In recent years, many more CPG companies have adopted cutting-edge digital tactics to reach out to consumers. Many rely on playful, digitally enabled interactions: a toy company's social media campaign might invite consumers to upload and rate photos featuring the product, for example, with the promise that top-rated fans will receive personalized 3D-printed figures, cashing in on cultural fascination with this new technology.

We all know that Millennials are a crucial group being courted by CPG marketers. A Google search will yield countless articles on how Millennials are redefining everything from luxury goods to international development. The challenge for brands is in aligning the distinct way Millennials act as consumers and their needs as shoppers. Here's how three Millennial trends can be leveraged to win with shoppers, whether that's online or at shelf.

When I was the brand manager overseeing Hellmann's Mustard, one strategy for growing the business was identifying emerging trends that could translate to new products. In 1999, the major trend was grainy or honey mustard varieties. Back then, trend-spotting meant that I was reliant on a nice salesperson to buy a package of mustard, snap a picture, develop the film, and send it to me. Today, the expectation is to get information much faster than waiting for pictures in the mail.

I was invited to attend a Jeffersonian Dinner in California's Napa Valley a few weeks ago to discuss the topic of food; diving into what is our food future and how can we make good food available, affordable and accessible to all. For those who don't know Jeffersonian Dinners, they aim to bring together a diverse group of individuals who are looking to make transformative connections and engage in energetic debates around a shared topic. Thomas Jefferson wouldn't have it any other way.

On "No Reservations" the other evening, Anthony Bourdain and French chef Eric Ripert were dining in Paris when they both agreed that a sliced carrot - a small component of an entre they were extolling - tasted so much better than any carrot they would eat in the United States. Bourdain cracked up Ripert when he suggested that perhaps U.S. carrots suffered from a lack of dead Romans in the soil.

A few weeks ago on a chilly afternoon in midtown New York City, I tapped my iPhone's Uber app to summon a car to whisk me 40 blocks south. There was nothing unusual in that. Uber has become a habit for me and many other drivers. But then, instead of watching my iPhone for an approaching car, I looked up and flagged one of a stream of yellow cabs.

Five hundred million purchases and counting. According to the 2014 Brand Footprint, that's what it takes to be recognized as one of the top 50 global consumer goods brands. It's an impressive number, and a marvel of manufacturing and logistics.

For a while now, marketers have been hearing from industry analysts about the downfall of brick-and-mortar establishments. Words like omnichannel have made their way into the vernacular of almost every marketing and product team, and companies are investing significant dollars in finding the right balance between their digital and physical strategies.