NRF recently released its “2023 State of Retail & the Consumer” report, predicting retail sales will rise 4% to 6% to $5.1 trillion to $5.2 trillion in 2023.
Often dubbed the Super Bowl of the natural foods industry, Expo West 2023 brought thousands to Anaheim with high expectations about food brands’ quality and performance. I attended on behalf of Allison+Partners’ Consumer Food & Beverage team to see and taste what will hit our store shelves in coming years.
2023 is no doubt a comeback year for networking with many conferences and events returning at full force. We’re taking full advantage of attending our favorite industry events to soak up trends, foster new connections and make up for lost time. Last week, we attended Vinexpo and Drinks America in New York where we represented Allison+Partners’ Consumer Food & Beverage specialty and saw (and tasted!) the latest from hundreds of brands in the industry.
One of the most interesting aspects of PR is its potential is pretty much limitless. What PR is continues to evolve, as does what it means for brands. And that’s been an interesting thing to witness, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s been encouraging to see over the years is how clients have continued to invest in – and prioritise – PR.
When I think of 2017, I reminisce a bit on a pandemic-free world we used to inhabit. So, I am grateful we are in a much better place now! That aside, 2017 was an exciting year for us, launching Allison+Partners in India and seeing the opportunity and the phenomenal prospect of the India market. As Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots forward but only backwards.” 2017 was only the precursor to PR’s increasing prominence on the centerstage. And as the pandemic showed later, companies placed even more importance on the need to over-communicate. I am glad that we had the opportunity to quickly build valuable relationships with our clients, demonstrating our value from the get-go to all the way through the worst of the pandemic to present day.
Sports advertising in the United States operates under a different model than in other countries, but could the upcoming World Cup leave an impression on American sports?
As marketing professionals, we know brands want to be where their consumers are. They read newspapers in the early days of advertising, they started watching TV in mid-late 1900s and they expanded to online googling and reading articles in the early 21st century. In 2022, we’re due for a new evolution in how we continue to reach new consumers – but where?
The days before and after the Major League Baseball All-Star game are typically referred to as “dead days” in sports – the only dates on the calendar without scheduled Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA or NHL games. The assumption is sports relevancy is directly tied to the Big 4 professional sports.
