BrandStorm Schedule

Sponsored by U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

Begin your BrandStorm experience with a fun meet-up where this year’s attendees will explore the schedule, learn Zoom engagement tips and gain confidence to make the most of their virtual experience in the days to come. Don’t miss this networking event where you’ll get to know your peers and build new relationships as we kick off the 6^th annual BrandStorm.

Opening General Session: Forging an Ironclad Brand*

Sponsored by Crunch Pak

With a scientific, growth-oriented approach to brand building, Lindsey Pedersen will share methods of developing an ironclad brand strategy, a proven discipline for successful brand growth.

Lindsay has advised companies from burgeoning startups to national corporations, including Zulily, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Coinstar, and IMDb. Her background as a P&L owner at Clorox fostered in her a deep appreciation for the executive’s charge: increasing the company’s value.

There, she led mature, billion-dollar businesses and newly-launched categories, from Clorox Bleach to Armor All to Brita. In each case, she was solely responsible for increasing the business’s value. Lindsay demands that brands be hard-working, disciplined and rigorous in growing a business. Her brand strategies are tested in the crucible of her proprietary Ironclad Method.

During her general session, Lindsay will arm fresh produce marketing leaders with an empowering understanding of brand, and an ironclad brand strategy to guide decision making as they grow.

Speaker: Lindsey Pedersen, Bestselling author and brand strategist, Ironclad Brand 

Taking Temperature: Empathy and B2C Marketing*
In today’s cancel culture, stories of tone-deaf brand messaging are a dime a dozen. Avoid mis-guided messaging and join this session to learn how to navigate empathy in B2C marketing at a time when emotions and opinions are on high alert.  

Moderator: Mary Coppola, Vice President, Marketing & Communication, United Fresh

Speakers:

• Amanda Keefer, Managing Director, Healthy Family Project
• Yolanda Owens, Chief Cultivator, Forage + Black
• Ajit Saxena, Public Relations & Digital Marketing Manager, Mucci Farms

Planning a Post-Pandemic Marketing Budget*

Sponsored by the United Fresh Finance & Business Management Council 

Setting annual marketing budgets used to involve a look back at the previous year, and then making adjustments for the year ahead. What happens when the previous year looks like no other? Discover strategies to develop a post-pandemic marketing budget that allows flexibility for the unknown and secures funds to advance your marketing efforts.

Moderator: Julian Gamez, Vice President, Finance & Operations, United Fresh

Speakers:

• Sherrie Terry, President & CEO, Sherrie L. Terry Consulting, LLC
• Steve Grinstead, Chief Executive Officer, FreshEdge
• Mark Campbell, CEO, ProduceIQ

Taking Temperature: Empathy and B2B Marketing

Sponsored by Pure Flavor 

Although empathy is omnipresent in marketing communications, the climate of today elevates the need to understand empathy from both sides of the exchange. Join your marketing peers and their customers for a dialogue on where empathy belongs in B2B marketing.

Discussion Leaders:

• Raina Nelson, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Renaissance Food Group
• Abby Prior, SVP Sales and Marketing, BrightFarms
• Melissa Moore, Marketing Manager, Pure Flavor

Activating Research to Bolster Retailer Relationships & Grow Sales
How does a brand best activate data to bolster relationships with retail partners to increase product sales? A follow up session from the United re-Fresh Experience: Adjusting for Changing Shopping Behavior: The Dynamics of Sales & Marketing  session, Moxxy Marketing returns with Category Partners, to dig in on the importance of consumer shopper research and retail sales data.

Explore the process of designing surveys, consumer focus groups and other research tactics based on sales goals, and how best to interpret and present the results to bolster retailer relationships, as this session dives deeper into the dynamics of consumer shopping behavior in 2021 and beyond.

Discussion Leaders:

• Karen Nardozza, President and CEO, Moxxy Marketing
• Tom Barnes, CEO, Category Partners
• Julie DeWolf, Shopper Marketing Expert

Sponsored by Sev-Rend

Moderator: Max MacGillivray, Beanstalk Global Broadcast (UK)

Panelists: 

• Marius Du Plessis, CEO, Clemengold International (PTY) Ltd. (South Africa)
• Alies Padding MSc, Innovation Manager, NNZ, Inc. (Netherlands)
• Mónica Moreno Arellano, Marketing Manager, Grupo PM (Mexico)

Explore new topics from the experts during these break-out sessions where marketing will present tactics, strategies and concepts to bolster your marketing efforts. Choose from the following topics, but remember, these sessions are recorded, so you will be able to catch all of these informative topics on-demand too!

• Consumer Targeting Workshop presented by Foodmix Marketing Communications
• Website Redesign: How to Plan for Success & Avoid Pitfalls presented by Moxxy Marketing
• Well Aware: Opportunity and Responsibility with Health & Sustainability presented by Wild Hive

Our Strongest Selling Point: Product Health Claims*

Sponsored by Bayer Crop Science

Today’s consumer is health focused. They not only want to know where their food comes from, the person/persons who grew it and the journey it took to get to them. Now they also want to know how it benefits their body and lifestyle. But is this information readily available? Join this information sharing session to learn who might hold the keys to this valuable information about the products you sell and discuss how to use this data as your strongest selling point in 2021.

Discussion Leaders:

• Jonna Parker, Principal, IRI Fresh Center for Excellence
• Ian Smetona, Consumer & Customer Manager, BASF 
• Martin Ruebelt, Ph.D., Head of Global Consumer R&D, Bayer Crop Science

Encore: Global Marketing: Trends From Abroad Discussion
Following the early morning presentation of global marketing strategies, join your peers for an encore discussion of key insights shared from around the globe.

Hosted by: United Fresh Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council 

Uncommon Collaborations: How to Create Them

Sponsored by Snap2Save

Often times the best and most buzzed-about collaborations are the ones that are the most unusual or seemingly unrelated. With an open mind, discuss the uncommon collaborations that have worked for you and learn of those that have worked – or didn’t work so well – for others.

Discussion Leaders:

• Derek Gaskins, Chief Marketing Officer, Yesway
• Michael La Kier, Digitally-infused Consumer & Shopper Marketing, What Brands Want, LLC
• Mariya Zorotovich, Head of Customer Experience, Intel IOTG Health and Life Sciences and Emerging Technology

Explore new topics from the experts during these break-out sessions where marketing will present tactics, strategies and concepts to bolster your marketing efforts. Choose from the following topics, but remember, these sessions are recorded, so you will be able to catch all of these informative topics on-demand too!

• So Happy Together: Maximizing the Potential of Marketing Partnerships presented by FLM Harvest
• 2020 Was the Year of Digital Acceleration – Is Your Brand Keeping Up? presented by Sparkloft Media
• A Sustainability Story That Matters presented by Ten Acre Marketing

Sponsored by Abasto Media

The Hispanic population is a growing shopper demographic in the U.S., and projected to represent approximately 28.6 percent of the total U.S. population by 2060. In 2015, the Hispanic food and beverage market was valued at approximately $17.5 Billion. During this panel session, Abasto media will host a panel of Retailers for a dialogue on this growing consumer population and help fresh produce marketers understand the opportunities available to gain a greater share of this consumer’s market spend.

Moderator: Gus Calabro, Director, Abasto Media

Speakers:

• Miguel Garcia, Vice President Produce/Floral, Kroger
• Jorge Gonzalez, Vice President of Operations, Leevers Supermarkets, Inc.
• Ramon Portilla, Sr. Director Customer Experience and Insights, Walmart

1:30 – 2:30 pm EST

Sustainable Packaging: Sustaining the Gains*

Sponsored by KwikLok

Our sustainable packaging efforts were foiled when consumer and retailer demand for more plastic – in reaction to the pandemic – made its way back into the produce department. Or were they? Join produce marketers and their packaging partners to discuss ways to forge ahead with new and innovative sustainable packaging solutions that will meet today’s new and perceived demands.

Speakers: 

• Jessica Peri, Retail Sales Manager, Peri and Sons Farms, Inc.
• Nick Mascari, President, BellHarvest Sales, Inc.
• Angela Sommers, Marketing Director, BelleHarvest Sales, Inc.

Digital Marketing Isn’t New, But Now It Matters*

Sponsored by iFoodDS

According to Nielsen, grocery e-commerce will be a $100 billion industry by 2025. As online shopping trends continue to grow produce marketers are challenged to adjust focus, budgets and messaging to meet consumers in this new digital environment. Discuss strategies for how the produce industry might build shopper excitement and spontaneity through new digital engagement and channels such as podcasting, purchasing based marketing and more!

Speakers: 

• Jennifer Breault, Vice President of Sales, iHeartMedia
• Sarah Burke, Director of Brand Partnerships and Integrated Media, iHeart Media

Recipe for Success: Leveraging Consumer Media*
In the age of the pandemic, consumer media experienced a seismic shift in how they interact with their readers/followers. Now more than ever, the authenticity of celebrity chefs and influencers is paving the way to more genuine and trusted relationships with consumers. Learn how fresh produce marketers can be an extension of this authentic community.

Moderator:

• Chadwick Boyd, host of CNN Food Finds, magazine contributor, and owner of Chadwick Boyd Lifestyle Brand Consulting

Panelists: 

• Brinda Ayer, Editorial Lead at Food52
• Justin Chapple, author of Just Cook It! and Culinary Director-at-Large of Food & Wine
• Ellie Krieger, RD, culinary nutritionist, award-winning cookbook author, and Food Network and PBS cooking series host

Sponsored by 4Earth Farms

Hear from the leaders of United Fresh’s Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council during this fireside chat where they’ll share insights from their careers and predictions for the future of fresh produce marketing.

Panelists: 

• Roger Pepperl, Retired
• Cindy Jewell, President, SC Jewell, Inc,
• Mark Munger, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, 4Earth Farms

Got a burning marketing question for the panel? Submit your questions in advance!

Submit Questions for the Panel