According to Catalina's 2015 Mid-Year Review, total sales volume for 62 of the Top 100 brands declined by an average of over 4%. So who grew and what does it mean? Private label and new brands, and it goes far beyond just "Innovate or Die."

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies often operate on long held implicit orthodoxies-certain "truths" that dictate how they approach consumers, and how they make decisions. Now, in an increasingly volatile age, there are a number of new truths.

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 …

Not too long ago, CPG marketers told me that their number one priority was getting Facebook likes. Those days are long gone, new objectives like engagement and advocacy are top of mind, and driving the marketing plan is content. Of the many flavors of content - brand content, sponsored content, and native content of critical importance is user-generated content.

In primary season of any presidential election, there is much chatter around the concept of "appealing to the base." Since each political party is interested in its own constituents choosing their candidate, "the base" tends to be composed of the most committed voters on either end of the political spectrum and, therefore, not necessarily reflective of the opinions of a more moderate middle (a 2011 Gallup poll reports that 40% of American voters are registered as independents).

As I walked to the subway last Tuesday morning, I passed an oh-so-obvious millennial male whose professional "work attire" immediately caught my attention. He was well-groomed in mahogany leather oxfords, well-tailored denim pants, great hair and, unexpectedly, a quaint backpack with none other than a nostalgic Disney star, Donald Duck, emblazoned across it.

According to Health World, a non-profit dedicated to supporting and promoting comprehensive health and safety education, memories can actually affect taste. Recalling a positive memory about eating a certain food can make a present experience more enjoyable. Since advertising is in the business of building branded memories, demonstrating a product's tastiness is an important component to any food and beverage advertising. But is it enough to just communicate good taste?

In the past few years, we've seen an explosion in the popularity of sustainable and bio-based products. From household names like Seventh Generation, Method and the Honest Company, all the way through to niche beauty brands like Juice Beauty. These products were born out of a commitment to create natural alternatives that are more environmentally friendly.