How to Keep Brands Competitive in Changing Markets

I have spent years in the highs and lows of the consumer goods industry but never seen a pricing climate quite like this. Manufacturers are getting squeezed from every direction-tariffs, skyrocketing raw material costs, and relentless supply chain disruptions. The old playbook of raising prices to cover costs? That’s dead. Why? Because consumers are feeling the pressure too. A 2024 Nielsen report makes it clear: today’s shoppers are scrutinizing every dollar they spend, and brands that aren’t strategic about pricing risk losing market share fast. Here’s what I’m seeing from top CPG brands that get it: 1️⃣ Walmart is investing heavily in AI-driven pricing models to keep costs competitive-e-commerce now makes up 18% of total revenue. 2️⃣ PepsiCo is doubling down on pack-size innovation, offering smaller, affordable options to maintain volume without excessive discounting. 3️⃣ Luxury brands are using price elasticity models, testing demand thresholds before rolling out increases-avoiding consumer pushback. 4️⃣ Supply chain resilience is non-negotiable. Companies are shifting manufacturing away from China, despite short-term cost spikes, to avoid future geopolitical risks. The smartest brands aren’t just reacting. They’re rethinking. They’re moving toward Revenue Growth Management (RGM) frameworks that help them: ✅ Optimize pricing and promotions (because blanket price hikes are a losing game) ✅ Focus on margin-smart growth, not just revenue ✅ Leverage data analytics to make smarter, faster pricing decisions Brands that don’t evolve risk eroding profitability or pricing themselves out of the market. CPG leaders who master strategic pricing, operational efficiency, and consumer-driven value creation will own the future of this industry. Are you adjusting your strategy, or just reacting to rising costs? Because in 2025, only the most adaptable brands will win. #CPG #FMCG #PricingStrategy #RevenueGrowth #ConsumerGoods

Gain a data-driven understanding of your customer through Importance-Performance Maps. In today's competitive business world, differentiating your brand by understanding and delivering what truly matters to your customers is crucial. That’s where Importance-Performance Maps (I-P Maps) come in, providing a powerful visual tool to drive strategic decisions. What exactly is an I-P Map? It's a two-by-two grid that allows you to evaluate how well your brand performs in the areas that are important (as well as *not* important) to consumers. The vertical axis represents the importance of various attributes in consumers' eyes, while the horizontal axis shows your brand's performance in those areas. You can include other brands in your market, too, in order to see how your brand stacks up against the competition along those. When done correctly, every critical attribute of your offering -- whether it's product quality, customer service, or pricing -- is plotted on the I-P Map based on these two dimensions. Why does it matter? I-P Maps reveal your brand's strengths and areas where improvement is needed. Here's a breakdown of the quadrants: - Keep It Up (High Importance, High Performance): These are your strengths—attributes that are both highly important to customers and where your brand performs well. Maintain focus here to keep your competitive edge. - Concentrate Here (High Importance, Low Performance): These are critical areas where your brand is underperforming, despite their high importance to customers. Improving performance here can significantly boost customer satisfaction. - Low Priority (Low Importance, Low Performance): Attributes that are less important and where performance is lower. These areas may not require immediate attention but should be monitored for any shifts in customer priorities. - Possible Overkill (Low Importance, High Performance): Here, your brand may be over-delivering in areas that are not as important to customers. Resources invested here might be better allocated to areas of higher impact. How do I use I-P Maps? Use I-P Maps to make informed decisions backed by data that align with customer expectations. Fix those areas of underperformance that are important to consumers. Stop investing in attributes of your product or service that consumers just don't care about. Prioritize investment in product offerings, elevate aspects of customer service, or reallocate resources to close competitive gaps or strengthen your advantages. Use I-P Maps to make informed choices that improve your business performance in impactful and efficient ways. Art+Science Analytics Institute | University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | University of Chicago | D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University | ELVTR | Grow with Google - Data Analytics #Analytics #DataStorytelling

What would I do if I still ran a big food brand? This is my third and final post in this series. If you’ve been following, you’ve read some great commentary from others. Now I’ll offer my suggestions. I’ll start with an affirmation: many brand managers are fighting the good fight – investing in new campaigns, line extensions, optimizing price, delivering productivity, etc. I dismissed this well-grooved playbook in my first post – not because it’s wrong, but because it’s not enough. These levers are very necessary, but they are insufficient. What’s missing? Here are three uniquely important must-dos in this moment: 1.     Product superiority. People say private label has closed the quality gap and brands can’t recover lost share. I’m not sure – but I’d want to find out. If your product quality doesn’t justify the price premium, fix that fast. Hint: more quality is a better than less price. 2.     Differentiation. Why is your brand better? Is the difference meaningful to today’s consumer? If the answer is “I don’t know,” or worse, “It’s not,” then you have a problem. No amount of marketing spend will solve it. Find your difference before you invest. 3.     Competitive intelligence. The new game is share-stealing. You won’t take share from fast-growing insurgents, but you can from big-company peers. Study your competitors, find their weakness, and outrun them. That’s the short-term list for brand marketers – finding incremental advantage through hyper-sharp execution. But there’s another mission-critical, long-term job, and it belongs to the CEO: 4.     Rebuild innovation capability.  If marketing is struggling, innovation is on life support. The issue is systemic and cultural, and a solo brand manager can’t solve it. Maybe it requires an internal moonshot.  Stretch your thinking about what is possible.  Adjust incentives to better reward innovation risk.  Stop killing promising ideas because they aren’t big or profitable at first glance.  Find a lane for innovative talent struggling in an optimizing-obsessed culture. Or maybe you can’t build that engine internally. Admit it and acquire it. Buy more emerging brands. Resurrect corporate venturing but do it right this time. Expand your M&A remit. Learn to integrate different cultures and models so you don’t break what you just bought. I wish I had a magic wand. I don’t. I just know innovation is essential. Protecting the past has somehow become incompatible with creating the future – and that really shouldn’t be the case. I’ll close with someone else’s enduring genius. Peter Drucker said, “Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation.” He wrote this in 1954. The wisdom hasn’t changed, but consumers have. I’m rooting for your success, but it’s going to take more than what you’re doing now. Reach out if you want to chat more about it. Prior posts are in the comments.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 For seasoned entrepreneurs, small business owners, and CEOs, crafting a compelling brand story might be second nature. Yet, even the most well-crafted narrative can become obsolete in a fast-evolving market. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁. A brand story is more than just a narrative; it’s the essence of your brand’s identity, values, and mission. 🔵 Does your story resonate with your target audience’s aspirations and challenges? 🔵 Has your business evolved in a way that requires a narrative update? A relevant brand story should evoke emotion, foster connection, and differentiate your brand. By periodically revisiting and refreshing your brand story, if necessary, you ensure that it continues to represent your brand and engage your audience authentically. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝟭. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 Consumer needs and values shift with cultural, economic, and technological changes. If your story doesn’t evolve alongside your audience, your brand risks appearing outdated or out of touch. 𝟮. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 A study published by Harvard Business Review highlights that organizations refining their narratives are much more likely to maintain their competitive edge. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 Emotional resonance is the key to building long-term customer relationships. Brands that reflect their customers’ current challenges, aspirations, and values in their stories see higher retention rates and increased sales. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 ➡️ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀: Use surveys, analytics, and customer feedback to track changes in your audience’s priorities. ➡️ 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: Reassess your messaging to ensure it reflects the latest industry and societal shifts. ➡️ 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Share updated customer testimonials or behind-the-scenes brand evolution to keep your audience engaged.   𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Brands that fail to evolve risk more than irrelevance—they risk decline. Sticking to a static story is like navigating today’s markets with yesterday’s map. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 Your brand story isn’t a one-and-done exercise—it’s a living, breathing narrative that must evolve alongside your business and audience. When was the last time you revisited your brand story? Is it inspiring loyalty—or leaving your audience behind? #BrandStorytelling #CustomerEngagement #BrandLoyalty  

Most brand plans talk about market share. Some talk about category growth. But very few account for how differently those two levers actually work — or which one your brand is realistically set up to pull. A 2020 study from Ehrenberg-Bass Institute researchers Arry Tanusondjaja, Charles Graham, Steven Dunn, Magda Nenycz-Thiel, and Bruce McColl looked at 189 manufacturers across 39 CPG categories in the U.S. and U.K. to understand the real drivers of organic sales growth. Here’s what they found 👇 📊 Smaller brands grow mostly by gaining market share For brands with less than 10% share, 73% of revenue growth came from increasing share. But growth came with risk: smaller brands experienced 3–4x more volatility than larger brands. 📈 Larger brands grow mostly through category growth For brands with more than 40% share, 60% of growth came from the category getting bigger — not taking share from others. Their performance closely tracked overall category trends. 🧠 So how should brand strategy shift? If you’re a small brand, focus on winning share through: – Reaching light category buyers who don’t yet buy your brand – Making your brand easier to notice and easier to buy – Reinforcing memory structures in the buying situations you can realistically win – Using your distinctive assets consistently and across channels If you’re a large brand, focus on growing with the category: – Advertising broadly to maintain mental availability – Protecting penetration by reaching both current and lapsed buyers – Expanding the number of Category Entry Points your brand is linked to — so it’s easier to think of in more buying situations – Avoiding over-reliance on promotions, which don’t build long-term memory ⚠️ The key point: track both share and category size 📉 You can gain share but still shrink if the category is declining 📈 You can lose share but grow revenue if the category is expanding Growth isn’t just about beating competitors — it’s about whether more people are buying, and whether they’re thinking of you when they do. Full study: https://lnkd.in/g2NUYKTi

"Don’t ask what will change in the next 10 years. Ask what 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 change." – Jeff Bezos. The same rule applies to building an Amazon business. One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is to chase every trend. Yes, staying updated on market shifts is important. But if you’re constantly pivoting your entire business around the latest fad, you’re playing a short-term game. The surface like your product selection or marketing angles should evolve. But the core of your business model needs to be sustainable. In e-commerce, fundamentals don’t change. Customers will always want: ✅ Competitive prices ✅ Quality products ✅ Seamless buying experience No customer will ever say, “I wish my order took longer,” “I wish I paid more,” or “I want lower-quality products.” Build your business around what always matters. Here’s what to focus on to make it happen: 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 ➟ Sell products people actually need, not just hype-driven fads. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 ➟ Master inventory, logistics, and cash flow to scale sustainably. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ➟ Reviews and ratings drive long-term success—make every purchase a great one. Also, Repeat customers = less ad spend, more profit. Focus on LTV, not just one-off sales. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 ➟ Price competitively, but with margins that keep you profitable. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 ➟ Ads, SEO, and branding—get in front of the right customers. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ➟ Fast fulfillment (FBA or 3PL) keeps customers happy and loyal. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 & 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 ➟ Long-term brands beat short-term sellers. Build something real. Tech will evolve. Algorithms will shift. But the sellers who get these things right? They’ll still be winning in 10 years. Play the long game. Build a business that lasts. PS. I’ve spent the last 10 years building ZonGuru to help sellers and brands scale with data-driven strategies. We're trusted by brands & agencies doing over $200M in revenue. Want more tips and insights on growing your business? Follow me.

If your brand can be matched, it can be beat. And if competitors are given the opportunity, they eventually will. Not because they’re out to get you. Not because you're doing something wrong. But because you left the front gate of the castle wide open! Every company is trying to serve their customers better. Expanding into unclaimed territory is just good strategy. So if you don’t own a clear advantage in a defensible market, all it takes to beat you is: - Better timing - Deeper pockets - Faster execution That’s why you don’t build where everyone else already plays. It's my most fundamental rule of competitive positioning: Go where competitors can’t follow without reinventing themselves. That’s whitespace. The unmet need, the overlooked customer, the unserved angle. It’s the gap between what people want and what the market is delivering. When you own whitespace: - You define the rules - You anchor expectations - You force competitors to pivot or perish if they want to chase you That’s how you become unmatchable. If you build inside the lines, you’re just another option. But if you redraw the map, you become the category of one. This is where I come in. I've built my career around helping competitive-minded brands uncover - and claim - the whitespace in their market. Because once you find the space no one owns, you stop competing… and start dominating. Here is how to check your market whitespace and see if you actually own an uncopyable space: Ask yourself these 3 questions: - If a competitor copied our offer exactly, would customers still choose us? (If the answer is “maybe” or “only if we’re faster/cheaper,” you’re vulnerable.) - What are we doing, or saying, that no one else in our market dares to? (This reveals if you're in safe, saturated space... or shaping new ground.) If we disappeared tomorrow, what would our market lose that no one else provides? (If the answer is unclear, your advantage isn’t defensible.)

Nike’s recent challenges are a big wake-up call for mature brands! The company’s decision to go all-in on direct-to-consumer sales made sense in theory—it gave them more control over their brand and customer experience. However, this pivot impacted sales and alienated long-standing retail partners. It shows how even powerhouse brands like Nike can face big obstacles if they don’t align with key stakeholders. It’s a solid reminder: as you evolve, keep the people and partnerships that helped you grow in the loop. So What? Nike’s experience also highlights the risk of staying too focused on the “old way.” Stagnation can creep in fast, especially as new players and trends enter the scene. Brands need to stay agile, adapt their offerings, and stay in sync with changing customer needs. Take a page out of ON shoes’ playbook—they focused on delivering something unique for their niche but also tuned into a wider audience's tastes and preferences. Tools like customer feedback systems or creative exercises (such as the Vietnam Card Sort) help brands uncover shifting needs and avoid being seen as “yesterday’s solution.” Now What? For B2B brands looking to keep pace, Nike’s story offers three clear strategies: strengthen your core, explore adjacent markets, and make smart partnerships. Maybe it’s enhancing your product with new tech like AI to boost customer experience or efficiency, or perhaps it’s branching into related markets that share your strengths. Collaborations, too, can be a game-changer—partnering with complementary businesses opens doors to new audiences and added value for customers. Staying relevant isn’t just about improving the product; it’s about keeping the brand fresh and culturally relevant in a fast-moving market. Photo source: Domino Studio

Most agencies think they can outwork the competition. The truth? You can’t win a battle of attrition if you’re fighting on the wrong front. Too many agencies waste time trying to be the jack-of-all-trades, but let me tell you something: If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll end up being nothing to anyone. Here’s the positioning playbook that will never go out of style. ➝ Own Your Niche Everyone wants to serve everyone, but if you want to stand out, pick a specific niche and dominate it. Whether it’s eCommerce, SaaS, or B2B lead generation, when you own a niche, you’re not just another agency—you’re the agency. ➝ Differentiate or Die What makes your agency different? If your answer is vague or the same as every other agency out there, you’ve got a problem. Focus on your unique process, your unmatched results, or your killer approach to client relationships. Make that your battle cry. ➝ Simplify to Amplify Your message should be clear, concise, and so simple it sticks in your client’s mind. Don’t overcomplicate. If you’re not talking about the core benefit that directly solves your client’s problem, you’re wasting time. ➝ Create a Consistent Experience Your brand isn’t what you say it is—it’s what your clients say it is. Make sure every touchpoint—from your website to your emails—reflects the position you want to hold in the market. ➝ Proof Over Promises Forget telling people how great you are. Show them. Use client testimonials and case studies as your proof of concept. Let your clients’ success stories position you as the go-to expert. ➝ Adapt or Get Left Behind The market is always changing, and if you’re not evolving, you’re dying. Regularly reassess your positioning. Stay relevant by adapting to shifts in the market, your competitors, and most importantly, your clients’ needs. The Bottom Line: Positioning isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a process that never ends. If you want to win in the long game, you need to carve out your space in your client’s mind and hold onto it like your business depends on it—because it does. When your clients think of your niche, they should think of you. That’s when you know you’ve won the positioning game.

🔍 Strategic Intelligence Beats Gut Feelings Every Time Competitive Analysis Isn’t Spying, It’s Strategic Positioning In business, it’s not enough to be “good” at what you do; you need to be positioned to win. Too many entrepreneurs are trying to grow their businesses in the dark, unaware of how their competitors operate, price, market, and deliver. The truth? If you're not analyzing your competition, you're handing them the advantage. Let me be clear, competitive analysis is not espionage. It’s strategy. It’s awareness. It’s your secret weapon for building a sustainable advantage. I’ve worked with businesses across dozens of industries, from $5K startups to $10M+ scale-ups, and the most profitable ones have one thing in common: They know exactly who they’re up against and how to outperform them. Here’s how top performers do it: 🚨 1. Know Their Market Position. What are your competitors claiming as their unique edge? Do you clearly counter it, or are you just another “me too” option? Study their branding, content, and offers. You’re not copying; you’re identifying your differentiation. 💰 2. Analyze Their Pricing & Value Stack. In retail wireless, I used to run pricing and offer comparisons every single week. Why? Because the market moved fast, and whoever responded fastest won the customers. Are you tracking how your pricing and offer actually compare to alternatives in your space? 🧲 3. Study Their Lead Generation & Sales Process. How do your top 3 competitors attract leads? What platforms do they advertise on? What’s their funnel? In one of our recent strategy sessions, we reverse-engineered a competitor’s funnel using only public pages and ads. We found 3 holes and created an offer that outsold them in 30 days. 📊 4. Monitor Their Customer Feedback. Want the best R&D? Read their reviews. Their 5-star reviews can tell you what’s working. Their 1-star reviews tell you where the opportunity is. At My Biz Coaches, we consistently employ this method to craft more effective offers with inherent market demand. 🎯 5. Create Your Counter Positioning. Apple didn’t try to be Microsoft. They positioned themselves against Microsoft. In your business, clarity wins. Tell your prospects why you're different and then back it up. Bottom line: Competitive analysis isn’t optional; it’s essential! The businesses that scale the fastest are those that understand the game they’re playing, know who they’re competing against, and craft a better strategy to win. If you’re not actively doing that, you’re not building a brand, you’re just reacting to one. #MyBizCoaches #BusinessConsulting #FractionalExecutives #StrategicGrowth #EntrepreneurTips