The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Elizabeth Donovan & Austin Leonard, co-hosts of the Unlocked Podcast with Austin & Elizabeth.Follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethneubauer/Follow Austin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinleonard/Follow the Unlocked Podcast on Apple at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unlocked-with-austin-and-elizabeth/id1799255910Follow the Unlocked Podcast on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/show/322URolMSU6eIUA1fuOTRpThis episode was recorded in New York CIty at Advertising Week New York 2026.CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comSubstack Newsletter: https://substack.com/@thecpgguysDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Julie Haleluk, Global Head of Growth - Shopping Video at Amazon.Follow Julie on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliehaleluk/ Follow Amazon Ads online at: https://advertising.amazon.com/Julie answers these questions:Breaking Down Silos: In your talk, you emphasize that marketing strategies are still planned in silos, but customers don't shop that way. How can traditional CPG organizations break down the internal walls between retail media, social, and brand teams to build a unified strategy? Measuring ROI Beyond the Click: Traditional social media focuses on engagement metrics like likes and views, while retail media focuses on immediate ROAS. When connecting social storytelling to shoppable moments via Amazon Shopping Video, how should CPGs reframe their KPI frameworks?  The Authenticity vs. Control Dilemma: You mention prioritizing creator partnerships rooted in authenticity over strict scripts. CPG brands are notoriously protective of their brand guidelines—how do you coach legacy brands to loosen the reins so creators can actually convert? Creating a Full-Funnel Content Engine: How can a CPG brand take a single livestream or Amazon Live video and efficiently repurpose that asset across lower-funnel product detail pages (PDPs), Amazon Ads, and off-Amazon touchpoints?  Moving CPGs Beyond Search to Inspiration: CPG shopping on Amazon has historically been intent-driven and search-heavy. How is social commerce transforming Amazon from a destination where consumers simply reorder toothpaste into a place where they discover new products?  Lessons from OLLY & PetIQ: In your session, you spotlight brands like OLLY and PetIQ. What are the common playbooks or creative strategies these successful brands use to turn passive viewers into active buyers?  Agency & Brand Collaboration: You are co-presenting with agency partners like WPP Media. What does the ideal operating model look like between a CPG brand, its agency, and Amazon’s internal video and social commerce teams today?  The Future of Interactive Retail: Looking ahead over the next 2–3 years, what emerging features or tech in Amazon’s social commerce ecosystem should CPG marketers start experimenting with right now to stay ahead of the curve?

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:UNILEVER SAYS BRAND BUILDING AND COMMERCE ARE NOW THE SAME JOBGENERAL MILLS CONSIDERING SEPARATION OF HAAGEN-DAZS OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICAEU CHARGES TIKTOK WITH FAILING TO PROTECT USERS’ MENTAL HEALTHPUBLICIS HITS BACK AT WPP’S CINDY ROSE OVER “CEO HANDSHAKE” CLAIMSCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by 9-time Emmy Award Winning Journalist and Executive Coach Jane Hanson.Follow Jane on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janehansontv Follow Jane Hanson online at: http://janehanson.comJane answers these questions:Jane, you spent nearly 3 decades as a broadcaster on NBC and won nine Emmys before becoming a communications coach. What did live television teach you about communication that most business leaders never get the chance to learn?Your website carries a line I love — “Don’t EVER wing it” — along with that famous quip about how long a good speech takes to prepare. In a world of back-to-back meetings and AI-drafted talking points, what does real preparation look like for a busy executive?You’ve coached leaders across finance, insurance, tech, fashion, media, pharma, and even chefs and restaurateurs. What’s the most common communication mistake you see, no matter the industry?You help clients become “comfortable and commanding on camera.” Today so much leadership happens on video — all-hands calls, LinkedIn clips, podcasts, retailer pitches. What are the two or three things a leader can do right away to show up better on screen?In your Forbes piece on the 2026 Oscars, you wrote that audiences remember stories far more than lists of names. How should a CPG or retail executive use storytelling in a boardroom, an earnings call, or a joint business plan with a retailer?That same article praised Conan O’Brien’s humor for building rapport, but warned about letting humor become the headline. How can leaders use humor and personality to connect without creating a problem for themselves?You’ve spent a career asking tough question in s as a journalist. Now that you coach the people being asked, how should a leader handle a hard question — whether it comes from a reporter, an investor, or their own team — without getting defensive or going off message?Another lesson from your Oscars piece: your reputation enters the room before you do. In an era where every comment can be clipped and shared, how should leaders think about consistency and message discipline over the long term?You wrote about how AI was supposed to make in-person conferences obsolete, a

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Austin Leonard, VP/GM of Dollar General Media Network, the retail media division of Dollar General.This episode was recorded in cannes France at teh Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.Follow Austin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinleonard/ Follow DG Media Network online at: https://www.dgmedianetwork.com/ Austin answered these questions:How is this massive traffic surge fundamentally shifting your product roadmap from an offsite performance focus to high-margin onsite real estate? What are the backend ad-product transformations required to support this shift, and how can brands ensure their SKUs win that automated, AI-mediated prompt?From a media network perspective, how are you building exclusive, high-impact ad packages or specialized audience segments to let brands target this locked-in subscription cohort early on?How does this hyper-rural, often sole-retailer geographic footprint allow DGMN to provide clean, deterministic attribution that completely avoids the audience overlap and data duplication that plagues traditional programmatic buying?When a skeptical agency media buyer challenges you on incrementality, how does DGMN use its closed-loop loop data to mathematically prove that you are driving net-new volume rather than just claiming credit for an unavoidable register ring?How is DGMN turning this into a highly dynamic, programmatically addressable ad product? Can a CPG brand sync their offsite streaming digital audio flight directly with a real-time audio trigger inside the physical aisles where the shopper is holding the basket?How does DGMN let a brand dynamically flex its creative assets across your self-serve platforms so they can serve value-based, coupon-stacking messaging to one cohort, and convenience/premium-tier messaging to the other?In most legacy retail environments, these are separate fiefdoms that fight for control. How does this unified layout give you a speed-to-market advantage when a brand wants to pair their national enterprise marketing dollars directly with targeted retail media networks to create a 1+1=3 effect?As programmatic buyers demand more self-serve execution, how are you ensuring that your software integrations maintain

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:THE WEEK THE CRACKS IN THE AI TRADE GREW DEEPERWALMART BUILDS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AGENTIC COMMERCECOLGATE-PALMOLIVE GROWS SALES AS NORTH AMERICA STAYS WEAKDOORDASH TO BUY INSTACART FOR ABOUT $17 BILLIONCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this crossover with the Digital Fix Podcast by hosts Sean Halter CEO of MiOS Intelligence and Steven Moy, Founder & CEO of MoY.Follow Sean on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhalter/Follow MiOS Intelligence online at: http://miomarketplace.comFollow Steven on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenmoy/Follow MoY online at: https://www.stevenmoy.co/Follow the Digital Fix podcast on Apple at:This conversation was recorded in New York City at Advertising Week New York 2026.CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Nicole Collida Davis, Managing Director & SVP US National Retail Accounts & Agencies at NielsenIQ, the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. Today NIQ has operations in 95+ countries representing 97% of the world’s GDP. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™.Find Nicole on LinkedIn at: http://linkedin.com/in/nicolecollidaFind NielsenIQ Media online at: http://nielseniq.com This episode is sponsored by NielsenIQNicole answers these questions:Set the scene for us: what just happened up there, and what's the one-line thesis you want our listeners to walk away with about the 2027 consumer?Let's start with what's actually keeping consumer attention in this new data. What's newly topping the list of consumer concerns, and why has the picture shifted so much from a year ago?You're also tracking what NIQ is calling the 2026 economic divide — this K-shaped split between financially secure and financially insecure consumers, with the US diverging faster than the global average. Walk us through that gap, and why 'average consumer' planning is losing relevance for brands.You're seeing broad-based growth across nearly every savings tactic out there — couponing, loyalty, bulk buying, private label. Is this just belt-tightening, or is something deeper going on in how consumers are defining value?Talk to us about the 2027 spending map — what's getting cut versus what's holding steady or protected, and why are you framing this shift as 'justification rather than habit'?Let's talk channel. Club keeps pulling away on structural value, while Grocery and Dollar are struggling on trips per buyer — with real dollars attached to that decline. What's driving that shakeup, and what should traditional grocery be doing about it?Better-for-you products and private label are both surging even through this tougher economic backdrop. How do those two trends connect, and what does it mean for national brands trying to defend t

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:Coca-Cola Selects Omnicom for NA Media AgencyKroger's Plan for "America's favorite Grocer"Salesforce to Purchase Braze for $5.7 BillionBoston beer Logs Lower Profit and Revenue as Beer Demand SlidesCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Dora Cortinas, Enterprise Data & Analytics Expert & Neda Nia, Chief Product & Growth officer at Stibo Systems which empowers data-led businesses to create and deliver data transparency to their customers and partners. With a single, accurate view, companies can unlock the strategic value of their data by connecting, governing, enriching and syndicating it wherever it’s needed. This enables businesses to make informed decisions and achieve their goals of scale, scope and ambition.This episode is sponsored by Stibo Systems and was recorded at the Stibo Systems Connect 2026 conference in Austin, TX.Find Dora on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doracortinasFind Neda on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedaniaFind Stibo Systems online at: https://www.stibosystems.com/Dora & Neda answer these questions:Dora, what do you feel is the #1 data friction point or legacy bottleneck that most CPG C-suites are looking to solve right now?Neda, as Chief Growth Officer at Stibo Systems, you sit at the intersection of technology, platform innovation, and enterprise needs including global CPGs. Historically, brands managed product data in one tool, customer data in a CRM, and supplier data in an ERP. Why is the shift toward a unified, multi-domain data foundation—connecting product, customer, and supplier domains—becoming the non-negotiable substrate for CPG enterprise transformation?Looking back at your journey at your prior employer, what was the specific operational tipping point or business bottleneck that convinced leadership that master data management had to become an enterprise strategic priority, rather than just a back-office IT project?For a massive CPG portfolio, trusted data has to deliver measurable ROI—whether that’s faster time-to-shelf, operational efficiency, or retailer satisfaction. Dora, where have you seen the most tangible business value from your data transformation? And Neda, how are you seeing other global CPGs quantify that same ROI?In your conversations with enterprise customers,

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Devin Kunysz, Senior Director of Physical Goods Industries, Retail, Consumer Goods, and Manufacturing at Salesforce, the #1 AI CRM—where humans with agents drive customer success together with AI, data, and Customer 360 apps on one platform.This episode is sponsored by SaleforceFollow Devin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinkunysz/Follow Salesforce online at: https://www.salesforce.com/consumer-goods/cloud/Devin answers these questions:Tech Fueled Sales: Why is CPG selling, still operating the way it did in 2010? So much has changed, but the process looks very much the same. What are some of the leaders doing with “tech-fueled sales” that our listeners should be thinking about?We talk a lot about 'the cloud' and real-time data, but any field rep will tell you that the back of a grocery store usually has zero cell service. How critical is it for a modern commercial hub to function fully offline, and how does that change the day-to-day life of a field seller? Let’s make the unified commercial hub concrete. What does it actually mean to connect trade promotion management, CRM, and retail execution — and how does that change the quality of joint business planning and value-creation conversations with key accounts?There’s this catch-22 we see a lot in CPG right now. Growth slows down, so brands freeze hiring or cut budgets—which means they don’t have the resources to actually chase the channels where the growth is happening. What does this vicious cycle actually look like on the ground, and how can the right tech snap a brand out of it? Focus on the Consumer: Moving to the consumer side, why should CPG brands be thinking about agentic shopping, and what should they be doing about it?AI is inserting a new discovery layer between brands and consumers, and a shopper agent can shrink the digital shelf down to just three to five items. How should CPGs operate in that world so both B2C and B2B revenue don’t suffer?Why does a data flywheel matter? CPG data strategy tends to be siloed — consumer insights in one tool, retailer insights in sales notes and spreadsheets. What changes when data is created at every step and flows from consumer engagement to promotion choices t

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:Amazon Closes Its Grocery Partner StorefrontsAlbertsons Media Collective Taps a Former Walmart Connect ExecKFC Ditches Pepsi for CokeKimberly-Clark Forecasts a Sales Decline After a Social-Media Firestorm in ChinaCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Sean Tinnelly, Head of Ad Sales at DG Media Network, a division of Dollar General.This episode is sponsored by DG Media Network.Follow Sean on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-patrick-tinnellyFollow DG Media Network online at: https://www.dgmedianetwork.com/Sean answers these questions:What drew you to Dollar General and DGMN specifically, and how has that mix of experience shaped how you're building out ad sales there?Dollar General's footprint is fundamentally different from most retail media networks — over 21,000 stores, and roughly 80% of them in markets of 20,000 people or fewer. How does that rural, small-format footprint change the way you pitch DGMN to CPG brands versus how they think about the bigger retail media players?Walk us through the current shape of DGMN today — onsite, offsite, and in-store. How do those pieces fit together, and where is most of the current advertiser demand concentrated?DGMN has leaned heavily into first-party data and closed-loop measurement, with partners like The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, and Google Ad Manager. How do you talk to brands about the value of that data given how different the DG shopper looks from a typical grocery or mass retail customer?DGMN recently expanded its AI-enabled in-store audio network. How are in-store media formats like that performing relative to digital, and how do you help brands think about allocating budget across onsite, offsite, and in-store?For a lot of CPG brands, rural and small-town shoppers are genuinely hard to reach with traditional digital targeting. What does DGMN unlock for a brand that they simply can't get anywhere else in their media mix?Let's talk about the advertiser base. DGMN has brought on major partners like Unilever, Coke, Hershey's, and P&G. What has that growth in advertiser demand looked like, and where are you seeing the most momentum right now?How does DGMN think about the balance between national CPG advertisers and smaller or regional brands that may be trying to break into rural markets for the first time?Retail media is maturing fast — incrementality, attribution,

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Arthur Leopold, CEO and Co-Founder at Agentio which enables marketers to buy creator led ads as easily and scalably as Meta or Google ads—automating sourcing, pricing, contracting, delivery, and measurement—so work that took months now happens in minutes.This episode is sponsored by AgentioFollow Arthur on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurleopold/Follow Agentio online at: https://www.agentio.com/Arthur answers these questions:You were president of Cameo, which was built on connecting people with talent. What did you see there that convinced you creator advertising needed its own buying infrastructure, and why was 2023 the moment to start Agentio?You've said advertising follows attention and attention has moved to creators. If you're right, why do you think less than 2% of digital ad spend reaches creators today?You've compared your goal to making creator buys as easy as buying Meta or Google ads. What gets lost, and what gets gained, when you industrialize something as human as a creator's recommendation?Walk us through a campaign for a challenger food or beverage brand. What does a brand actually do, what does the platform do, and where does a human still need to be in the loop?Agentio’s performance data suggests brands testing ten or more creator verticals find winners more often. For a CPG brand with a limited budget, how do you balance breadth of testing against putting real money behind what works?Olipop, Graza and Suri have all scaled with you. What do the best CPG programs have in common, and what do the ones that fizzle get wrong?Several of your case studies argue that media mix modeling shows far more impact than last-click attribution. How should a CPG marketer prove creator spend works when so much of the sale happens at retail, not on a DTC site?Can creator media drive retail sell-through at Walmart, Target or Amazon, and have you seen brands connect creator campaigns to retail media or shopper data?Agentio has expanded from YouTube to Meta Partnership Ads. Do creators perform differently when the ad runs as a native YouTube integration versus a boosted post on Meta, and how should brands split budget?YouTube changed how it counts views th

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:7-Eleven's New CEO Is “Stealing With Pride” From JapanMars Maps the Next Decade of ShoppingHow Reckitt Is Thriving With China's Social-Media ShoppersDoorDash Names WPP Media Its Global Media PartnerCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Scott Needham, CEO and Founder at SmartScout, The most extensive Amazon brand and product finder ever made!A tool built for Amazon sellers, by Amazon sellers. SmartScout is a tool for Amazon sellers to use as their own personal treasure map of Amazon!This episode is sponsored by SmartScoutFollow Scott on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-needham-a8b39813/Get a FREE category snapshot at: https://www.smartscout.com/cpgguysScott answers these questions:You built and sold real Amazon businesses before you ever built SmartScout. What was the recurring frustration in your own account-level data that made you say, ‘I need to build a tool for this’?For a large, established brand that already has strong retail measurement and thinks it has visibility into Amazon, what's the blind spot they usually don't know they have — around third-party sellers, category share, or where their business has quietly shifted?When you sit down with an enterprise brand for the first time and show them what's actually happening in their category, where does that conversation usually go?You recently launched TikTok Shop analytics. For a senior brand leader, what's the real question they should be asking — not how a video performs on TikTok in isolation, but which trends there actually translate into Amazon category growth, and which are just noise?Can you walk us through an example — a TikTok Shop trend that clearly moved the needle on Amazon versus one that looked exciting but never translated into real growth?Category concentration is one of the more interesting patterns in your data — some categories consolidating around a handful of brands, others fragmenting into hundreds of undifferentiated sellers. What does category concentration tell a brand about where to defend share and where to invest?How does a brand tell the difference between a category that's fragmenting because of real innovation versus one that's fragmenting because of low-quality, undifferentiated competition?What does good, data-led marketplace decision-making actually look like at scale — and what's the most common mistake you see when a brand treats Amazon as just another sales chann

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Benoit Vatere, Chief Media & Digital Commerce Officer at Liquid Death, one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage brands, Liquid Death uses comedy and entertainment to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun. This episode was recorded in Las Vegas at the 2026 Groceryshop conference.Follow Benoit on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benoitvatere/Follow Liquid Death online at: https://liquiddeath.com/ Benoit answers these questions:What's actually changed for Liquid Death's retail media approach in the months since, and what hasn't?As a brand that guards its identity fiercely, how do you decide which of these networks are actually worth Liquid Death's money versus which are just more standardized inventory to say no to?Now that you're negotiating Joint Business Plans with grocers specifically — not just retail broadly — has that fandom leverage translated the way you expected?AI shopping agents are showing up inside the grocery experience itself now — in-app assistants, list builders, reorder predictors. If one of those intercepts a shopper before they ever see your brand page, how is Liquid Death optimizing to stay “machine-preferred” in a grocery app specifically, versus the broader retail context we discussed at Cannes?How do you run a Liquid Death-style disruptive activation inside a delivery experience that's built for speed, not spectacle?Has grocery media gotten any better at supporting the kind of involved, culturally loud activations Liquid Death is known for, or is it still an uphill fight?How tightly are your media optimization loops tied to actual shelf and delivery-dark-store inventory data today?Is grocery retail media a defensive tool to protect your space on that shelf, or still purely offensive for you?What's the biggest gap you see between how grocery retail media talks about innovation and what it's actually able to deliver for a brand like Liquid Death?For a CPG media leader walking the floor here at Groceryshop trying to modernize their grocery retail media strategy, what's the single biggest reality check you'd give them to stop playing it safe?CPG Guys Website:

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:Costco reports higher fourth-quarter profit on resilient consumer spendingGrocery inflation is primed to riseKroger details its AI strategy at Groceryshop 2026GLP-1 drug use keeps reshaping the grocery basketCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Rich Shuman, Chustomer Director, Omnichannel Activation at Mondelēz International and Stan Turek, GM of Media Measurement at InMarket, the outcome intelligence platform built for marketers who demand results over proxy metrics. This episode was recorded in Las Vegas at the 2026 Groceryshop conference.Follow Rick on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickshuman/Follow Mondelēz International online at: https://www.mondelezinternational.com/Follow Stan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanturek/Follow InMarket online at: https://inmarket.com/thecpgguysRick & Stan answer these questions:Proving incremental return on Ad Spend is now the hardest thing marketers have to do ... 67% call it their top challenge, ahead of cost. And only 22% say they can act on a measurement insight in time to matter. Why is 'incremental' the number that matters, and where is the industry actually stuck?From the Mondelēz side: walk us through what a Joint Business Planning conversation looks like today when your customer team sits down with a retail customer. What’s missing when a brand shows up with a blended sales number instead of proof of what the media actually drove at that specific retailer?InMarket sees actual purchase transactions from real people across the retailers that matter most to CPG — Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, Amazon, Kroger, ALDI, Albertsons, and Dollar General, with augmented coverage across C-Store. Talk about how that data turns one blended iROAS number into a retailer-by-retailer incremental breakdown, and why that granularity changes the conversation.Once your customer team walks into that room with a retailer-specific incrementality number, how does that actually change the dynamic? Does it elevate what Mondelēz asks for, or what the retailer is willing to give back?Let’s talk speed. You’ve said what happened last week is measurable this week — no quarterly lag, no long wait on reports. Why does that in-flight speed matter a

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week’s topics:Costco reports higher fourth-quarter profit on resilient consumer spendingGrocery inflation is primed to riseKroger details its AI strategy at Groceryshop 2026GLP-1 drug use keeps reshaping the grocery basketCPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.