Beacons are all the rage, and for good reason. The small Bluetooth wireless transmitters that hide inconspicuously on doorways, shelves, checkout counters and more have the opportunity to completely revolutionize the consumer experience. Beacons bridge consumers' digital and physical worlds like never before - and can facilitate rich, real-time, highly personalized interactions.

Middle-market CPG manufacturers and emerging brands represent a large and growing portion of consumer dollars spent on grocery - tens of billions in the U.S. alone. While the majority of actual purchase activity still takes place at brick-and-mortar retail locations, digital marketing represents an important new area of investment for middle-market manufacturers and emerging brands.

To understand the thinking behind major brand redesigns, it is crucial to evaluate the strategic mindset behind the change. Did the redesign come about as a solution to a tangible problem or capture a new opportunity? Or was it merely change for the sake of change?

Ever since the term "shopper marketing" was coined more than 20 years ago, people working in our space have prided themselves on the accountability of the discipline. After all, shopper marketing was developed to drive the transaction - to "ring the register."

Social media is proving to be fertile ground for brands that help tackle tickly personal care issues. It's not just the brands that are doing the engaging, it's consumers, seizing their social media soapboxes to share about delicate subjects.

Political pundits are fond of discussing the greater division of Americans along political lines these days. The Pew Research Center recently reported, "The overall share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10% to 21%." Journalists like to point to the rise of cable news and talk radio as the triggers for this division.

Call them what you will but brand advocates, ambassadors, and influencers - a small but vocal group of people coveted and coddled by brands large and small - have a disproportionate clout when it comes to marketing and communications.

Even though I'm partial to MLB playoff races (Go, Giants!), and the start of a new English Premier League soccer season, college and professional football are now in full throttle and I'm looking forward to one of my favorite weekend rituals: the tailgate. Whether I'm at home or in the stadium, the camaraderie, hopeful anticipation, and true Americana fare all make me smile. Beyond the cheering, touchdowns and cheerlearders, weekend tailgating has become a large moneymaker and Americans spend $35B to $50B annually on food, drink and gear to make a day of the game.

Sampling has long been a tactic employed by CPG brands - a means to draw new consumers in, to promote their latest product or to drive customer re-trial. But lately we've seen this go to extreme lengths with the types of stunts typically only carried out by the likes of alcohol and car brands or even movie launches.