Trade Promotion Management

For the 13th year in a row, CGT's readers took to the polls to elect their preferred solution and service providers.

New this year, CGT's readers rank the top five technology companies that provide software/services for managing and monitoring internal and external social media communications/engagement.

2012 was another exciting and transformational year in the consumer goods industry, from Kraft's new name to Kimberly-Clark's record-breaking digital marketing program. Join CGT as we revisit the most-read sales and marketing-centric headlines of the year.

CGT honors Chobani, Coca-Cola Refreshments, Kimberly-Clark, Phoenix Brands and TrashCo for excellence in five award categories.

Economic conditions and emerging technologies are forcing retailers to identify new ways to set themselves apart from the competition. Walmart, for example, stepped up supplier collaboration in more ways than one.

For more than 30 years, trade promotions have been the "currency of the realm"; the way to get new items on shelves, to encourage retailers to advertise and display existing products and to fund price reductions. Over that same period, the industry has spent millions on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of these investments. While that remains important, we dont see trade promotion optimization as the answer. What we need is a new currency.

Members of CGT's TPM Share Group met in Orlando, Fla., during the Consumer Goods Business and Technology Leadership Conference on October 23, 2012. The group moved away from the recent TPO discussions, which are aspirational for most, and focused on more practical aspects of TPM execution. Here is a recap of the discussion.

Succeeding in the market today is closely tied to how well retailers and manufacturers respond to evolving consumer needs. In the 2012 Shared Strategy Report, CGT offers several compelling examples of collaboration between consumer goods manufacturers and retailers that are designed to deliver improved customer service. Read on for an exclusive preview of research findings on Big Data, Mobility and Product Quality.