Welcome to Taking Stock, a podcast designed to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing corporate executives. This podcast series is designed to share thought-leading topics, ideas, and innovation with its listeners. Listen to previous episodes here.

Success in the consumer products industry requires that businesses have the consumer at the center of all that they do. They need to consider the consumer in how they innovate, sell, serve, and (perhaps most importantly) how they market.

Looking back historically, marketing had a much simpler and more straightforward approach. Companies would ideate new products based upon their sense of industry trends and consumer demand, and then market those products via the mediums that delivered the largest critical mass they could find.

Today’s consumers, however, have changed the rules of marketing in nearly every way. Consumers expect that not only are products personalized for them, but the associated marketing speaks uniquely to them. But it’s not just the consumers that stand to gain in this new dynamic as a personalized online shopping experience, including messaging, can lead to consumers spending approximately 48% more.

But to that end, consumers expect that companies understand what is important to them (and what’s not). And if that value proposition is compromised, they’ll quickly switch brands for one they feel more closely aligns.

With that said, a consumer-first strategy is a prerequisite for success today. In this week’s Taking Stock, I sit down with Sam Ruiz, a Senior Consultant at Clarkston Consulting. Sam is the Food & Beverage Industry Lead for Clarkston and also specializes in digital strategy, marketing, and sustainability. Additionally, and especially relevant to this discussion, Sam has extensive experience in the marketing and adtech space and is passionate about consumer-first thinking and data-driven creativity.

In this discussion, you’ll have the opportunity to hear what consumer-first marketing means to Sam and why this approach is a strategic imperative for consumer products companies. While consumers have always been a fundamental aspect of a business’ marketing strategy, we’ll discuss how it’s different today and all the more critical for consumers to play a larger role in your business’ approach to marketing. As you’ll learn through the conversation, today’s consumer is challenging companies to be more nimble with their marketing strategy, have the capability to collect, synthesize and analyze huge volumes of data and connect with their consumers in a direct and personalized manner.

You can download and listen to Consumer-First Marketing: Taking Stock with Sam Ruiz here.

Taking Stock

In this podcast series, Clarkston Consulting Partner Steve Rosenstock sits down with experts and thought leaders from both within Clarkston and throughout its consumer products and life sciences client-base, covering a range of topics from industry trends and consumer dynamics, to organizational governance and business strategy. Steve provides you access into the passions of its guests and allows you to benefit from their stories, knowledge, and deep expertise.

Podcast production by Zach McClughen