John Dean’s Post

"Delighted to announce my successful completion of the PepsiCo Sales Star Program! 🌟 Honoured to have actively participated in their enriching workshop and passed the required assessment. Excited to leverage these new skills and insights to drive success in my career journey. #PepsiCo #SalesStar #ProfessionalDevelopment"

It was a great time hosting the The Coca-Cola and NBC leadership team’s visit in my trade last wednesday . Sharing market and customer insights, MDP overview operations and trade execution was an interesting time . It was nice meeting you Bryan Sun , Jerusha Ramdeen and Begonia Fafian . #marketvisit #cocacola #marketinsights #tradeexecution #CCHBC.

The #Coke vs. #Pepsi Rivalry: Lessons in Branding and Resilience. As a former Pepsi #employee, I have firsthand #experience with the intense rivalry between the two #beverage giants. In the early 2000s, Pepsi experienced a golden period in India, with successful #campaigns like "Nothing official about it" and "Yeh Dil Mange More" helping the brand gain ground. However, the tides turned in 2021 when Coca-Cola significantly outsold Pepsi, prompting a response from the latter in the form of a new commercial. This ongoing battle for #marketshare is a testament to the importance of strategic #branding and #adaptability in the fast-paced #consumer goods industry. While my personal #loyalty remains with the "blue" Pepsi brand, I acknowledge the formidable presence of #CocaCola. This rivalry has pushed both companies to innovate, create memorable campaigns, and continuously strive to stay relevant in the eyes of consumers. As #marketing and #business professionals, we can learn valuable lessons from the Coke vs. Pepsi saga. It highlights the need for adaptable strategies, #innovative #thinking, and a relentless pursuit of market dominance. The willingness to respond to challenges and evolve with changing consumer preferences can be the key to sustained success in any competitive landscape. #BrandManagement #MarketingStrategy #BusinessCompetition #CorporateHistory #ConsumerGoods #BrandLoyalty #india #sundaymood #sundaymusing #bharat

During a trip from my hometown to my workplace with my son, our bus stopped for a lunch break. My son, a fan of Lays chips, insisted on getting a packet. While I don't usually indulge in it, his enthusiasm sparked my curiosity. Reading the packet, he discovered it was a product of PepsiCo Ltd... This led me to ponder the origins of Lays, including how it acquired its name and the factors behind its success. Let me summarize the key points for you.

I've been seeing so much momentum around skills-first hiring - which is fantastic to see, as this will only serve to further democratize access to opportunity. Alongside this development, I think that it's important to highlight the work that goes into building the ability of students to speak confidently about their skills, develop their personal brand, and ultimately "pitch" themselves as holistic candidates! What I love about this Field Sales simulation with PepsiCo, is that it emphasizes the value of key skills such as leading through influence, developing a pitch, forward-thinking decision-making, and executing a project plan. This is certainly a great opportunity for anyone considering a career in business, entrepreneurship, or sales. I also think it's a great opportunity for ALL students, regardless of their career interests or goals. This simulation can be easily brought to life in the classroom! Here are a few suggestions on how to do so: 1. Have your students present their "Sales pitch" directly within the classroom. 2. Students can complete a journaling exercise focused on their key learnings, approach to each task, challenges encountered & next steps. 3. Have your students research "Field Sales" job descriptions, break into groups and conduct mock interviews, incorporating their experiences gained within the simulation. As always, this simulation is completely free and open access. Let me know if you have any questions!

🚀 Exciting moves in the beverage industry! Mark Schiller, the former CMO of Kraft Heinz, has now taken on the role of Global Chief Marketing Officer at Bacardi. 🍸 After over 5 fruitful years leading Kraft Heinz’s marketing in North America, Schiller’s leap to Bacardi marks a new chapter aimed at boosting their global marketing strategies. With a rich background that includes stints at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, his wealth of experience is something the spirits giant is eager to tap into. 🔄 As someone who has navigated career transitions within the marketing sphere, I find this move particularly intriguing. Transitioning between industries or even within sectors requires not only a deep understanding of market dynamics but also an adaptability to new corporate cultures and consumer bases. Mark's move comes at a time when Bacardi aims to amplify its market presence and innovate its branding strategies to stand out against competitors - a tall order and an exciting challenge. 🤔 What do you think makes a marketing leader truly effective when shifting between such major brands and industries? How important is adaptability versus industry-specific knowledge? Would love to hear your insights, especially if you’ve made similar transitions or are considering one! ➡️ #MarketingLeadership #CareerMoves #BrandStrategy #Bacardi #KraftHeinz #CMO #GlobalMarketing #BusinessStrategy #ConsumerGoods MarketingTrends

☕ CAFFEINE 🗣 CONVERSATIONS 🤝CONNECTIONS Time to get back at this... I was fortunate enough to reconnect with another friend and former colleague, Todd Schroeder, from my days at Energizer Batteries, now Energizer Holdings. While I was creating annual promotional plans for grocery retailers like Kroger, in which we were awarded #CategoryCaptaincy during my tenure, and Home Depot/Lowe’s in which I played an instrumental role in becoming the “Preferred Vendor” in batteries and flashlights for both retailers’ #hurricanepreparedness programs, Todd was building a #bestinclass #categorymanagement team supporting retail accounts like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and other Grocery and Drug retailers. Todd went on to lead the Mass / Electronics channel for Energizer which included Target, Best Buy, Amazon and other key electronics retailers.  In 2015, he was promoted to VP Sales, North America where his role was eventually expanded to include all of the Canadian market where they secured Loblaw’s and Walmart Canada exclusivity driving Energizer’s Share of Market above 70% for the first time. Todd recently finished out a successful career at Energizer as the Vice President, Trade Development where he once again built up a best-in-class team of over 70 people that drove the Revenue Growth Management, Trade Marketing, Category Management and Retail Operations efforts helping Energizer navigate through the supply and commodity cost pressures that all CPGs experienced through the pandemic.   He is currently working with Covenant Technology Partners in a consulting capacity helping develop AI solutions for the real-world challenges that face CPG companies. Now, if you think that is impressive….before working with Energizer, Todd was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the MLB Amateur Draft.  While interesting to talk baseball with him, it was equally interesting to hear how playing a sport, through college and professionally, shaped his work ethic, time management, and leadership skills. Todd grew up in Chicago a die-hard Cubs fan, but after living in the STL for so long, does he root for the Birds on the Bat, the Pirates or the Cubs? Set up time to network with him and maybe he will tell you. Todd is currently residing in St. Louis but is looking to move back to the Northwest Arkansas area to get closer to family. His focus is to get back on the sales leadership side of a consumer-packaged goods business. He brings over 24 years of leadership, best-in-class team building, trade marketing, and sales development which he crafted over the years all while at Energizer helping grow sales and build brand equity with one of THE TOP iconic brands in the world. Todd will be a fantastic addition to any company looking to expand its footprint in Walmart and Sam’s Club. Make sure you check out Todd Schroeder on LinkedIn.

The latest edition of 🗞 The Merchant Life...is written by RSG co-founder, Dr. Raj Dhiman. 🔸 🔸 🔸 Like George Costanza, I don’t drink wine. I drink Pepsi. Well, diet Pepsi. I love the stuff. Skip the can and just stick it to my veins. Diet pop isn’t the only thing that I like about the Pepsi brand. The parent company, PepsiCo, churns out high caliber CEO’s like it does corn chips. I’ll name a few CEO’s who are part of the Soda Mafia: Brian Cornell of Target, Lauren Hobart of DICK'S Sporting Goods, Vivek Sankaran of Albertsons, Mary Dillon of Foot Locker. According to Fortune, PepsiCo cranks out rockstar talent due to an intense focus on identifying and developing high performers. The process is deliberate and systematic. The company ID’s their high-potential talent and throws them in the deep end, so to speak. Talent is challenged, mentored and given room to fail. Also, you don’t have to be in the corporate office to be considered a high-performer….even truck drivers can be identified as one. Oh, and you’ll love this, PepsICo. has an expectation that executives understand the business as a whole. Being confined to one’s own business unit is a no no. That sounds superior to one and done leadership workshops and handing out meaningless certificates of completion. So, why would this matter to you? Liza was quoted in The Business of Fashion article last week discussing the “sales floor to c-suite” pipeline in retail. Specifically, how this pipeline is drying up. This isn’t earth-shattering news given that Fortune, NYT and Forbes published articles in early 2023 about the same topic. But, it does bear repetition. There was a time where future retail leaders were groomed at companies like Lord + Taylor, Abraham & Strauss and Macy's. People were able to work their way up and take on various roles. And unlike, Dr. Dhiman, I do love a great glass of🍷 Grab your glass and continue reading the latest edition of The Merchant Life --> https://lnkd.in/egKBPZD7 #retail #retailnews #businessoffashion #stores #ceos #succession #leadership