Growth has been difficult for most packaged goods companies over the past decade. Value-driven consumers, fragmented and confusing channels of distribution, and the increasing market share of retailer brands have put greater pressure on expected year-over-year, double-digit growth. Coupled with changing global market dynamics, the growth of in-store offerings, and the fragmentation of media, these divergent forces are challenging brands to compete effectively at the store shelf, where 75 percent of all sales are made.
Brands looking to maximize every dollar of growth often overlook the counter-balancing, unifying factor of brand coherence. The ability to align every facet of the organization through a collaborative process in support of a brand’s unique value proposition has become one of the most effective tools in a marketer’s arsenal. It has also become one of the most talked about topics with the word “omnichannel” dominating boardroom conversations. Smart marketers realize brand coherence goes well beyond omnichannel strategies as the critical factor in ensuring customers select their brands over competitors at the moment of purchase.