Tag Archives: Brands

Are You Getting the Most ROI from Your LTO?

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By Dani Schooley and Stephanie Davis

Are you looking to drive traffic and impact the bottom line? Maybe you have implemented limited time offers (LTOs), but experienced only mediocre results. Join us for a webinar that will highlight the challenges associated with LTOs and provide a framework to help you counter these risks and maximize the success and profitability of your promotions.

Let’s face it: The foodservice industry is a challenging marketplace. Total restaurant industry traffic is stagnant. Consumers are more demanding than ever about food quality, choice and variety. Technology advancements are changing the speed of business while commodity availability and prices are impacting everything from menu development to wages.

To combat these challenges, many foodservice brands are implementing LTOs. Among the 250 largest chains in the United States, LTOs have increased 25 percent over the last five years. And, they’ve done so with good reason. The LTO is a popular marketing tactic that historically has proven to be good for business. They play to consumers’ desires for new products or experiences and they serve to generate excitement and engagement. But, LTOs are tough to execute well.

Consider the variables that can undermine the best-planned LTOs. Foodservice supply chains are inherently complex. As brands look to offer the variety, local flavors and freshness consumers are demanding, the complexity grows. More suppliers mean a larger network of trading partners and systems to communicate with and more opportunities for breaks in supply. Add to these variables lack of visibility across the supply chain, unpredictable weather events, fluctuations in commodity pricing, multiple SKUs and fickle consumer tastes, and it’s no wonder LTOs are difficult to implement successfully.  Unfortunately, when LTOs under-perform, the entire organization is impacted and the brand’s reputation and bottom line often take a hit.

HAVI Global Solutions (HGS) helps brands maximize their LTO investments. Our approach to promotional and supply chain analytics is focused on actionable visibility, customized reporting and demand planning across organizations and with supply chain partners. HGS manages more than three billion forecasting transactions every day. We help customers get their products and materials where they need to go, when they need to get there and support them throughout the entire supply chain network.

We have developed a four-phased event planning process that makes strategic collaboration possible and provides the rigor necessary to counter the risks inherent in LTOs and maximize the success and profitability of these promotions:

  • Phase 1: Event initialization. We gather information from the brand and its trading partners to better understand the data that is available and how that information will be communicated in support of the LTO.
  • Phase 2: Pre-event planning. We help the brand develop an initial forecast and predict high-end and low-end sales scenarios to support contingency planning.
  • Phase 3: Event management. We monitor actual performance against forecasted performance.  Near real-time data also is monitored and events are addressed swiftly and collaboratively to avoid negative effects.
  • Phase 4: Post-event insights. We document actual performance relative to expectations, decompose gaps and incorporate these insights into feedback in the form of “lessons learned” for future events. 

Our repeatable process, coupled with technology-enabled planning and analytics, provides the rigor that ensures everyone within an organization and along the supply chain is aligned on objectives, strategy and execution from the program’s inception. We centralize information and promote collaboration and insights-based decision-making. The result? Brands achieve increased sales, accurate forecasting, best-in-class supply chain management, reduced inventory obsolescence and better demand planning.

Are you looking to leverage LTOs to break through in a crowded marketplace, excite customers and drive sales?

Please join us for a webinar, Delivering the LTO Promise, March 31, 2016, at 10 AM EST / 3PM GMT, to learn how rethinking your LTO process and tools can help you deliver the LTO promise. We will talk through HGS’ four-phased planning process and share an example of how one company is using this strategic approach to deliver positive results across the supply chain and impact the bottom line.

Dani Schooley is director of planning solutions at HAVI Global Solutions. She has more than 15 years of supply chain experience. Her career has spanned multiple industries, including pharmaceutical, retail and foodservice. Stephanie Davis is director of promotions management at HAVI Global Solutions. With more than 12 years of marketing and supply chain experience, Stephanie’s career has predominantly focused on the foodservice industry. 

Grant Blewett, Packaging Segment Manager, Kodak

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Grant BlewettGrant Blewett is the Packaging Segment Manager for Kodak, a world leader in technology solutions for the printing industry. Grant holds a print management degree and has over 21 years of professional experience in the graphic arts industry. With a strong background in print production, business development and prepress technology, he has led successful sales and marketing teams for Kodak, and formerly Scitex, across diverse geographic regions.

Since 2008 Grant has been based in Belgium with specific responsibility for the packaging market segment for Kodak in the EAMER region. He has a passion for flexo and been instrumental in introducing the market leading KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plate making solution to the European, Middle East and African markets. Grant is a frequent guest speaker at industry events across Europe and brings with him an in-depth understanding of the needs and pressures of Brand Owners.

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us?

Kodak clearly understands the importance of the ‘Brand Owner’ in the packaging value chain of which print has a major part to play. Kodak today has several solutions that provide significant cost, productivity and shelf impact benefits to the Brand Owner and we would like to make use of this forum to inform the Brand Owners of our value proposition. 

2. Who or what inspired you to get into the industry?

I have been in the larger print industry most of my professional career, so for me the question is why the flexo packaging industry? To which my answer would be that flexo print is the most dynamic, fast changing and challenging part of the entire industry which continually stimulates and challenges me. 

3. What’s your favourite thing about presenting to a live audience?

Honestly, presenting technically interesting topics to large and small audiences is something I truly enjoy doing. I love the interaction and energy that flows back from an audience when they appreciate the topic, this energy in turn inspires me. 

4. What has been your best holiday and where would you recommend visiting?

Ah well, it’s not for everybody but one of the best ever would be attending the world skydive ‘boogie’ (which is the term for a skydive holiday). This was in the most beautiful valley north of Cape Town South Africa, which by the way is also beautiful from the ground too. You should try and see this part of the world.

5. What one item would you take with you to a desert island and why?

Well this would simply have to be a package deal, which would consist of a parachute, aeroplane and runway. Can you imagine skydiving onto your very own island surrounded by the sea? 

Grant will be presenting Kodak’s webinar ‘Using flexo to meet your most demanding flexible packaging challenges‘ alongside David Luttenberger CPP, Global Packaging Director, Mintel Group Ltd on the 18th November at 10am New York/3pm London. To read more and register click here.

 

Mr. Nigel Tracey, Highcon International Sales Director

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Nigel Tracy

Nigel Tracey has 25 years’ experience in printing and packaging and particularly in the folding carton and corrugated board industries. Nigel has held various senior sales and marketing positions, most recently as Head of Sales for the sheet-fed business unit at Bobst Group, where he was responsible for the global sales network and sales operations. Nigel is based in Switzerland.

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us?

An important step in converting an industrial process is to enable the upstream buying process and enlighten it to what digital is now bringing.

2. How did you get into the industry?

Some how I got hooked when my father used to take me to printing and packaging shops as a young teenager, the creativity mixed with industrial process was something that appealed.

3. In your 20/25 years’ experience, what was the best moment in your career?

Seeing a piece of packaging in the high street that had majorly changed the way we consumers interface with and product and knowing that I had been involved with it’s design, conception and realisation.

4. How do you relax in your leisure time?

I’m an avid aquaculturist and I enjoy growing and propagating diverse marine life, salt water and electricity are a great distraction to most things.

5. What’s your favourite flavour of ice-cream?

Mövenpick double cream and meringue, the calorie free version…

You can register now for Highcon’s webinar ‘Convert to Value in the Digital World‘ taking place on the 21st October 10am New York/3pm London.

Annemieke Hartman – Jemmett, Group Commercial Strategy Director, Petainer

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Annemieke HartmanAnnemieke presents robust understanding of the evolution of the keg and this webinar offers detailed insight allowing the participants to make informed decisions; economic choices are offered to brand owners and experts allowing access new markets and introduce premium products to new audiences. Being able to provide a balanced view of PET kegs in the market will offer the participant an opportunity to better understand the options available to drive for growth in the beer, wine and cider sector. 

Annemieke will present Petainer’s webinar ‘The Evolution of the Keg‘ on the 10th September at 10am New York/3pm London.  You can register now to reserve your place.

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us?

With the webinar we are proactively seeking to inform a large group of brand owners who would like to find out more about packaging solutions for beverages.  The keg is a well-known product, these days now also available in PET and we would like to talk through how the choice of packaging material can influence brand owners in positioning their products within their marketing mix

2. What are you looking forward to explaining to the audience?

Petainer is a gamechanging, innovative PET and plastics packaging company, working to offer brand owners significant advantages in their supply chain.  For instance we are keen to share with you the independent test results of beverages packaged in PET (performed by the VLB in Berlin).  The choices that brand owners are making in ensuring that economic decisions are made both covering the commercial and sustainable requirements of contemporary business.  Most importantly what packaging material to select for which requirement.

3. How did you get into the industry?

I was excited by the opportunity to make a difference.  Petainer as a company is focussed on ‘thinking outside the box’.  This means in real terms; how can we support the brand owner’s objectives most effectively? Some options across our business are: light weighting, new designs reducing materials, new barrier technology, moving from single stage production to 2 stage production.  Many of these initiatives directly result in a sustainable solution, reducing freight (carbon emissions) reducing the use of energy and water as well as reducing the use of materials that will be scarce in years to come.  So combining commercial objectives with sustainable goals allows me to make a difference, effectively communicating these is my passion in both text and image.

4. Where in the world would you recommend visiting?

Most recently I have spent a lot of time in India.  The places frequently visited are New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. When in India, it is very exciting to see how focussed the business community is about corporate social responsibility and sustainability.  The drivers in business are all about economics.  This means that the locals are very inventive and nothing goes to waste.  It is a real good example of evolution across the whole community.  In addition, change in this territory is extremely fast, decision making processes are complex yet focussed from a sales perspective, the numbers are much greater than in Europe.  Building relationships in any country is key, in India this seems to come very naturally, they have an amazing sense of humour (which you need from time to time) and fabulous food.

5. What’s the best thing someone has ever taught you?

The best thing I was taught was to deliver on your promise.  This has been at the core of my life.  The way to make sure that I am able to do so is to start by really understanding the other person’s requirement and needs.  Only when I am comfortable that I have in-depth understanding and the ability to deliver will I commit.  So this helps me in only promising that which I can deliver.

Remember to register for Annemieke’s upcoming webinar where you can ask her and co-presenter, Axel Hartwig, Independent Beer Consultant all of your questions on a live Q&A.