Dig In

In his 15 years of work experience, Fernando Arendar has put his hands on almost every category there is. But throughout his time working with brands Unilever, Pepsi and Clorox, he’s carried a strong passion for branding and packaging design. In this episode: Fernando debunks top packaging myths using his research and experience in the field The main reason why Fernando loves the US market and consumers Looking at design from a scientific lens: unpacking neuropackaing Examples of brands that do great packaging If you’re someone who loves learning about branding or packaging in the CMG/FMCG space, this episode is for you.

What happens when you combine an entrepreneurial spirit with nostalgia, accounting, community building, cryptocurrency/NFTs, plant-based diets, and a self-proclaimed naiveté and curiosity?Hank Hummii and the Hummiiverse.Tyler Phillips, founder of Hummii Snacks, joins Dig In this week to discuss blending nostalgia with new marketing tactics, his transition from accounting to becoming a founder of a plant-based CPG, and how his brand lives through storytelling and the Hummiiverse characters.Tune in to learn: • Why naiveté can be beneficial for starting a company • Tyler’s exploration of crypto and NFTs and how NFTs might work for the Hummiiverse and other CPG brands • The importance of building a community around your brand • When it’s ok to bend or break some of your company rules • About creating an entire snack universeThanks to Tyler for sharing his story and teaching a few newbies about NFTs’ possibilities within the CPG space. We look forward to seeing where Tyler takes the Hummiiverse.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

Today’s guest, Lisa Virgini, has more than 15 years of experience in consumer insights, strategy, and senior brand marketing at places like Coca-Cola, Ipsos, and Mondelēz. And soon, she is stepping out on her own.Lisa talked with Meagan about the power of leveraging experts, why there is no turnkey solution, and her journey into starting her own consultancy.Tune in to learn:• What makes a great generalist• Why business acumen makes you a high-quality asset• How connecting the dots can lead to understanding the whitespace in the market and truly enable you to find the “So what?”Thanks again to Lisa for taking the time to speak with us for this episode. We wish her all the luck as she ventures into her new journey.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

Sylvie Pelletier is a Leadership development consultant and coach. She’s had brand, marketing, and strategy roles at CIBC, Educators Financial Group, and Food Banks Canada. Through these experiences, she discovered her passion for aligning company values and strategy with an individual’s day-to-day functions.In this episode, Ian and Sylvie discuss what makes a great leader, what an organization’s culture really means, and how many companies fall short when instituting a new strategy.Tune in to learn:Why culture needs to be baked into your strategyThe three skills every leader should have to excelSteps you need for a successful internal buy-in of your company’s strategyIf you’re struggling with internal strategic alignment or what Sylvie says hits a chord with you, and you want to see how she can help you or your business, you can reach out to her through these channels:Email - sylviecpel@gmail.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviecpelletier/--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

Erin Cohen, Director, Consumer Insights at Tim Hortons, has spent her entire career in insights. She has a wealth of experience in quick service restaurants and spent a bit of time expanding her experience within the consumer packaged goods space.In this episode, Erin discusses the back-to-basics approach she’s spearheading at Tim Hortons and how consumers’ routines changed because of the pandemic. You’ll also learn:The process of setting up an insights function from scratchWhy it’s important to invest in foundational researchWhat Erin thinks about the customer journeyHow the Justin Bieber collaboration came to fruitionIt was so great sitting down with Erin this week. And a big thanks to her for being our first guest to take part in our new rapid-fire question section of Dig In.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

“How do you get to your ideas? How do you know what matters? How do you know what inspires your consumer?”Asking those questions highlights how this week’s guest is a natural big-picture thinker. Doug Healy, Senior Director, Consumer Insights for Gatorade at PepsiCo, has been in insights his entire career. For him, it’s all about solving problems and embedding yourself within the lives of your consumers.Meagan and Doug discussed the similarities between insights professionals and architects, the importance of foundational research, and changing the perception of what it means to be part of an insights team.Tune in to learn:Why consumers aren’t changing as quickly as everyone thinksAdvice for people looking to have a career in insightsHow insights are more about strategy and aren’t just about the numbersThe tactical elements of market research SaaS technologiesIt was too much fun chatting with Doug. We could have probably kept talking for hours. Maybe it’s because of his passion for insights. Or maybe it’s because he said he’d be an improviser in an alternate life. While we bet Doug would have been great at that, we suspect it’s probably the passion.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

With inflation hitting a 30-40 year high, consumers, brands, and everyone in between wonder how it impacts our daily lives. Marcie Connan, Executive Vice President at Dig Insights, fueled by an insatiable curiosity, led a study to find out the ins and outs of how inflation is actually impacting consumers. Ian sat down with Marcie to go over some of the top highlights we discovered as a result of this inflation study. Tune in to learn:A high-level overview of the studyConsumers’ emotional and behavioral responses to inflationThe three primary segments we discoveredSome of the most impacted and resilient product categoriesThe silver lining some consumers have taken from this inflationary periodA big thanks to Marcie and her team for putting this study together. If you want to learn more about the study or dive into how inflation has affected more than 40 different product categories, you can find the full report at https://diginsights.com/the-great-inflation-report/.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

“Perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of progress.”At least, that’s the mantra this week’s guest lives by. Marat Fleytlikh, Associate Director, Consumer Insights at The Kraft Heinz Company, is an industry legend. He is a seasoned consultant who delivers insights through visualization and storytelling and is obsessed with the consumer.Meagan sat down with Marat to discuss how Kraft Heinz is “walking the talk,” the art and science behind insights, and being an enabler versus a barrier.Tune in to learn:Why it’s ok to try something different that doesn’t pay offHow you need to nurture some ideas before they become successfulThat, in insights, agile and democratization are more than buzzwordsThe importance of sharing knowledge between different generations of insights professionalsWe had a blast chatting with Marat. And stick around to the very end for a great book recommendation from Marat.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

A little detour this week as Dig Insights’ founders Paul Gaudette (CEO, Dig Insights), Michael Edwards (Chief Growth Officer), Ian Ash (President, Upsiide), and Dominic Atkinson (President, Dig Insights) are in the hot seat this week. Meagan sits down with them to discuss the recent refresh of Dig Insights and Upsiide. The four founders look back at some fond memories from the last 12 years, and each one shares meaningful moments and lessons learned from starting a market research agency. Tune in to learn:The Dig Insights’ origin storyHow they leveraged technology and made use of analytics and modelling to visualize data in a more business-focused wayAbout the most meaningful moments in Dig’s historyThe importance of listening to your customersEach founder’s predictions for the future of the market research industryThese four have come a long way since starting in Michael’s basement. Now that we’ve revamped Dig’s and Upsiide’s visual looks, we can’t wait to see what comes next for our brands.--------------Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite

Let’s make some noise for our newest guest of this week’s episode of Dig In. Richard Ng is probably one of the smartest guys we know, who also happens to be an expert in marketing, PR and market research. As a Marketing Director at Advanced GG, a performance supplement brand for gamers, business professionals and beyond, Richard leverages his market research experience to lead Advanced’s marketing strategy. Ian sat down with Richard to talk about all things marketing and insight within the CPG and supplements landscape, as well as discuss the project Advanced did with Dig and Upsiide.Tune in to learn:How Richard joined Advanced and whyNootropic supplements, bio-hacking, and other key trends in the energy and supplement spacesHow Advanced leverages its unique selling points (USPs) and data to stand out from the competitionHow Advanced worked with Upsiide to find a winning package design for their new RTD product and the key insights they discoveredRichard’s predictions for the future of Advanced and where he sees the company go nextLinks mentioned in today’s episode:Advanced's websiteAdvanced on Twitter Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicOther platformsHave ideas for our next episodes? Connect with Meagan, our Senior Marketing Director on LinkedIn.Enjoying our podcast? Leave us a review!Connect with us here:LinkedInWebsite