The CPG Guys are joined in this special Halloween episode by Tim LeBel, Chief Halloween Officer and President of US Sales at Mars Wrigley,

Follow Tim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-lebel/
Follow Mars Wrigley on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mars/
Follow Mars Wrigley online at: https://www.mars.com/

Here's what we asked Tim:

1. Tim, what does ‘Chief halloween officer’ mean to you?
2. How does Mars Wrigley think about the role of Halloween in the annual plan? When does Halloween planning start?
3. What shifts have you seen in consumer behavior around Halloween in the past few years? What trends are you seeing this year?
4. How does Mars Wrigley segment its Halloween portfolio (e.g. “everyday” SKUs vs seasonal/limited edition)? What is the innovation cadence for seasonal items?
5. How do you balance scale vs novelty in Halloween SKUs? How much shelf “real estate” do you devote to your core candies vs seasonal or promotional items?
6. How do you think about the “kid vs adult” consumer dynamic in Halloween candy buying?
7. How do you see e-commerce / DTC / omnichannel evolving for Halloween candy?
   (E.g. subscription boxes, online-exclusive SKUs, direct-to-consumer offerings, grocery pickup, cross-channel promos.)
8. How do you align with your retail customers (supermarkets, mass, drug, dollar stores, convenience) on Halloween strategies & what is your strategy for securing premium shelf and display space (endcaps, gondolas, checkout lanes) during Halloween?
9. Can you walk us through the innovation pipeline for Halloween SKUs - From ideation to shelf, how long does it take, and how do you “test” new ideas?
10. What role does marketing/ads/PR & retail media play in your Halloween programs?
    How about social media campaigns/influencers, partnerships, co-markets, influencer tie-ins, event activations.)
11. Looking ahead: what do you see as the biggest opportunities and risks for Halloween candy over the next 5 years?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. This week, Sri recaps his visit to Amazon Accelerate.

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Dave Glick, SVP of Enterprise Business Services at Walmart.

Follow Dave on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidglick1/
Follow Walmart on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart/
Follow Walmart online at: https://corporate.walmart.com/

Here's what we asked Dave:

1. What is your role at Walmart?
2. As an early adopter of technology, how is business services being driven forward by AI?
3. What is agentic AI to you and how Walmart is approaching it?
4. What was the strategic reason for Walmart to develop a unified AI framework with four "super agents" instead of continuing to build standalone tools?
5. Describe the practical, day-to-day functions of the new associate AI agent and how it improves associates lives.
6. What is your strategy for leading a large organization through significant technological change and driving widespread adoption among associates?
7. With large tech organizations at Walmart, how do you maintain alignment around strategy, culture, and being “people-led”?
8. I know you’re leading some transformation around claims and disputes - I believe you are going to move mountains there. Shed light please.
9. Why “stop being nice, start being kind” resonated so strongly with you—how does that translate to enterprise leadership?
10. When you look ahead 12-18 years, how do you see Enterprise Business Services evolving—especially with AI?

CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.