The FMCG Marketing Daily

The FMCG Marketing Daily — September 03, 2026 In this episode: • Unilever is attempting one of the trickiest moves in brand management — maturing an iconic but juvenilised brand without alienating its core equity. • PepsiCo consolidating its entire global media spend under one holding company is a landmark agency decision that will reshape how both Coke and Pepsi reach consumers worldwide. • Diageo removing responsible drinking and sustainability targets from executive pay is a significant public signal about how far the ESG rollback has now reached inside major FMCG boardrooms. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — September 02, 2026 In this episode: • Hershey's is using K-pop crossover act Katseye to reframe chocolate indulgence for Gen Z — a direct signal of how legacy confectionery brands are fighting back against better-for-you challengers. • PepsiCo's confirmation of damage to a Ukrainian production facility raises the brand-strategy question of how a global FMCG company manages market presence, supply continuity, and reputational positioning in an active conflict zone — a distinct operational-brand challenge from the Mondelez story already covered. • Domino's is mounting a direct brand challenge to burger QSR icons — a bold category-crossing competitive positioning move that any FMCG brand manager in food and beverage should study closely. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — September 01, 2026 In this episode: • Dr. Squatch is making a deliberate bet that live experiences with a mega-creator will out-perform paid media — a direct challenge to how FMCG challenger brands typically allocate their growth budgets. • Cheez-It is launching a new creative platform built entirely around college football fan culture — a direct bid by Kellanova to own a seasonal occasion the way Doritos owns the Super Bowl. • Fernando Machado's first campaign as Chipotle's Chief Brand Officer deploys 100 creators across 50 real kitchens — a scaled authenticity model that any FMCG brand manager using influencer content should study closely. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 31, 2026 In this episode: • Pernod Ricard's downgraded medium-term US outlook signals a structural shift in premium spirits demand that should force brand managers across the category to rethink portfolio prioritisation and marketing investment levels. • Beekeeper Coffee's NBA-star investment round is a live test of whether athlete-backed RTD challenger brands can carve durable equity in a category already crowded with celebrity plays — directly relevant after recent evidence that celebrity-founded FMCG brands are struggling to survive. • Meta stripping brand control over ad placement exclusions hands FMCG marketers a concrete brand-safety and budget-efficiency problem they need to respond to now, not after the next campaign review. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 30, 2026 In this episode: • UK healthy eating regulations are forcing major snack brands including Mondelez and PepsiCo to quietly reformulate iconic products — and the brand risk of consumers noticing is enormous. • Pernod Ricard's full acquisition of Italian aperitivo brand Italicus reveals a deliberate portfolio bet on the premiumisation of the aperitivo occasion — a direct challenge to Campari's category dominance. • Bel Group's Kiri is using its 60th anniversary to launch its first-ever international pastry competition across Asia, turning a heritage milestone into a live brand platform rather than a retrospective campaign. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 29, 2026 In this episode: • Beefeater's decision to resurrect a 1990s Jamiroquai music video for its zero-proof gin launch is a live case study in how heritage spirits brands are repositioning for the no-and-low alcohol moment without abandoning their identity. • The founder behind one of the fastest-growing CPG protein bar brands is now taking aim at the confectionery aisle with a low-sugar candy challenger — and his Walmart launch this week is the first real test of whether his formula works outside the snack bar category. • Old Navy's public pivot away from its summer marketing approach — after it visibly failed to drive store traffic — is a rare and instructive moment of a major consumer brand diagnosing its own marketing model failure in near real time. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 28, 2026 In this episode: • Fansville is one of the longest-running branded entertainment campaigns in FMCG — and its longevity makes it a rare live case study in sustained brand equity building. • Coca-Cola is betting on a social-first, creator-led model for college football — a direct signal of how the world's biggest beverage brand is shifting its live sports playbook. • Unilever and McCormick are offloading one of Britain's most iconic condiment brands — a move that signals ongoing FMCG portfolio rationalisation is far from over. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 27, 2026 In this episode: • Athleta's CMO is publicly breaking from the brand's previous marketing playbook with a deliberately more provocative fall campaign — a live case study in purposeful repositioning under pressure. • The celebrity brand boom is hitting a structural wall — and the lessons for FMCG brand managers who license fame as a shortcut to equity are uncomfortable. • A Russian drone strike on a Mondelez factory in north-east Ukraine puts one of the world's largest snack companies directly in an active conflict zone — with immediate implications for supply continuity, brand reputation, and category management. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 26, 2026 In this episode: • Heineken's US CMO reveals how the brand is actively repositioning around the consumer behaviour shift from digital socialising to real-world connection — without abandoning its core positioning. • BrewDog's controversial co-founder is back with a non-alcoholic challenger brand, signalling that the no-and-low category is now attracting serious founder-led brand investment — not just line extensions from incumbents. • Pizza Hut is dropping the word 'pizza' from its brand name in a bold repositioning move — launching simultaneously with a quarterback-led NFL campaign that signals ambitions well beyond its founding category. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 25, 2026 In this episode: • Coca-Cola's Fanta is moving beyond seasonal activation into building a recurring branded universe around Halloween — a strategic shift every FMCG brand manager running calendar-moment campaigns should be watching. • AB InBev is doubling down on Cutwater as its RTD spirits brand of the future, signalling where the brewing giant believes the next growth frontier in alcohol actually lies. • Wendy's poaching a former McDonald's CMO is one of the most pointed CMO moves in QSR this year — and it tells you exactly where Wendy's board thinks its marketing firepower needs to go. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 24, 2026 In this episode: • Nuuly's decision to fight ad fatigue with a serialised microdrama is a live test of whether narrative-driven content can outperform traditional brand advertising for high-growth challenger brands. • Sticki Rolls shows how a challenger consumer brand can convert creator-driven YouTube buzz into physical retail momentum with Gen Alpha — a playbook with direct relevance for FMCG brands targeting the same cohort. • New data confirming that creator-brand fit outperforms raw follower count gives FMCG marketing directors a measurable argument for overhauling how they brief and select influencer partners. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 23, 2026 In this episode: • The ice cream category — home to Unilever's Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, and Wall's — is facing a structural consumer shift as wellness culture and weight-loss drugs erode the guilt-free indulgence position brands have relied on for decades. • Nike's prolonged brand equity decline is becoming the marketing world's most-studied case study in what happens when a company optimises for performance marketing at the expense of brand building — a warning every FMCG CMO should be stress-testing against their own portfolio. • Ann Taylor's first major integrated campaign in nearly a decade — built around a Substack editorial community rather than traditional paid media — is a live test of whether dormant heritage brands can reactivate consumer love through owned content rather than advertising spend. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 22, 2026 In this episode: • A new analysis finding that over half of 224 branded infant foods breach UK sugar guidelines is a direct regulatory and reputational threat to FMCG brands competing in the baby food category. • Jo Malone's debut in Fortnite marks a significant moment for prestige beauty brands testing whether gaming environments can translate sensory, luxury brand equity into digital spaces. • Georgia-Pacific's senior digital media director is publicly pushing back on AI-powered media buying agents, arguing the online advertising ecosystem is too broken for autonomous tools to work effectively — a rare, named-brand FMCG dissent in a category rushing to automate. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 21, 2026 In this episode: • Danone's €1bn acquisition of Huel has just cleared regulatory approval, making it one of the biggest bets by a major FMCG company on the functional nutrition and meal-replacement category. • Spirits giant Sazerac is launching a new soju brand called Dahlo in the US, signalling that established FMCG players are now moving to capture the fast-growing Korean spirits trend before challenger brands own the category. • Newman's Own is leaning into its decades-old 'all profits to charity' purpose model as its primary millennial engagement strategy — a live test of whether authentic brand heritage can outperform paid performance marketing. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 20, 2026 In this episode: • Diageo's new CEO is executing a sweeping structural overhaul — cutting nearly 2,000 roles — that will directly reshape how the world's largest spirits company allocates its marketing and brand investment. • Chipotle is making a calculated early bet on Gen Alpha as a primary consumer target — not just a secondary audience — by building a custom creator menu item around 16-year-old YouTube and TikTok star Salish Matter. • A UK pet food brand has recalled its entire product line after a recipe change was linked to dogs losing their sight — a product formulation crisis with major brand trust implications for the fast-growing premium pet food category. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 19, 2026 In this episode: • Persil's brand boss reveals exactly how a major FMCG detergent brand moves beyond exposure metrics to prove sports sponsorship actually builds brand equity. • Diageo has been forced to reformulate spirits sold in India after the FSSAI imposed a sales ban over flavouring violations — a live regulatory crisis with direct brand implications. • Liquid Death and Garage Beer have co-created a stunt campaign using AI data center water waste as a creative hook — a masterclass in how challenger beverage brands manufacture earned media with near-zero media spend. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 18, 2026 In this episode: • Au Vodka's £500m exit to Sazerac is the clearest signal yet that social-media-native spirits brands built on aesthetic identity and influencer culture can command serious acquisition premiums. • StarKist's decision to consolidate its entire marketing operation at Tombras — and reposition itself as a ready-to-eat protein brand — is a textbook agency consolidation play with real strategic stakes for a legacy FMCG brand fighting for relevance. • A Russian logistics firm petitioning the Kremlin to seize control of five Nestlé subsidiaries marks a serious escalation of geopolitical brand risk that every multinational FMCG marketer needs to be tracking. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 17, 2026 In this episode: • Czech pet-food challenger Vafo is using aggressive M&A to roll up premium DTC pet brands across Europe, raising urgent questions about what happens to challenger brand identity post-acquisition. • Reed's, one of the US's best-known craft ginger beer brands, is openly exploring alternative financing as it struggles to fund growth — a warning signal about the structural pressures facing mid-tier FMCG challenger brands caught between startup agility and scale. • Carrefour is using an open innovation competition to shape its own-brand portfolio in healthy and ready-to-eat — and for challenger FMCG brands, this is both an opportunity and a strategic threat. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 16, 2026 In this episode: • A wave of CMO hires and marketing leadership changes across consumer brands in August signals where FMCG and challenger brand categories are placing their strategic bets. • Campari's near-disposal of its Martinique rum business raises a sharp question about portfolio pruning strategy — and what happens to challenger distillers who inherit legacy spirits brands. • Cava's ability to drive brand heat with a deliberately lean marketing budget is a direct challenge to the assumption that share of voice requires share of spend. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO

The FMCG Marketing Daily — August 15, 2026 In this episode: • Unwell Hydration's collapse is a clear-eyed case study in why audience size is not a brand strategy — and what celebrity-backed CPG actually needs to survive at shelf. • Ferrero's acquisition of US wellness granola brand Purely Elizabeth reveals how traditional confectionery giants are using M&A to reposition their portfolios toward health-adjacent consumer occasions. • Crocs is launching a brand mascot as a long-term storytelling asset — a deliberate bet that character-led branding can deepen emotional equity beyond product and celebrity collaboration. Hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every weekday. Tags: CPG, brand strategy, retail media, campaign intelligence, consumer goods, advertising, CMO