Self-Awareness
Bring out your inner child! Ironically, Pedialyte can kick start your transition into retirement
Pedialyte! As a proud father of two little boys, it is “go-to” drink that helps re-hydrate kids when they are under the weather. In Marketplace, “Pedialyte embraces its new customers: revelers”on May 15, 2015, we learn that Pedialtye has a whole new type of consumer: college students recovering from hang-overs. The same rehydration properties that…
Read MoreSmucker’s Jif goes “nuts” about product innovation. Will you innovate your approach to mentors?
Smucker’s. This maker of preserves, coffees and peanut butter has been around since 1897, when JM Smucker was pulling along a horse drawn wagon with its apple butter. Even with a great history in delivering a great American pastime (peanut butter and jelly), Smucker’s has certainly not been relaxing on a great name. In Food…
Read MoreMaker’s Mark teaches us how not to “dilute” our brand
Maker’s Mark. This bourbon has been sold in a very distinctive bottle sealed with red wax since 1954. In addition to great packaging and taste, you can count on its 45% alcohol by volume / 90 proof the same way you can count on the annual Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Or can you? In…
Read MoreBarilla’s pasta gets creative. Will you be as creative for your career “pasta”?!
Barilla. A family-owned company for 135 years that brings Italian delights such as pasta and sauces to the American consumer. Its variety of pastas has nutritious additions such as pasta infused with vegetables, white fiber, and whole grains. You really can expect more from your pasta. Barilla also expects more from you. The Wall Street…
Read MoreMind the gap – Strategies to handle a planned (or unplanned) leave of absence from the workforce
Mind the gap! This lovely phrase is used in the London underground to ensure passengers properly step from the platform onto their respective passenger trains without stumbling. There is such a strong career implication in this imagery, as passengers consciously understand and willingly do something slightly different in order to move forward. In 2012, professionals…
Read MoreUnilever is considering rebalancing its brand portfolio. When is the last time you rebalanced your skill portfolio?
Unilever (a merger of Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie in 1929) is an Anglo-Dutch consumer goods powerhouse with well-known personal care brands such as Dove, Axe, Vaseline, and Suave as well as food brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Slim-Fast, Ragu, Bertoli and Skippy. If you look at any region on planet earth, there are…
Read MoreProcter & Gamble and a focused job search: Don’t be willing to “do anything”
Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a consumer goods powerhouse that touts more “billion dollar” brands than any other. Legendary brand names like Bounty, Crest, Olay, Pantene and Tide have filled America’s homes since 1837. P&G fundamentally understands the American consumer and has based its success on targeting “the middle class.” The economic conditions of recent…
Read MoreOreo? Mac & Cheese? Which one are you?
Today, Kraft announced that it will be splitting into two separate publicly traded companies. One organization will focus on snacks (Oreo Cookies, Cadbury Chocolate), and the other organization will focus on grocery items (Kraft Mac N Cheese, Oscar Meyer Lunch Meat). Essentially, this split was done so that each organization could focus on its strengths. 2011 has…
Read MoreMillerCoors MGD 64 Lemonade – A valid innovation effort
Having worked in new product development, I know how challenging it is to launch either a new brand or a line extension on a current brand. The Chicago Tribune on July 26th, 2011, reported, “Miller Coors drops MGD 64 Lemonade.” With MGD 64, MillerCoors had been doing some great work in getting females interested in its low calorie beer. …
Read MoreHave some chocolate before that interview…
We have all heard “you are what you eat.” Well, there is now research that actually draws the correlation between your food and your mood. In “Study offers clues to emotional eating” on July 25, 2011, CNN.com and health.com reported that “the study is among the first to show that the effect of food on mood is biologically based.” Participants given…
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