Executive Summary Many CPG manufacturers are losing the battle for shelf space and margin growth unnecessarily. Changes in consumer preferences and retailer innovations are impacting this battle, and they're not keeping up. Successful CPG manufacturers are driving demand with insights from category research, product innovation research, and market simulation.

After attending the 2013 EMACS and my 5th Chartwell conference, the trending strategies for utilities is becoming clear: Listen. Connect. Understand. Participants at the conference show us how they're doing this: Listening leads to better business.

To the intrepid brand or product manager, the retail line review evokes the specter of sleepless nights, tense negotiations, detailed forecasts, and 90-minute presentations that make or break the financial future of the product. Today's retail line review is an exhaustive, high-stakes, and sometimes fruitless struggle for prime shelf space.

Plenty of people like hot tea. Many others love iced tea. Anyone for lukewarm tea? Didn’t think so. Well, if you’re launching new products and expensive advertising campaigns without segmenting your customers, you might as well be serving lukewarm tea. Too many companies develop products, services, features, and ad campaigns that attempt to satisfy the average customer or the average preferences of their customers. Here’s the catch: there isn’t an average customer.

How to grow and profit during another economic downturn Recessionary times are tumultuous times. Change abounds. Brands disappear. Consumers awaken to new patterns of thinking and buying. As a result, the market-aware, research-driven companies are best positioned to take advantage of the chaos and change.