00;00;03;00 - 00;00;17;21
VO
Welcome to Dig In, the podcast brought to you by Dig Insights. Each week Jess Gaedeke chats with world class brand professionals to bring you the story behind the story of some of the most breakthrough innovations, marketing tactics, and campaigns.

00;00;17;24 - 00;00;37;16
Jess
So welcome everybody to Dig In. We got so much chatter among our listeners about our first episode with this guest. So we just had to find an excuse to bring her back on for a second round. And what better excuse than some exciting new innovations that hit the market between then and now? So this was a no brainer to bring this guest back on.

00;00;37;16 - 00;00;48;08
Jess
So I'm re joined today by Danielle Coopersmith, Associate Director, Portfolio Brands at the Kraft Heinz Company. Danielle, it's so great to see you again. Thanks for joining us again.

00;00;48;11 - 00;00;57;10
Danielle
Great to see you. And thank you so much for having me back. I had so much fun chatting the last time. So excited to dig deep again on all the brand things going on.

00;00;57;12 - 00;01;11;16
Jess
Awesome. Let's see if we can top last episode. I don't know if it's possible, but we're going to give it a go. So we're going to try to get things going. Here is just a spontaneous question. So what is the most memorable Halloween costume that you had as a child, Danielle?

00;01;11;19 - 00;01;28;27
Danielle
Yeah, I think this is so on brand for me and my love of food, because I always tried to do a lot of different food costumes. So I remember one year, me and some of my friends decided to be different candy bars. And rather than going the traditional route of finding a costume we made, like, the full paper board,

00;01;28;29 - 00;01;38;09
Danielle
DIY kind of thing. I was a Nestle crunch bar, but I'm not an artist, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out. And then I gave Nestle crunch bars to all the kids in the neighborhood.

00;01;38;09 - 00;01;49;16
Jess
So very cool. That is so on theme. Those that listened in last time know a little bit about your background, but please do tell us. Remind us of your background and where you are now in your role today?

00;01;49;19 - 00;02;09;22
Danielle
Definitely. So yes, happy to go high level here. I'm Danielle Coopersmith. I've actually worked in brand management at Kraft Heinz for my whole career. I'm a huge foodie outside of work and inside of work, which we'll touch on a bit here, too. But only makes sense that I am incredibly passionate about food marketing.

00;02;09;24 - 00;02;36;13
Danielle
So in my nine years almost at Kraft Heinz now, I've been in on many different brands, many sizes, many scales, started off on the Oscar Meyer business, working solely on innovation and advertising. Focused on hot dogs and how to demystify them a bit for my first couple of years with the company. I then moved over to our Planters Nuts business, which was a really interesting challenge because it was working on a category that is very commoditized.

00;02;36;13 - 00;02;58;20
Danielle
A lot of people say a nut is a nut, so how do you differentiate with a brand? So it was about really figuring out how we could have a unique perspective of unique items in the market and drive differentiation in such a commoditized category. Then right at the start of the pandemic, I moved over to the sauces and condiments world, which is where I've been living now for a bit.

00;02;58;22 - 00;03;31;27
Danielle
I was at the time running our Kraft Mayo and Miracle Whip business, which those are not necessarily the trendiest categories. But I will say, at the start of the pandemic, my gosh, people were eating sandwiches more than ten years prior combined. So it was a really fun challenge to see that opportunity and really take some risks. As the number two, number three players in the category, we were able to come in with a challenger mindset, take some risks, try some cool things, and ultimately drive a lot of wins during the pandemic.

00;03;31;29 - 00;03;54;18
Danielle
And then, finally, for where I am today, it's kind of evolved and it continues to evolve versus where when we spoke last, I'm the Associate Director of what we call our portfolio brands team at Kraft Heinz. I work in the taste elevation platform still so any condiments, sauce, seasoning, coating, I have about 20 brands roughly under my portfolio.

00;03;54;25 - 00;04;22;23
Danielle
And it's a really interesting mixture of brands that are big, high investment. Call it, quote unquote trendy or Gen Z focused brands like Taco Bell, have really been focused on this brand over the past few years. We make the Taco Bell products that are in your grocery store and really work to build the partnership with Yum brands, build a strategy to scale the brand to new locations and retail versus QSR, and really drive Gen Z relevance.

00;04;22;29 - 00;04;52;02
Danielle
As Gen Z is just starting to shop the grocery store for the first time now. So that's a really exciting growth brand. And then on the other side of my portfolio, I have some really rich, high equity legacy brands, things like A1 Steak Sauce, Gray Poupon, Classico pasta sauce. So it's been a really interesting and different challenge on those. Rather than driving awareness, which is Taco Bell's big job to be done is driving awareness that we exist in retail a lot of my legacy brands,

00;04;52;02 - 00;05;13;05
Danielle
it's more about how do we make these brands relevant for today's generation. So it's been really exciting since we spoke last time, gained a couple more brands like Classico, Pasta Sauce and IHOP syrups to my world. And what's really exciting and we can dive into today, too, is, my world actually now includes every piece of marketing for the full end to end.

00;05;13;05 - 00;05;32;26
Danielle
So when we spoke last, I led a platform team. I also, my team leads brand communications and advertising as well now, so it's a really amazing role. And amazing team outside of work. I live in Chicago with my husband and we got a puppy a few months ago. His name is Oreo. Also very fitting for my love of food.

00;05;32;29 - 00;05;44;04
Danielle
So and then outside of work, I still love food. So experimenting in the kitchen and trying new restaurants. I have a little food blog on the side to keep me inspired as well.

00;05;44;07 - 00;06;02;00
Jess
Very cool. I didn't know about that. That's exciting. I'll definitely be checking that out. So that's quite a portfolio of brands and quite a spectrum of things that you're supporting. So I can't wait to dig into some of that. Speaking of which, let's go ahead and dig in. So as you know, Danielle, our listeners do crave innovation from other leaders.

00;06;02;00 - 00;06;20;29
Jess
And one of the best ways to inspire, I think, is to tell a story. So last time you joined us, you talked about the partnership between Taco Bell and Kraft Heinz, bringing that brand into retail channels. And since that episode, you've done it again with more products from Taco Bell, as well as some from IHOP. So you are certainly busy.

00;06;21;02 - 00;06;40;01
Jess
And you touched on the notion of Gen Z, right. And so much of this strategy is really grounded in that generation. And there are some very important nuances to that cohort. So tell us about the core inspiration of these restaurant brands extending into retail, and really how that is meant to appeal to Gen Z.

00;06;40;04 - 00;06;59;26
Danielle
Definitely. So I think we're in such an interesting time, and it's the perfect combination of various tailwinds that are propelling these restaurant brands to succeed. I think first, coming out of the pandemic, people we know during the pandemic ate more meals at home than ever before, and that trend has stuck. We continue to see high at home consumption.

00;06;59;28 - 00;07;20;14
Danielle
I think what really made this different, though, was people raise the bar of what they really wanted at home. People during the pandemic had time they were making everything from sourdough breads to fancy pastries, etc. so what consumers crave at home, the expectation is higher than ever now, and I think restaurants, people already know restaurants, people

00;07;21;05 - 00;07;44;14
Danielle
still do go to restaurants when they have those cravings or want that specific taste. So bringing that restaurant taste into the retail environment helps consumers really up their game at home, like they've started to really expect. And then looking at Gen Z specifically, I think we're in such an interesting moment with this generation because many of them are living alone for the first time in their late teens or early 20s.

00;07;44;14 - 00;08;05;26
Danielle
They might be in college, in their first job, or recently graduating from college, and they're now thrown into this world where they're making all their purchase decisions on their own. What we've learned in talking to Gen Z is they do not know their way around the kitchen and are very uncomfortable there. So, like we think about the role that many of my brands play, it's all about familiarity.

00;08;05;26 - 00;08;24;16
Danielle
So familiarity because consumers know what a Taco Bell taco is supposed to taste like. They know what a crunch wrap is. So by bringing them an easy way to bring that to life, maybe with a twist in their kitchen, it gives them confidence in the kitchen that they can create something delicious from a brand that they already trust, too.

00;08;24;18 - 00;08;29;18
Danielle
So I think it's kind of the perfect marriage, for Gen Z and restaurant brands and retail.

00;08;29;20 - 00;08;49;26
Jess
Yeah. What an interesting opportunity. And you talked about how, you know, Gen Z doesn't really know their way around the kitchen, and they're still kind of learning that. They also don't really know their way around the store either. Right? So that's something that we chatted about. You know, some of brands rely on the tried and true marketing tactics, and it just doesn't work for Gen Z.

00;08;49;26 - 00;09;03;13
Jess
So I'd love for you to talk a little bit about some of the lessons learned and maybe, you know, I love the pitfalls, like the real like, oh man, this was a misstep. I love those ones. But, you know, what have you learned along the way about what you need to do to really win with Gen Z?

00;09;03;16 - 00;09;19;29
Danielle
Definitely, I mean, I think we are still on a learning journey. We've definitely had some things that it's like, wow, that worked, Gen Z really resonated. But this whole space of how Gen Z shops, it's new, we're all still learning. And Gen Z, as they keep getting older, how they shop is going to continue to evolve too.

00;09;19;29 - 00;09;41;09
Danielle
So continued growth, and learning opportunities here. But I think one of the biggest places that I focus as kind of a North Star is we need to show up where Gen Z is. Gen Z isn't necessarily watching live TV. They are shopping brick and mortar, but they might be shopping in a different way than other generations. They might be shopping more in the fresh section.

00;09;41;11 - 00;10;01;23
Danielle
And then I think the other big piece with Gen Z is they don't really want to be quote unquote advertised to. They're a little bit more cynical and skeptical about brands. So really, the way to get through to them is by talking to the people who they trust and having them be the voice of the brand. That's something that we've really learned.

00;10;01;25 - 00;10;22;07
Danielle
So with that, I think influencers have been an incredibly powerful tactic for us working with those content creators. And I think one of the things that works best with content creators is give them a lot of freedom. If we start to really hijack their message and say, you must share this script in your post, it's going to seem inauthentic and Gen Z is going to see right through it.

00;10;22;09 - 00;10;38;00
Danielle
So let's give them the product. Let's get their real reactions. Let's have them talk to their fans. And that's worked incredibly well and driven such great engagement and dialog with Gen Z. I think as we start to talk also in the grocery store itself, Gen Z needs a lot of guidance on how to shop and where to shop.

00;10;38;00 - 00;11;00;12
Danielle
We've really put a lot of focus on those one stop shop displays. So, for example, could we make one taco night everything you need. It will have Taco Bell, taco shells, seasoning, sauces, and it will sit right next to the produce section. So if you get your tomatoes and lettuce right there too, it helps give Gen Z that guidance and makes it a lot less overwhelming for them too.

00;11;00;14 - 00;11;22;01
Danielle
I think one space as you start talking pitfalls that we're still working to crack this nut is while Gen Z is so digital, something we've started to see is that Gen Z also does really value those in real life experiences. We've seen a surge of pop ups and experiential activations and campaigns, and I think those are such a great way to resonate with Gen Z.

00;11;22;03 - 00;11;44;10
Danielle
But something we're still working on is when you only shop in one location, your reach is only so far. So how do we also, when we do an experiential type of event, resonate with consumers and Gen Z people who cannot make it to the event, thinking about digital extensions and things like that, so that we're investing in things that are, give them that in real life platform, but doesn't exclude people who can't join live.

00;11;44;12 - 00;12;04;10
Jess
Yeah. So you basically have to do it all. You have to do it digital, you have to do in real life, you have to do in-store, out of store, that's a lot to try to tackle. But that is the reality of sort of this, you know, multifaceted consumer that we have nowadays. Right? So it's, there's a lot of challenge there, but a lot of opportunity.

00;12;04;15 - 00;12;19;13
Jess
And, you know, you've talked a lot about, you know, some of the areas that you think will be inspiring future innovation. And I'd love to hear what's the latest on that, because it feels like every month if we caught up, we probably have an update to it. So what's the latest?

00;12;19;15 - 00;12;43;14
Danielle
Yeah. So I mean there's so many directions I could go here with, you know, plant based protein, etc. but I think one place that I've really started to see pop up more with this younger generation, as well as just where our world is today, is the different definitions of value. So value is more important than ever before, but it's not being defined exactly the same depending on who you talk to.

00;12;43;16 - 00;13;02;29
Danielle
Some consumers, which we hear from Gen Z frequently, is they might be new to the workforce. They come into the grocery store and might have $20 in their pocket. So it's about the absolute sticker price and making sure you have offerings at a low, absolute price. Additionally, I mean, some consumers are looking more at the price per ounce, things like that.

00;13;03;01 - 00;13;22;26
Danielle
So I think the biggest thing that I've learned is innovation and flavor innovation and new format has a huge role still, but I think we do need to innovate and make sure we show up for those different types of value definitions. I think entry price point coming up with a smaller serving, lower absolute price point offering could be a really interesting space.

00;13;22;29 - 00;13;39;03
Danielle
Same thing with playing with the bulk portion. So I think how I'm thinking about innovation continues to expand beyond just the new news and new flavor. But what formats work for different consumers so that there's an offering, no matter how they define value, which is incredibly important to them?

00;13;39;05 - 00;14;00;11
Jess
Yeah, that's really interesting because so many CPG companies have been exploring price pack architecture strategies, particularly with the impact of inflation and how we can look at different size components and of course, how to price those. But I'm thinking about, you know, the Gen Z consumer. Some of them are shopping probably for themselves for the week. Some are shopping just for dinner that night.

00;14;00;14 - 00;14;17;07
Jess
Some might be shopping from a roommate perspective. Like how can we get a group, you know, grocery cart going. So you have to accommodate all those different occasions, if you will. And, that that idea of value equation. This is really interesting. There's multiple places to intercept it.

00;14;17;09 - 00;14;35;12
Danielle
Yeah. And I think something we've learned as we've talked to Gen Z and with their lack of confidence in the kitchen, there's this almost inherent fear that they're going to buy something, mess up the recipe or not like it and then have to throw it out. And that's a huge challenge when you're already when you're on a lower income or new to the workforce, too.

00;14;35;14 - 00;14;54;02
Danielle
So I think that's where, things like trial size or smaller serving size, but an easy entry price point can help give them confidence. Let them try it with lower risk. And then I think also brands like Taco Bell have a really unique role there, too. There's lower risk that comes with the purchase because they already know and love the brand.

00;14;54;04 - 00;15;05;00
Jess
Yeah. And speaking of knowing and loving, if they try something and it works and they're successful in the kitchen, are they more likely to go back to that product in that brand? Because it's sort of tried and true to them. Have you seen that?

00;15;05;04 - 00;15;25;04
Danielle
Yeah, we've definitely seen I need a better word for that. But we almost think of it as like the gateway products in my portfolio. So maybe they might try one of our Taco Bell kits first because it's a nice tester. You have a lot of different variety of stuff in one box, and then they fall in love with our sauce and we might see them come back and buy bottles and bottles of our sauce.

00;15;25;07 - 00;15;40;24
Danielle
So it's been really interesting. It's like you might see someone dip their toe in the water, and then it's our job to offer them the best quality product, the best experience, the best contact with that product to keep them buying and exploring within the brand and portfolio, too.

00;15;40;26 - 00;15;49;09
Jess
Yeah, well, again, more lessons to be learned from those stories. Anything else you want to share about these latest retail innovations?

00;15;49;11 - 00;16;18;15
Danielle
I mean, it's been so exciting to see the reactions of them, I think. So for those who aren't familiar with some of the Taco Bell innovations that we launched recently, we, we expanded our kits portfolio to essentially help consumers recreate and reimagine their favorites from Taco Bell in their kitchen. So we launched a crunch wrap kit, a chicken quesadilla kit, quesarito kit, which is like a combination of a burrito and a quesadilla and then a Nachos BellGrande kit.

00;16;18;16 - 00;16;42;01
Danielle
And I think my favorite thing here is seeing the consumer reaction and the customizations that consumers are making. They might have a rotisserie chicken in their fridge, so they'll say, hey, I'll use this crunchwrap kit to make a rotisserie chicken crunchwrap. I love that we're able to give them the tools to give them that confidence to experiment a little in the kitchen, but they know they love a crunchwrap, so it's going to taste good no matter what.

00;16;42;03 - 00;17;05;21
Danielle
And then the other innovation platform that we launched was we're calling it our menu inspired dips. So it's taking a Taco Bell menu favorite item. Think, again, the crunchwrap or Spicy Bean burrito, and reimagining it in a way that consumers can have for snacking occasions. We know snacking is huge for gen Z, so when they don't feel like doing the whole prep for the Crunchwrap kit, they can have some friends over for the game.

00;17;05;25 - 00;17;23;05
Danielle
You know, Gen Z is incredibly engaged in sports. Take out a jar of the crunchwrap dip. Dip a chip in and you get all the flavors, the textures, and the experience of the crunchwrap in one bite with the dip. I will say, a little bit biased for the dips. They're probably my favorite product I've ever worked on in my time in marketing.

00;17;23;05 - 00;17;29;02
Danielle
They're delicious and just so spot on with a Gen Z consumer need of ease and convenience.

00;17;29;04 - 00;17;35;12
Jess
Yeah, well, and it takes a shortcut to some of the favorite flavors, right? It's just a such a cool idea. Puts it right in their hands.

00;17;35;15 - 00;17;38;04
Danielle
Yeah. Brings it to them in another new way too.

00;17;38;06 - 00;18;01;18
Jess
Yeah I love that. So let's turn from these great lessons and stories from these innovations to you as a leader, Danielle. So you've got this really cool point of view that I always love to hear about. So, you know, we've talked about these restaurant brands, but you're also in charge of legacy brands. And these are brands that I'm sure everyone who's listening has had in their pantry, in their household for years and years.

00;18;01;21 - 00;18;09;23
Jess
Brands like A1, L&P Worchestershire Sauce. So how do you think about strategy differently for those types of brands?

00;18;09;25 - 00;18;28;19
Danielle
Yeah, I think the challenge is just so different between some of these restaurant brands where people know and love the restaurant, and our job to be done is really about expanding what they know and love to the retail environment. And I think the biggest piece there is making them aware that these brands exist in retail. It's a totally different challenge

00;18;28;19 - 00;18;48;00
Danielle
on the legacy part of my portfolio. These are brands that people could probably sing the jingles. Or probably everyone's heard of The part of me, do you have any Gray Poupon ads. But they don't necessarily see those brands naturally relevant in their lifestyle. So the big challenge for some of my more legacy portfolio is, yes, these were relevant years ago.

00;18;48;00 - 00;19;12;14
Danielle
They have huge history. Let's modernize and make these brands relevant for today's generation as well. So a lot more focus on new and relevant usage occasions. We did something cool last year. Historically Lea & Perrins, which is a Worchestershire sauce is used in, crockpot meals and meatloaf, which yes still have a role, but probably a little less relevant than they were 10 or 15 years ago.

00;19;12;16 - 00;19;35;05
Danielle
But one of the big occasions for millennials that they don't even realize L&P is in is Bloody Marys. So we did a partnership to launch a Lean & Perrins Bloody Mary mix to drive awareness. Hey, this brand is relevant for your lifestyle. Another one and actually just launched earlier this week. A1 steak sauce. Such a classic. Both in the restaurant environment as well as at home.

00;19;35;08 - 00;19;57;27
Danielle
But millennials are eating red meat still for sure. But maybe it's in different ways. Or they're craving, again that restaurant inspired taste. So we did a partnership and launched an A1 steakhouse butter, because when you go out to a restaurant or a steakhouse, I mean, one of my favorite parts is that blob of butter on the top. It has herbs and flavor, and it melts all over your steak, and it just kind of takes it up to the next level.

00;19;57;29 - 00;20;16;12
Danielle
So now consumers can have that at home too. And it just shows, hey, A1 is a premium product and it can give you that restaurant experience, which we know consumers are loving. It just brings the new life into some of these brands. By showing those new types of occasions and emotional connections that millennials can make too.

00;20;16;14 - 00;20;41;10
Jess
Yeah, I mean, I love it. I'm getting such nostalgic vibes, not just for what you're describing in terms of bringing those experiences to new product formats, but I think I told you that very early in my career these are all the brands that I supported. So Heinz was my number one client. So, you know, Lea & Perrins which I call L&P and Classico and all these guys, it's just they have meant so much for so long in the, the pantry of the United States.

00;20;41;10 - 00;20;51;12
Jess
And so it's so cool to see them reinventing themselves and finding new excuses to be, to be loved by consumers. So, count me in for an L&P Bloody Mary any day. Love that.

00;20;51;12 - 00;21;15;29
Danielle
That's awesome. Yeah. I mean, these brands are so unique. I think one of the big pieces we have to focus on is we don't want to lose our roots. You can't just totally reinvent one of these legacy brands. So it's how can we use those roots, really embrace our heritage, but show the relevance for this younger generation? So I mean, A1 steak sauce we're never going to turn it into A1 chicken sauce or something like that, because that's not what the product is meant for.

00;21;15;29 - 00;21;29;03
Danielle
That's not where the equity is. So how do we instead modernize it to live with how millennials are eating steak today? So it's been an interesting journey. I have a lot of passion for these smaller brands too. And finding ways to be relevant today.

00;21;29;10 - 00;21;41;24
Jess
I just keep reflecting on the fact that you manage a lot. You have every shape and size of brand and every marketing activity under the sun. So, busy, busy. What's your hot take on the future of the food industry?

00;21;41;27 - 00;22;02;06
Danielle
Well, just on your comment before I will say it takes a village and I have an incredible team that supports me in bringing this all to life. So really, credit goes to them. I just, get to help lead on some of the strategy stuff. But in terms of the hot take on the food industry, this one might not be shocking given some of my portfolio as well.

00;22;02;08 - 00;22;24;14
Danielle
I think as I look at my brands, again, you mentioned it, I have such a broad portfolio and different brands. All the brands are not necessarily treated equally in terms of budget or things like that. But that does not mean we should just ignore brands. So one of the things that I've really started to see is campaigns, media, etc. have gotten so expensive in the store.

00;22;24;14 - 00;22;57;03
Danielle
Display space has gotten competitive, and there's more and more stores that have clean store policies. So it's getting even more challenging to break through in the traditional marketing ways. I might have said this line last time we spoke, but I'm a huge believer in ideas speak louder than investment. The idea of if you have a great idea that's relevant with culture that is, relevant for your brand, and in the right moment, you could bring it to life in an incredibly creative way that doesn't have to cost a lot or be challenging to execute and have success.

00;22;57;03 - 00;23;16;01
Danielle
So, I mean, of course, things like media sufficiency are incredibly important for those big campaigns and everything, but if you have a brand that can't get there, just doesn't have the budget, doesn't mean you have no options. I'm a huge believer in earned media and creating something that's so culturally relevant that you get the earned coverage as well.

00;23;16;03 - 00;23;43;07
Danielle
You might have heard it from some of my examples licensed partners, but if you can't do it alone, find a partner who has a symbiotic kind of product with yours and bring it to life together. I think it just takes a little extra creativity when you work on smaller brands with smaller budgets. But I mean, it's been really refreshing to me seeing this award season and past too, that it's not just the biggest splashy campaigns anymore that are resonating and that are winning those awards and resonating with consumers.

00;23;43;09 - 00;24;03;06
Danielle
It's really about the idea and finding an execution that's just so true to what you're doing versus force fitting it into like a TV spot or, or the traditional marketing playbook. So yeah, yeah, I think it also keeps me inspired and trying new things, because every day I learn about a new tactic and a new way we can bring something to life.

00;24;03;06 - 00;24;08;02
Danielle
So yeah, it keeps it exciting. We're not just running the same playbook over and over anymore.

00;24;08;04 - 00;24;24;09
Jess
Yeah, well, I love that renaissance moment for some of the smaller brands, and it's all about connecting deeply and finding a purpose and making sure that you can appeal to those, those moments that matter. So I love those examples, and I know a lot of our listeners do work on brands where they don't have these gargantuan budgets.

00;24;24;09 - 00;24;41;17
Jess
So you just have to be more creative. So excellent advice, thank you for that. Well, let's turn to the final dig. As we know, this is all about you as a person. Feel free to take off your professional hat for a moment. So I don't think we're going to ever take the foodie out of you, so just let that part be natural for you.

00;24;41;19 - 00;24;44;11
Jess
What's the last product or service you bought on impulse?

00;24;44;14 - 00;25;09;11
Danielle
Yeah, so I actually thought of two because, both are very different kinds of impulses. So first, I definitely have a soft spot and I'm very nostalgic. So after a tough week at work or a tough week, sometimes I just want one of those products that I grew up eating for a snack. So I impulse bought a very large box of bagel bites the other day, like, had to be broken up into smaller Ziploc bags in my freezer.

00;25;09;11 - 00;25;30;13
Danielle
Because I just, I knew I needed that bite of familiarity. I also love pizza and anything mini. So for me, that was just like, total comfort food. And then on the other side, more in the beverage area again, of course, I'm going to enter food and beverage type of things. So I was at a 7-Eleven or something and I saw this, the most beautiful package.

00;25;30;13 - 00;25;50;19
Danielle
It was a watermelon water, and I didn't really know what that meant exactly. It was just gorgeous matte packaging finish. And I looked at it and it was like next to no calories, electrolytes, health and wellness and then not carbonated, which is kind of like the perfect mix for me. So I bought it honestly, probably because of the beautiful packaging.

00;25;50;21 - 00;25;58;27
Danielle
And now I've ordered, it's called Mellow Watermelon water. And now I've ordered like 6 or 7 cases on Amazon because I'm addicted.

00;25;59;02 - 00;26;15;14
Jess
There you go. So that impulse turned into a loyal consumer. That's great. And again, Bagel Bites worked so long on that brand. Oh my gosh, tasted every single kind of bagel bite. I miss them in my life. I need to bring them back in. So what's the category, brand or product that you could rationalize any price point for?

00;26;15;14 - 00;26;16;25
Jess
You just have to have it in your life.

00;26;16;28 - 00;26;39;26
Danielle
Honestly, almost any indulgent or treat yourself kind of category, but ice cream is that spot for me. Graeter’s Ice cream was huge. I went to school in the south and Graeter’s was huge there. The Graeter’s black raspberry chocolate chunk is just I think it's like over $10 a pint and I don't even care. It's just so, so tasty, so creamy.

00;26;39;26 - 00;26;42;29
Danielle
Indulgence is where I’ll splurge for sure.

00;26;43;01 - 00;26;53;06
Jess
Alright, fair enough. Absolutely. And brands have distinct personalities. Is there a brand that you would like to date and a brand that you would like to marry and they don't always have to be the same brand. It's fair.

00;26;53;08 - 00;27;11;29
Danielle
Yeah. So I think for me, I think Coca Cola comes to mind for me, I, I it's funny because I actually don't even drink soda. I don't like drinking Coca Cola, but it's such a great brand. I love that it's all about happiness and finding those moments of joy, no matter where you are. Also reliable and dependable.

00;27;11;29 - 00;27;25;26
Danielle
No matter where you travel in the world, you can always get a Coca Cola and get that moment of joy. So to me, that would probably be the brand I would marry. Dependable, brings happiness and joy. And yeah, it just makes you smile.

00;27;25;29 - 00;27;27;15
Jess
And you can travel the world. I like it.

00;27;27;15 - 00;27;31;02
Danielle
Exactly. Yes. That is a great point. Yes, exactly.

00;27;31;04 - 00;27;40;04
Jess
So thank you for sharing all of these lessons. And you know, the latest that that you're doing from a portfolio brand standpoint, what keeps you inspired day to day?

00;27;40;09 - 00;28;01;03
Danielle
Yeah. So I think there are two big places that I get inspiration. And I think one is young new marketers. I feel like they give me the perfect real dose of reality when I'm maybe going down. Hey, we did this last year, it worked so well. I love some of the skeptical and like realness of some of these newer Gen Z marketers.

00;28;01;03 - 00;28;22;18
Danielle
They really keep me in touch with, hey, here's what's actually happening. Here's what's actually resonating. And as I talk about breaking through the traditional playbook, that's what really keeps me inspired and understanding what's resonating today. And I think for me, the second one is just getting out and seeing things in real life. I challenge myself every month to walk a different grocery store.

00;28;22;20 - 00;28;45;21
Danielle
Sometimes it will be like a more of unique ethnic food store. Sometimes a club store or, it could be any different form. But I think really seeing products in real life, seeing new innovation and seeing inspiration and flavor in flavor and format, and actually one of my favorite things is looking at the clearance section of grocery stores because it shows you what's not working necessarily.

00;28;45;23 - 00;29;03;27
Danielle
And that honestly is just as important to understand what's not working or what might be too niche or too ahead of its time as understanding those new and exciting places. And as we talked about the shopping journey for Gen Z too I think even the grocery experience and how you shop a store is continuing to evolve.

00;29;03;27 - 00;29;11;18
Danielle
So I often learn about new tactics and what actually captures my attention in the grocery store just by walking the aisles as well.

00;29;11;20 - 00;29;16;18
Jess
Yeah. And you observe a lot of shoppers in their natural environment. It's fascinating, isn't it?

00;29;16;20 - 00;29;28;10
Danielle
Definitely. I try not to be too creepy looking in everyone's cart, but I definitely am doing it out of the side of my eye, see who's buying my products or who's buying competitors, and looking at what else is in the basket too.

00;29;28;12 - 00;29;43;06
Jess
Yep, there's a few of us in the food industry creeping around the store so, well that's fantastic. Danielle, thank you so much for joining us again. Another great set of lessons and inspiration. So really, it's been wonderful talking with you again.

00;29;43;09 - 00;29;48;04
Danielle
Thank you for having me. And who knows, maybe there will be a third, third time's the charm in the future.

00;29;48;04 - 00;29;55;06
Jess
Hope so, you guys keep, you know, pushing out such great innovation. I'm sure there will be. So thanks everybody for joining. Until next time.

00;29;55;08 - 00;29;56;11
VO
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00;29;56;13 - 00;30;01;18
VO
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