The Real Winners of the “Big Game” Were CPG Brands and QSRs

Chad Cosper, VP, Corporate Development at Amplifi

As most of you no doubt know by now, last night in Atlanta (where most Amplifiers call home), the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams to claim their 6th title in the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history. Fans of defensive football matchups must have been delighted by the action, but by most accounts, average fans found the game (as well as the Halftime Show and commercials) to be far less entertaining than previous year’s events.

However, for many Americans, the game was, as usual, merely a pretext to gather with friends and family to consume copious amounts of adult beverages and snack foods.

In fact, you may not realize that Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption in the United States, according to the US Dept of Agriculture, bested only by Thanksgiving. Whether you watched for the game action, the commercials, the halftime show or simply to be around friends, chances are you ate. A lot more than normal.  Consider these statistics:

•  Americans were expected to buy 12.5 million pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday, with an average order value of $26.45. (RetailMeNot.com)
• 1.33 Billion chicken wings were likely consumed during the weekend of the Super Bowl (National Chicken Council)
• According to Nielson, in 2017, Americans spent a staggering amount on food and beverage in the week leading up to the Super Bowl:
  • $1.3 billion on beer & cider
  • $979 million on soft drinks
  • $597 million on wine
  • $503 million on spirits
  • $348 million on bottled water
  • $278 million on potato chips
  • $224 million on tortilla chips
  • $198 million on frozen pizza
  • $100 million on meat snacks
  • $86 million on popcorn
  • $81 million on deli salads
  • $80 million on chicken wings
  • $74 million on cheese snacks
  • -$62 million on avocados
  • $60 million on deli sandwiches
  • $49 million on deli dips and spreads
  • $39 million on salty snack dips
  • $32 million on deli pizza
  • $23 million on deli platters
  • $13 million on vegetable trays
  • $3 million on deli guacamole

And, perhaps not surprisingly, after perusing these statistics, sales of antacids typically increase more than 20% on the Monday after the “Big Game” and many of those sales are to American workers who called in sick from work, as more than 6% of the workforce do.

Certainly, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the rest of the Patriots’ organization were champions last night, but the real winners of the day were beer manufacturers (although Budweiser definitely picked a strange and contentious fight with Miller, Coors, and corn farmers everywhere that spilled over onto Twitter), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers, grocery stores, and Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), like fast food chains and pizza delivery services.

Many of these businesses rely on advertisements, some during last night’s game (including the odd celebrity-studded Pepsi ad that really only served to reinforce the idea that many, if not most, consumers actually prefer Coke to Pepsi), price, customer service, innovative product introductions, and brand loyalty to drive continued success in their heavily competitive markets.

And, to efficiently manage the business processes that lead to effective product creation, packaging and pricing, managing suppliers, distributors, and vendors, data syndication processes, and faster time-to-market, many of the most forward-thinking business in these markets are in varying stages of improving their quality, accessibility, and usability of their most important resource – their data.

CPG Manufacturers and QSRs Benefit from a Robust Information Management Strategy

Manufacturers (and sellers) of food and other consumer products face challenges surrounding the process of new product introductions, quality assurance, and how to communicate information to consumers in the light of digital transformation.  With new requirements surrounding ingredients, packaging and labelling, and the tracking and tracing of products and ingredients from source to shelf, the role of the manufacturer continues to grow more complex.

A centrally-managed Master Data Management (MDM) solution that includes processes and technologies for data governance, digital asset management, supplier onboarding and measurement enables brands to efficiently acquire and enhance product information and digital assets from a variety of sources, both internal and external, in a timely manner.

Importantly, a well conceived and implemented digital strategy can include governance and workflows to enrich product data and ensure the validity and completeness of that information. Perhaps most importantly, the right solution will allow manufacturers to publish rich product data across online and off-line channels — regardless of format, language, currency or physical location – allowing for efficient management and globalization of recipes, packaging and branding, sourcing of raw materials, pricing and distribution from a single location.

Amplifi’s experience with CPG name brands has led to information strategies that have resulted in:

• Faster product introductions
• Optimized globalization and labelling processes for regulatory requirements
• Reduced data errors and operational costs
• Improved recipe management
• Increased velocity in data syndication to their customers (i.e., retailers)
• Data accuracy to improve brand loyalty to consumers
• Scalable data models to react quicker to M&A activities
• Streamlined data throughput (architecture) to ensure data is getting out to multiple channels with minimized touchpoints

Want to learn more about how Amplifi can help your brand “tackle” these same challenges or hear more about our experience with CPG and QSR companies? Contact us today.