Hosted by Braden Douglas, one of North America’s top CPG growth strategists, this channel breaks down what it truly takes to build, scale, and protect a consumer brand today. With more than 25 years of experience working with brands like Procter & Gamble, Frito-Lay, Conagra, Lindt, and SunRype, Braden shares proven strategies from the front lines of CPG marketing.
You’ll learn:
• How to build brands that actually grow
• How to grow from any brand stage whether startup or category leader
• How to create strategy that drives revenue, not just awareness
• How top CPG companies approach innovatio
Private label is getting better, prices are competitive, and crowded categories like popcorn are full of options. So how can branded CPG companies actually win?
In this video, Braden breaks down Whole Foods 365 White Cheddar Popcorn vs. SkinnyPop to explore the bigger battle between private label and branded CPG. Private label can compete on price and check important consumer boxes like organic, gluten free, and dairy free. But what does private label often miss? Brand connection. Personality. Differentiation.
Braden explains how CPG brands can compete by:
• Innovating with flavors and products that private label cannot easily replicate
• Building a stronger emotional connection with consumers
• Using branding to create meaningful differentiation
• Finding the right price point instead of competing only on being cheaper
• Creating collaborations that connect the brand with specific audiences
• Using multipacks and other strategies that are more difficult for private label to replicate
• Avoiding the mistake of giving every retailer your entire playbook
And for private label, there is a major opportunity: stop being just the cheaper alternative and start building a brand consumers actually connect with.
If you are a CPG marketer, brand leader, founder, or retail executive, this is an important look at how branded CPG companies can protect their differentiation and compete against private label.
Join our CPG Brand Builders community: www.cpgbrandbuilders.comConnect with other CPG marketers, brand leaders, and founders and get access to our community, Strategy School, and CPG resources.
#CPG (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cpg) #CPGMarketing (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cpgmarketing) #PrivateLabel (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/privatelabel) #BrandStrategy (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandstrategy) #CPGBrands (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cpgbrands) #RetailMarketing (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/retailmarketing) #BrandBuilding (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandbuilding) #ConsumerBrands (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/consumerbrands) #MarketingStrategy (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketingstrategy) #SkinnyPop (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/skinnypop)
17 Aug 2026
What Do Marketers Actually Do? The 3 Roles Every Marketer Must Master
Everyone seems to have a different definition of marketing.
Is it advertising? Branding? Social media? Promotions? Research? Sales?
In this episode of CPG Brand Builders, Braden Douglas goes back to the fundamentals of economic exchange, supply and demand to explain what marketing really is and what marketers actually do.
At its core, marketers create demand. But how do we do that?
Braden breaks the marketer’s role into three essential areas:
1. Strategy Understanding the market, the consumer, the competition, and where the brand can win.
2. Planning Turning strategy into a clear plan for how the brand will create demand and achieve its objectives.
3. Execution Bringing the strategy and plan to life through the marketing activities that connect brands with consumers and drive results.
In this episode, you will learn:
• What marketing really is
• How economic exchange and supply and demand connect to marketing
• Why marketers are fundamentally in the business of creating demand
• The three critical roles of a marketer: Strategy, Planning, and Execution
• How marketers create value for both consumers and businesses
• Why marketing is so important to business growth
• How to better communicate the value of your role as a marketer
By the end of this episode, you will have a much clearer understanding of what marketing is, what marketers actually do, and why marketers are invaluable to their organizations.
If you are a CPG marketer, founder, brand leader, or business executive, this episode provides a practical framework for understanding the real purpose and value of marketing.
Like, subscribe, and share for more conversations and practical growth strategies for CPG brands.
Join CPG Brand Builders: brandbuilderscpg.com.
#CPG #Marketing #MarketingStrategy #BrandBuilding #CPGMarketing #DemandGeneration #MarketingLeadership #BrandStrategy #ConsumerGoods #BusinessStrategy #GrowthMarketing #MarketingInsights
11 Aug 2026
How Gatorade Got People to Buy Something That Didn’t Exist
How Gatorade Got People to Buy Something That Didn’t Exist
How do you get customers to try a product they have never seen before?
Gatorade offers one of the best lessons in CPG marketing. When Gatorade was created in 1965, it wasn't simply entering an existing beverage category. It was introducing something completely new. The brand's early success came from identifying the right people to try it first: innovators who were willing to embrace a new solution to a real problem.
In this episode, Braden breaks down the story behind Gatorade and the marketing principles that helped turn a new product into a category-defining brand.
You'll learn:
How to identify your innovator audience
Why your first customers can be critical to your brand's growth
How to find people who are willing to try something new
Why solving a real customer need is essential to building demand
How early adopters can help create credibility for a new product
What Malcolm Gladwell's concept of "Mavens" can teach CPG marketers
Why brands need patience to build lasting momentum
How to build a brand that can grow beyond its initial audience
If you are a CPG founder, marketer, or brand builder launching a new product or creating a new category, this is a lesson worth studying.
The question is: Who is your innovator audience?
Find the people who are willing to try your product first, solve a meaningful problem for them, and use that early credibility to build momentum for your brand.
JOIN OUR CPG BRAND BUILDERS COMMUNITY
Want more strategies, education, and real-world insights to help you build and grow a CPG brand?
Join the community at brandbuilderscpg.com
Subscribe to CPG Brand Builders for more conversations, strategies, and case studies designed to help CPG founders and marketers build stronger brands and drive growth.
#CPG #CPGMarketing #BrandBuilding #Gatorade #BrandStrategy #CPGBrands #ProductLaunch #MarketingStrategy #ConsumerPackagedGoods #BrandFounders #CategoryCreation #BrandBuilders
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