Brands for a Better World (formerly Evolve CPG) – Détails, épisodes et analyse

What’s in a brand name? Everything, according to today’s guest, Karin Hibma Cronan, a renowned brand strategist, and co-founder of Cronan, as we explore the role of questions in the art of naming and branding. Cronan is known for creating iconic brand identities and names that resonate with audiences. Their work has helped shape the success of major corporations, non-profits, and startups alike, making them a trusted partner in the world of strategic design. In our conversation, we discuss how the name of a brand or product sets the tone of the experience, the common attributes of a good name, how Karin is the inspiration behind the names of many well-known brands, and the importance of asking great questions when forming strategy. Gain insights into her interactive approach to working with clients, what strategic intent is, how a brand’s identity can evolve, and more. Tune in to learn how you can harness the magic of a name and the power of great questions with Karin Hibma Cronan!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The fundamentals of a name and her approach to finding a brand’s identity.
• Explore the differences between brand identity and strategic identity. 
• Learn about the secret sauce to making a compelling brand name. 
• Challenges of designing a name and the limitations trademarks impose.
• Hear about the common pitfalls to avoid when creating a brand name.
• Discover why a holistic approach to branding and identity is vital.
• Insights into the power a name has in communicating a brand experience.
• How a brand name can evolve with a company’s product or service. 
• Asking good questions to identify problems and create solutions.
• Karin shares her method of developing the right questions to ask. 
• Examine examples of bad questions and the impact they can have. 
• Uncover how to understand the ‘why’ behind a person’s answer. 
• She explains what a better world means to her.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Karin Hibma Cronan on LinkedIn

Cronan

Climate Designers

The Climify Podcast

XincaFoods

David Eagleman

Inner Cosmos Podcast

The Right Question Changes Everything

Walking Man

Modern Species 

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn

Gage Mitchell on X

Brands for a Better World Website

Brands for a Better World on YouTube

Brands for a Better World email

Impact Driven Community

What does it take for a mission-driven brand to thrive in the competitive world of retail? In this episode, we explore the intersection of retail success and mission-driven branding with Alli Ball, the visionary founder and CEO of Food Biz Wiz. Food Biz Wiz is a consulting and coaching company dedicated to helping emerging food brands succeed in the competitive retail market. Known for her impact on the food industry, Alli has empowered countless emerging food brands through her Retail Ready® program and award-winning podcast. In our conversation, we dive into the critical elements consumers want in mission-driven brands, the potential pitfalls of over-investing in a company's mission, and how purpose-driven values can enhance brand loyalty. Discover why aligning packing, product, and purpose is essential for brand success, how to craft a successful sales pitch, why transparency is fundamental for consumers, and much more. Join us to learn how to transform your brand's mission into a powerful tool for growth and loyalty in the retail market with Alli Ball of Food Biz Wiz!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How sustainable and innovative retail brands communicate their value.
• Alli explains the omnichannel nature of the retail industry. 
• How mission-driven brands fit into the traditional retail space. 
• Attributes that are becoming a top priority for consumers. 
• Recommendations for learning about trends in the wholesale space.
• Why you should never base a sales pitch on certifications. 
• Hear about the mission-driven red flags that retail buyers avoid. 
• The disconnect between what consumers value and buying behavior.
• Differences between direct-to-consumer and direct-to-retailer sale pitches.
• Common mistakes mission-driven brands make in marketing a product.
• Core concepts of the Retail Ready® program and how it benefits brands.
• Discover why product packaging is vital for convincing the consumer. 
• Background about Alli, the Retail Ready® course, and Food Biz Wiz’s mission.
• What shifted her interest to working with brands and retailers.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Alli Ball on LinkedIn

Food Biz Wiz

Food Biz Wiz on Instagram

Food Biz Wiz Podcast

Bi-Rite 

XincaFoods

Fortune

Fortune Article

B.T.R. NATION

‘Better Snack Options with Ashley Nickelson of B.T.R. Nation’

Liquid Death 

Modern Species 

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn

Gage Mitchell on X

Brands for a Better World Website

Brands for a Better World on YouTube

Brands for a Better World email

Impact Driven Community

What if frozen food could revolutionize the way we eat, nourish our bodies, and save the planet? In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Drori, the visionary founder of Daily Harvest, to delve into the benefits of sustainably sourced frozen food. Daily Harvest is a plant-based meal delivery service that offers a variety of chef-crafted, pre-portioned, and frozen meals made from organic fruits and vegetables. Join us as Rachel delves into the mission and values driving her company, how frozen food helped her start eating healthier, why direct-to-consumer was the best approach for the brand, and its entry into the retail market. We discuss her recent decision to step back from her role as CEO, the steep learning curve of the food space, how the company navigated a product recall, and how Daily Harvest’s overall mission keeps her motivated. Join us to unlock the secrets of frozen food's potential to transform your diet, health, and the world with Rachel Drori of Daily Harvest!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Rachel’s passion for sustainability and Daily Harvest’s mission.
• The light bulb moment behind launching her first line of frozen food.
• Her reasons for pursuing the direct-to-consumer model. 
• Building brand awareness as a way to enter the retail market.
• Transitioning Daily Harvest’s product lines and business model.
• Daily Harvest’s efforts to help farmers shift to sustainable farming.
• Unpack why regenerative and organic farming is essential.
• The sustainability, nutritional, and quality benefits of frozen food.
• Learn about the opportunities the retail market offers. 
• Why educating the consumer is a core value of the company.
• Discover how she got celebrity investors interested in the company.
• Explore how the pandemic positively impacted the company. 
• She shares valuable lessons from her entrepreneurial journey. 
• Her new role in the company and why she stepped down as CEO.
• Find out what she has planned next for Daily Harvest.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Rachel Drori on LinkedIn

Rachel Drori on Instagram

Daily Harvest

Episode: A Smoothie Transition with Alex Bayer of Genius Dreams

American Farmland Trust (AFT)

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)

Serena Williams

Paris Hilton 

Wild Orchard

Modern Species 

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn

Gage Mitchell on X

Brands for a Better World Website

Brands for a Better World on YouTube

Brands for a Better World email

Impact Driven Community

In today’s episode, we are joined by Douglas Raggio, Founder of Pass the Honey, about understanding biases and blind spots, and the necessity of being in it for the long haul if you're trying to change the system.

Pass the Honey does raw honeycomb you can snack on. Find more: https://passthehoney.com/

Find more about Modern Species: https://modernspecies.com/

Join our FREE community for CPG leaders: https://community.evolvecpg.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolve-cpg/

As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com

In today’s episode, we are joined by Robert Koenen, Chief Revenue Officer of Boxed Water is Better, to talk about plastic pollution, sustainable alternatives, and the difficulties entrepreneurs face when they want to bring change to the market.

Boxed Water is Better is a sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles and aluminum cans for the grab-and-go water market. Their cartons are 92% plant-based and 100% recyclable and refillable. Find more: https://boxedwaterisbetter.com/

Check out the Key Points of the Episode: https://www.evolvecpg.com/the-show/persistance-beats-resistance-rob-koenen-boxed-water-is-better

Find more about Modern Species: https://modernspecies.com/

Join our FREE community for CPG leaders: https://community.evolvecpg.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolve-cpg/

As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com

In this episode, we are joined by Pallavi Pande, founder of Dtocs, to talk about the importance of pursuing something you’re passionate about, and the challenges of being a mompreneur.

Dtocs makes compostable tableware from naturally fallen palm leaves. Find more information about them here: https://dtocs.com/

Find the Key Points of the Episode on our website: https://www.evolvecpg.com/the-show/mompreneur-on-a-mission-pallavi-pande-dtocs

Find more about Modern Species: https://modernspecies.com/

Join our FREE community for CPG leaders: https://community.evolvecpg.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolve-cpg/

As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com

Continuing last week's episode about the problem with using motivation as a marketing tool, our host, Gage Mitchell, joins us to dive into the things a brand should focus on if they want to build a new behavior on consumers.

Find the Key Points of the Episode on our website: https://www.evolvecpg.com/the-show/make-it-easy-gage-mitchell-modern-species

Find more about Modern Species: https://modernspecies.com/

Join our FREE community for CPG leaders: https://community.evolvecpg.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolve-cpg/

As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com

While motivation and education can be effective in the right circumstances and the correct order, the bottom line is: if you're dumping your marketing dollars into motivation and education only, you're draining your brand of valuable time and money! 

In this mini-episode, your host Gage Mitchell goes solo to dive into the reasons why you shouldn't rely purely on education or motivation tactics in your marketing, with numerous recognizable scenarios that show why motivation can be unpredictable and inconsistent. We also look at why education only works with specific types of products and doesn't really serve you in the long term, before briefly touching on the psychology principles of using lots of information to sell. 

Tune in now to chew on this bite-sized and informative installment on why you might need to seriously rethink your marketing strategy!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Two reasons why education and motivation often fall apart when it comes to marketing!
• Gage walks us through 'motivation juice' and outlines why it's a difficult thing to deal with. 
• Talking about the unpredictable nature of motivation.
• Some examples of products that use psychology principles and why that isn't sustainable.
• Diving into an example that illustrates why self-control isn't consistent. 
• How motivation and education can be useful in the right order and circumstances.
• A sneak-peek into next week's topic: hot tips on what to do with motivation and your brand!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn

Modern Species

Episode 32: Persuasive Branding with Gage Mitchell of Modern Species

Evolve CPG Community

In today’s episode, we’ll be speaking with Rob Sinclair, founder of ImaginALL Collective, about understanding the issues that are material to your brand in order to futureproof your company and move beyond sustainability towards regeneration.

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Learn more about ImaginALL Collective here: http://imaginallcollective.com/

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Connect with Rob Sinclair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/consciousbrands/ 

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Check out our new impact workshop, Exponential Good: https://www.evolvecpg.com/brand-impact-workshop-exponential-good

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As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com

In today's episode, we speak with Breyn Hibbs, Head of Social and Environmental Impact at Take Two about the complexities of calculating and communicating positive impact.

Take Two is an upcycled food company that makes barley milk out of the spent grain from beer brewing. Check out their website: https://taketwofoods.com/

Connect with Breyn Hibbs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breyn-marr-hibbs-4031508/

We also mentioned in this episode:

ReFED Insights: https://insights.refed.org/

Regrained: https://www.regrained.com/

Upcycled Food Association: https://www.upcycledfood.org/

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Check out our new impact workshop, Exponential Good: https://www.evolvecpg.com/brand-impact-workshop-exponential-good

As an ever-evolving show, we also love feedback. Send us your thoughts or ideas for who we should talk to next to evolve@modernspecies.com