GLG News by Commercial Printing Services Purchasers

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

World Class Packaging

April 2, 2009

Analysis of:FOOD PACKAGER OF THE YEAR: Packaging a big part of General success | www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com

The use and design of packaging is one of the most critical elements in a supermarket products success.Packaging provides multiple benefits and serves many key objectives for food manufacturers. ---Merchandising:Product must merchandise well and provide consumers with a quick,clean understanding of the product. ---Brand Positioning : Packaging conveys a feel and tone about every product including whether its value orientated or premium. ---Quality :Packaging must obviously protect the quality of any food product and contribute to shelf life in many cases. ---Preparation: Many packages need to provide a quick,cost effective way to prepare the product. ---Informational : All key labeling and nutrition info must be accurately and effectively communicated to the consumer ---Sustainable :Cost efficiency and environmentally friendly are very important to retailers and consumers.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Consumers Drive for Value in Their Food Purchases

March 25, 2009

Analysis of:What Sells in a Recession | www.time.com

The article provides a good descriptive assessment of how consumers supermarket shopping habits have changed in the last 3 months.Nervous, money challenged consumers are more price discriminating than ever before in their food purchases.Private Label sales are growing faster than the category and taking market share.Consumers are increasing their use of stores perceived as discounters. Walmart, Costco, BJ's and dollar stores continue to lead in same sales store growth.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Food Inflation Slows But Is Here To Stay

September 12, 2008

Analysis of:Food Inflation is likely to continue, experts say | www.venturacountystar.com

Commodity inflation appears to have peaked for the short term but long term commodities will continue to rise creating above average food inflation.How food and restaurant companies react will be the key to future price increases.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Food Companies Results Vary Based on Brand Strength

September 9, 2008

Analysis of:Amid turmoil,Big G still making dough | www.startribune.com

As commodity and energy costs continue to rise it has put more pressure on the botton lines of all food companies.Food companies have had to raise prices to offset these increases.However not all food companies are losing share to private label as a result of the price increases.

James Van DykePresident and FounderJAVELIN STRATEGY & RESEARCH INC.

There's no Downturn in the Market for Consumer ID Fraud Protective Services

June 20, 2008

Analysis of:ID Protection Startup Prepares Commercial Push | www.darkreading.com

This article focuses on one of many startups in the consumer protective services space, as evidence of an "evergreen" market category. Current challenging economic times make investment in this ID Fraud sector a natural, and desperate times could actually bring about increased criminal activity leading to higher revenues. Key companies include Affinion, CardCops, Debix, Experian, Equifax, Fair Isaac, Lifelock, TransUnion, TrustedID, and more.

James Van DykePresident and FounderJAVELIN STRATEGY & RESEARCH INC.

Mobile PtoP Payments: MasterCard's Partnership with Obopay Demonstrates Why This Market Deserves Attention

June 19, 2008

Analysis of:MasterCard Partners with Obopay to Offer Industry-leading Person-to-Person Mobile Payment Service | www.mastercard.com

Mobile PtoP payments are a disruptive technology that must be monitored by financial industry investors, because it requires no hardware infrastructure change, and can be adopted by consumers today to send payments between individuals. All leading payments brands, banks, and processors could be affected by growth in mobile PtoP payments, and Javelin's research data shows that this is a technology that consumers are ready for now. With much focus on interchange fee and bank profitability, the potential for mobile PtoP payments to change payments-fee models is important to monitor.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Organic and Natural Food Growth Stalls with Increased Commodity Costs

April 28, 2008

Analysis of:Naturally,Super Valu Customers Want More Options | www.forbes.com

Increasing commodity costs are having a negative impact to the growth of organic and natural foods.As commodities increase consumers are being more selective and price sensitive in their grocery shopping.This trend does not bode well for retailers like Whole Foods (WFMI) and the manufacturers that supply items to the leader in the organic and natural foods segment.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Apple's Superior Brand Strategy Leads to Strong Results

April 24, 2008

Analysis of:Apple's 2Q Results Beat Wall Street Views | biz.yahoo.com

Apple once again delivered very strong results in the face of hesitant consumers under recessionary pressures.Total revenue growth for the latest quarter was +36% led by the Mac brand in personal computers at +51%.The MP3 segment led by the I Pod brand delivered growth of +1% while the I-Phone sold 1.7 mm units.   So how is Apple able to deliver consistent sales and profit growth in tough recessionary times with premium pricing while many of its competitors deliver poor results.In a phrase --it's their superior branding strategy.  

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Commodity Hedging-The Double Edged Sword

March 31, 2008

Analysis of:Against the Grain: Food Firms Hedge Costs | online.wsj.com

With ever rising commodity costs food companies that have hedged their key commodity purchases with forward buying have done quite well over the last year.Several key manufacturers have announced that they have hedged their raw materials by forward buying 60-70% of their 2008 needs.Lost in the discussion has been the potential for commodity prices to go down in the latter half of 2008.

Rick SheaPresidentShea Marketing Consulting Inc.

Kraft and Sara Lee turnaround ? Real or wishful thinking ?

March 14, 2008

Analysis of:Kraft, Sara Lee say turnaround efforts are succeeding | www.chicagotribune.com

Kraft and Sara Lee executives recently spoke at analyst conference concerning their recent improvements to drive sales growth and improve operating margins.Both suggested the progress is real and sustainable.   Kraft highlighted new products and headcount reduction as keys to their progress.New products are clearly needed and our key to drive future sales growth.The job cuts they mentioned are real and should help them provide a lower cost basis to expand marketing and potentially improve margins at the same time.  Sara Lee also touted new product innovation and organizational restructuring as means to improve their growth and enhance profitability.Pricing is also key at both companies as they face strong headwinds in the face of commodity inflation.  Do we believe both CEO's assertions and are better days ahead for both companies ?

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