Is CPG right for you? - YouTube

Is CPG, right for you?

Hey guys! So first of all, a HUGE thank you

for all your support on my last video. I really truly appreciated it.

Today what i want to talk about, is 5 things that can help

you decide if you want to join the CPG industry which is

the Consumer Packaged Goods industry.

# 1: Learning General Management Skills. Working in brand management in a CPG

is the best way to learn general management skills because you're not

only managing the advertising campaigns and product innovations, you're also

managing the strategic plans and the financial profile of your brand.

This means, you're thinking about how do you drive top-line sales

and bottom line profitability of your portfolio.

You're also bringing forth a vision and working with a huge cross-functional

team to be able to execute that vision.

At the end of the day you're really

acting like a business owner. And there's no better way to have that

entrepreneurial experience than working on a brand where you have

full ownership of the portfolio.

# 2: Getting closer to the consumer.

In CPG, no matter what we do, we try and

always keep the consumer at the heart of it all.

This means, whether it's a new innovation or a new campaign,

we're always thinking about what is relevant for the consumer.

What are those ever evolving needs and wants and desires of the consumers

and how can we make sure that our content delivers, our product innovation

delivers on those needs and wants. In some large CPGs, you may have the

budget or the resources to be able to go and do some consumer

research, be able to talk to your consumer, whether it's ethnographies or

focus groups. But when you don't have that chance, you

can always do secondary research and understand

more about what your consumer is looking for. In a CPG

you're almost trained to always think about your consumer in no matter what

you do. And that makes you a better marketer.

# 3: A chance to work on beloved brands.

In some CPGs,

you may get a chance to work on global brands.

But some of the most exciting parts of my career working on some of the most

beloved brands and they can absolutely be local or small.

These are the brands that have a true connection with their consumers.

They may or may not have a very long history.

But they definitely have some of the most powerful stories behind them.

You as a brand owner have a chance to really tell those stories and be able to

take the brand and accelerate it into the future and be

able to even transform it sometimes and create its own legacy.

It's truly a very rewarding experience, and very very humbling.

# 4: Reduced Agility. If you're looking

for a startup-like environment

where you can roll up your sleeves and make

innovations happen in a week, CPGs may not be the right place for you.

The reality is, a lot of these larger CPGs have huge

teams and they've spent years and years

figuring out how to develop robust processes

that are very well developed and they're very effective.

But they may not always be fast, which means if you're looking for a bit more

of a faster experience, you may want to consider a smaller

organization or go to a bit more of a startup company.

If you are in a CPG, I always encourage people talk to your leaders,

talk to your cross-functional team members and see what's possible

# 5: International Influence. Depending on the region that you're in

you may be asked to leverage assets or guidelines or

strategy from a larger region.So for example, some

CPGs in Canada may lift and adapt work from the U.S.

which is perfectly fine because it can be quite efficient.

It can help you really maximize your budgets.That may also mean that you may

not get a chance to see end-to-end processes

or you may not be able to see an entire idea come to life

from concept to execution. Personally i think it's quite rewarding and an

unforgettable experience if you do get to see the entire process.

And if it is important to you, please make sure you ask that question in your

interview or even do your homework ahead of time

and understand that the company will allow you to be able to get that

experience. For me CPG is the best thing that

happened to me. It allowed me to become a really strong

general manager, a good marketer and the best part of it

all is I get a chance to meet some of the most

incredibly passionate marketers every single day, I was also very fortunate to

be able to get some Canadian-first strategy, Canadian-first innovation and

be able to get that full experience. If you're considering CPG, please do your

homework. Look at the companies, understand the

purpose and the values of the company and make sure you're really going in

eyes wide open. CPG can give you some of the best

training and best experiences and it truly can be a marketer's dream

That's all for me for this video. If you have any comments at all

please leave it below and I will see you in my next video!

Thank you!