Echoes from the past, a moment of reflection on sustainability

Alan Jacobs, a humanities professor at Baylor University, recently directed our attention to a little-known passage from the writings of French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. It’s amazing to think that something written six decades ago can... More »

Categories

Sustainability

When the cupcake crumbles

Blinded by its lines out the door, Crumbs and its investors forgot a cardinal rule of specialty food. What went wrong?

Blinded by its lines out the door, Crumbs and its investors forgot a cardinal rule of specialty food. While it’s not nice to shake a finger at nascent public companies whose dreams have been cast against the rocks, there are a few things food... More »

Categories

Food and Beverage, Retail/Shopper Marketing, Food Service/Restaurant

The fallacy of megabranding: Keeping brand extensions relevant

A special report by Hartman Strategy

When years of blockbuster success are followed by flagging growth, it is tempting for older brands that still enjoy high consumer awareness and stable base volumes to try to stimulate growth by moving into other categories. More »

Categories

Food and Beverage, Private Brands/Branding, Point of View

Quest for nutrients: the latest step in consumers’ journey toward fresh, healthy foods

Consumers are turning away from products that make bold nutrition claims. Terms like “fat free,” “low calorie” and even “natural” no longer carry much weight as marketing messages. More »

Categories

Food and Beverage, Health and Wellness

Are Millennials really so special? Or are they just acting their age?

Anyone who was around in the ‘70s – or even the early ‘80s – often speaks wistfully of the days when airline travel retained a sense of dignity. Yet we often forget what it was like to live in a world without casual weekend trips to San Francisco... More »

Categories

Demographics Analysis, Culture, Point of View