millennials, many scoffed at the food giant's approach. The most common critique was whether or not a single generation really needed a dedicated grocery store. However, beneath a flurry of press coverage, there was a key point that seemed to be going unnoticed by most: the profound newness of introducing technology into the grocery store environment.

• Getting In The Box: Why CPG Brands Should Be Leading The Meal Kit Delivery Trend in Marketing: CPG on 07/27/2015
  

  As more and more Americans are turning to delivered kits for their meal planning needs, you've probably seen some news coverage featuring one of the many fresh meal kits or prepared meal delivery options such as Blue Apron, Plated, Hello Fresh and similarly, celebrity chef David Chang's "Maple" service. The number of providers and subscribers of such services has steadily been on the rise in recent years, and, if it continues, it could mean trouble for CPG brands.

• Product Placement Is The 'New Black' in Marketing: CPG on 06/22/2015
  

  Last week Netflix officially released Season 3 of its hit series "Orange is the New Black." This was my excuse to lock myself indoors for an entire weekend, binge watch the new release and order delivery. But as I spent the weekend mesmerized by bright lights and convoluted plot lines, I was struck by the frequency with which household brands and products appeared on my screen. As I progressed from one episode to the next, I became aware of the prominent role product placement seemed to play - a much bigger role than on traditional, network TV. So I set out to confirm this hypothesis.

• Will Giant Retailers Take A Punch? Bring On The Competition in Marketing: CPG on 06/02/2015
  

  Walmart and Whole Foods, two of the nation's most well-known retailers, boldly stepped into the proverbial boxing ring last month, with announcements that take unabashed aim at their competition. Walmart's news heralded a subscription-shipping program in the same vein as Amazon Prime, while Whole Foods unveiled plans to open a new retail format that at first glance - many details of the business model have yet to be announced - bears a striking resemblance to the Millennial-favorite Trader Joe's.

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