Transforming Marketing Activation for a CPG Company
In this marketing activation case study, Clarkston Consulting assessed a food and beverage company’s marketing operating model. Read a synopsis of the project below or download the full case study.
Download the Marketing Activation Case Study Here
A leading global food and beverage manufacturer engaged Clarkston Consulting to assess its marketing activation operating model. The client relied on a third-party agency to support a broad set of consumer activation programs, including coupons, premiums, contests/sweepstakes/games (C/S/G), and related promotional tactics. While the existing model was strong from an execution standpoint, it had become increasingly fragmented across brands, business units, and stakeholders. This fragmentation limited governance and made it harder to maintain consistency and visibility across activation work.
Clarkston conducted a current-state assessment that included 27 cross-functional stakeholder interviews. The team also conducted a detailed review of activation processes, ownership structures, and key pain points across the existing model. The assessment focused on the core tactics that represented the majority of agency-managed activity, with attention to where work could be standardized, transitioned, or better governed in a revised operating model.
From this work, Clarkston identified a clear opportunity to help the client move from a model optimized primarily for tactical execution to one designed for scale, strategic oversight, and stronger performance visibility. The resulting recommendation introduced a future-state tech enabled structure with clearer roles and decision rights, more centralized governance, improved workflow coordination, and a stronger foundation for reporting and analytics.
Clarkston also developed future-state scenarios and outlined organizational implications. The team then created an execution roadmap spanning people, process, technology, legal alignment, and change management. The recommended approach was designed to expand support while improving consistency across the organization. It also positioned the client to make more data-driven decision-making across various tactics and vendors.
The engagement provided the client with a practical, business-case-backed recommendation for building a more scalable marketing activation capability. The future-state model increased transparency, improved coordination, and aligned the function more closely to future growth.
