In this episode, we host Rajesh Chakrabarti, Executive Director at Nielsen. Rajesh is a marketing professional with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. He is adept in marketing, analytical skills and product marketing.
In his current role at Neilsen, Rajesh is leading Custom Research and MAA in India as Executive Director. Before this, he has worked with The World Bank, Reliance Capital, DCB Bank, UTV, and Radio City to innovate their marketing and research operations.
In the podcast, Rajesh shares some interesting tips, her thoughts and experiences on consumer insights with Ritu Srivastava (Co-founder, Thelightbulb).

Listen to the complete podcast and share it with your network now.

Episode #2: Rajesh Chakrabarti with Ritu Srivastava (Heureka: The Insights Podcast by Thelightbulb)

About the guest: David M. Schneer
As the co-founder and CEO of Merrill Research, David is helping companies bring new ideas and products to the market. Through a creative blend of multi-methodological research approaches, he is enabling brands to hone their strategic communications (e.g., advertising, branding, logos, etc.) so they can understand and reach their target audiences.
David has industry experience of over 50 years, of which more than three decades have been with Merrill Research. Along with that, he is also a body language expert.

Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneer1merrillresearch/

Read David's blog on AI-Based Fault Tolerant Qualitative Research: https://bit.ly/45zPUMt

To know more about Merrill Research: https://merrillresearch.com/

To know more about Thelightbulb: https://thelightbulb.ai/

Episode #3: David M. Schneer with Ritu Srivastava (Heureka: The Insights Podcast by Thelightbulb)

Welcome to the 4th episode of Heureka - The Insights Podcast. Today our guest is Natasha Hritzuk (VP Consumer Insights, Warner Bros. Discovery).

Natasha Hritzuk is a seasoned professional in consumer insights. She currently serves as the Vice President of Consumer Insights at WarnerMedia, a leading media and entertainment company, before which she has worked with Microsoft Advertising and General Mills.

With extensive experience in market research and consumer behavior analysis, Natasha has established herself as a strategic thinker and a results-driven leader. Her expertise in understanding consumer trends and preferences has helped to shape WarnerMedia’s approach to creating and delivering engaging content.

Ep #4: Natasha Hritzuk with Ritu Srivastava (Heureka: The Insights Podcast by Thelightbulb)

This Episode is Sponsored By: City National Bank

Consumers have been hammered by the one-two punch of the pandemic and inflation, which is impacting what groceries they buy and where they purchase these items. RBC Capital Markets managing director Nik Modi discusses cost pressures for CPG makers, a consumer shift to the perimeter of the grocery store, and increasing credit issues among consumers.

More About Nik Modi:
Nik Modi is a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets, where he has responsibility for coverage of Beverage, Household Personal Care, Packaged Food and Tobacco industries. The companies under Nik’s coverage total over $1 trillion in combined market value.

Nik has consistently been ranked as one of the top analysts across the consumer space by Institutional Investor’s All Star Analyst Survey. He has also been top rated across various analyst polls, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes.

About City National Bank:
With $96 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 69 branches, including 21 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Miami.* In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $98 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of the world’s leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 17 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 27 other countries. 

For more information about City National, visit the company’s website at cnb.com.

*City National Bank does business in Miami and the state of Florida as CN Bank.

Who is the Modern Grocery Consumer?

It's been a rough four years for the modern grocery consumer - first, the pandemic shifted many consumer habits and subsequent inflation challenged their budgets. Alex Trott, director of insights with 84.51°, helps break down current pain points and opportunities that consumers are facing, including increased anxiety, stretched finances, and a need for omnichannel solutions.

More about Alex Trott:
As a Director of Insights, Alex Trott leads a team of insight managers and is responsible for ensuring CPG clients maximize the value of Kroger data and insights. She collaborates with 84.51°’s insights, consumer research, data science, and product teams to support clients’ and The Kroger Co.’s current needs and future strategic growth initiatives.

Alex was promoted to her current role after serving 10 years with the company in a variety of roles. In her longest tenured role as Senior Client Lead, Kroger Merchandising, she created and led the multi-disciplinary, customer-focused strategy for the Natural Foods Department at Kroger. Under her guidance, she helped Kroger become a leader in the natural and organic space including the creation of the Natural Foods Summit – an innovation platform that promoted discussion about natural food trends and allowed emerging brands to showcase their products directly to Kroger. Alex began her career at 84.51°, previously dunnhumbyUSA, in the grad program as an Associate Client Lead in Communications & Media.

A native Cincinnatian, Alex graduated from Miami University with Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She sits on the NextUp Cincinnati Regional leadership team and has tutored third grade math and reading at the Oyler School for 9 consecutive school years.

More about 84.51°:
84.51° is a retail data science, insights and media company. We help The Kroger Company, consumer packaged goods companies, agencies, publishers and affiliated partners create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers across the path to purchase. Powered by cutting edge science, we leverage 1st party retail data from nearly 1 of 2 U.S households and 2BN+ transactions to fuel a more customer-centric journey utilizing 84.51° Insights, 84.51° Loyalty Marketing and our retail media advertising solution, Kroger Precision Marketing.

Follow 84.51° on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/84-51/ 

Visit 84.51°’s website: https://www.8451.com/ 

Sign up for Retail 360: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/cIOL5ME/FIRetail360

The Evolving Grocery Consumer

Is it possible to balance a legacy brand and innovative ideas for a food company? Bibie Wu, chief communications and technical development officer with Del Monte, shares how her company respects its past while looking to the future, and how her dual roles in marketing and product development inform each other and improve the company.

More About Bibie Wu: 
Bibie leads marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, environmental, social & governance, and product and packaging R&D for Del Monte Foods’ powerful portfolio of brands. She has over 20 years of CPG marketing leadership experience with many well-known and respected brands at General Mills and Campbell’s, and laundry and home care at Henkel. Prior to joining the company in 2018, Bibie served as VP of Marketing, Head of Laundry Conditioners and Home Care at Henkel. She was also responsible for Henkel’s omni-channel and visual branding departments. She is a graduate of Amherst College and received an MBA from Dartmouth. 

More About Del Monte Foods: 
For more than 138 years, Del Monte Foods has been driven by our mission to nourish families with the earth's goodness. As the original plant-based food company, we're always innovating to make nutritious and delicious foods more accessible to consumers across our portfolio of beloved brands, including Del Monte®, Contadina®, College Inn®, Kitchen Basics®, JOYBA®, Take Root Organics™ and S&W®. We believe that everyone deserves great tasting food they can feel good about, which is why we grow and produce our products using sustainable and earth-friendly practices for a healthier tomorrow. 

Del Monte Foods Corporation II Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited (Bloomberg: DELM SP, DELM PM) and is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., Del Monte Canada, Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd., Conagra/Productos Del Monte, or Del Monte Panamerican. For more information about Del Monte Foods and our products, please visit www.delmontefoods.com  or www.delmonte.com.

Balancing Legacy and Innovation at Del Monte

Let’s talk about how synthetic data and AI agents revolutionizing consumer insights, offering faster, cheaper, and smarter alternatives to traditional methods—plus, what’s next for businesses adopting them.


Future of Insights: AI + Data

Market research is evolving, and consumer insights teams are at a crossroads. For decades, human panels have been the go-to solution for understanding consumer behavior. But now, synthetic panels and AI-generated data are stepping in to challenge the status quo. What does this mean for market researchers? 


Synthetic Panels vs. Human Panels: Which Is Smarter, Faster?

Let's peer into the world of market research studies, from local ice cream shops to Fortune 500s. Discover the shared challenges, outdated processes, and strategies companies use to make smarter, data-driven decisions.

Research Studies: Ice Cream Shops to Fortune 500s

More about Dorothy Carlow:
Dorothy Carlow is the Chief Executive Officer of Mother’s Market and Kitchen, a leading Southern California-based grocery retail chain known for its commitment to elevating the health  and wellness of the communities it serves. With more than 20 years of experience in corporate leadership, strategic growth, and operational innovation, Dorothy has played a pivotal role in transforming Mother’s Market into a dynamic, neighborhood-focused health destination. Under her leadership, the company has embraced cutting-edge technologies, forged strategic partnerships, and optimized its store formats to drive significant growth and enhance shareholder value.  

Prior to her appointment as CEO, Dorothy served as Chief Merchandising Officer at OTG and Fairway Market, both New York City based, where she was instrumental in driving revenue, profit, and margin growth. Notably, she played a key role in turning around Fairway Market, reinforcing her reputation as a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of delivering measurable business outcomes.  

Dorothy is also deeply committed to empowering women in the retail sector, leading mentorship programs that support the advancement of women into leadership roles across operations, merchandising, and marketing.  

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from George Washington University. Outside of work, Dorothy is an avid endurance athlete, having completed 12 marathons, numerous half-marathons, and triathlons. She enjoys spending time with her two daughters and staying active, whether running or pursuing other outdoor activities.

More about Mother’s Market:
Mother’s Market was founded in 1978 by a passionate group of yogis who believed: health begins with what you eat. They believed that organic eating was not just better for your body, but also better for the planet. Their vision was to create a store that prioritized organic, plant-powered foods along with fresh juicing and delicious organic prepared meals. 

The first Mother’s Market, a 2,500-square-foot space in Costa Mesa, became a hub for like-minded individuals seeking better food choices and a healthier lifestyle. People traveled from all over Southern California to experience this health oasis where happiness, organic, delicious foods and sustainability were front and center. 

Fast forward to today, and Mother’s has grown into 11 locations across Southern California, but the heart of the brand remains the same: empowering people to live healthier lives through better food. 

Learn more at: https://www.mothersmarket.com/  

More about Justin D’Affronte:
Justin D’Affronte is a managing director with City National Bank’s Food & Beverage Group. Based in Irvine, CA he supports food and beverage industry executives with creative financing solutions and industry intelligence. Working with City National’s team of experts, he provides the bank’s full range of financial solutions to food and beverage businesses nationwide. 

More about City National Bank:
City National Bank, a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), is the largest bank headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 1954, City National is a regional bank specializing in Consumer Banking, Wealth Management and Private Banking, Commercial Banking, Entertainment and Sports Banking with branches in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Nashville, Atlanta, Delaware, Las Vegas, Washington D.C. and Miami.* 

For more information about City National, visit the company’s website at cnb.com.

*City National Bank does business in Miami and the state of Florida as CN Bank.


Charting Natural Grocery Growth with Mother's Market

This Episode is Sponsored by: City National Bank

Several economic headwinds indicate the consumer is being financially stretched, but we all need to eat – so what are consumers actually buying at the grocery store? Nik Modi of RBC returns to The Food Institute Podcast to discuss channel differentiation, consumer product selection, and other macro trends.

More About Nik Modi:
Nik Modi is a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets, where he has responsibility for coverage of Beverage, Household Personal Care, Packaged Food and Tobacco industries. The companies under Nik’s coverage total over $1 trillion in combined market value.

Nik has consistently been ranked as one of the top analysts across the consumer space by Institutional Investor’s All Star Analyst Survey. He has also been top rated across various analyst polls, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes.

More About City National Bank:
City National Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada since 2015. RBC’s Market Cap of $174 Billion is one of the Top 15 largest global banks with $1.1 Trillion in assets and Moody’s/S&P Ratings of Aa1/AA-. As a subsidiary of one of the largest and strongest financial institutions in the world, City National Bank offers a unique combination of highly personalized services with a full range of tailored financing solutions. CNB’s Food & Beverage Group is a national vertical that supports owners and c-suite executives and is a proud sponsor of the Food Institute. Learn more at http://cnb.com/foodandbeverage.

Grocery Grit: What’s in the Cart When Money’s Tight?

The discussion this week is on the latest blog post on C3Centricity "Unlocking CPG Growth: Conquering Process Paralysis with QC2™." 
It diagnoses a critical issue for mid-sized CPG brands: process paralysis, identifying it as an internal barrier to innovation and growth. 
It explains how this paralysis manifests through excessive approval steps and a disconnect from rapid consumer expectations, leading to missed opportunities. 
The experts then introduce the QC2™ framework (Quantum Customer Centricity) as a solution, highlighting its four orbits - Company, Consumer, Brand, and Process - to pinpoint and address inertia. 
It concludes by offering some simple, actionable steps for mid-level leaders to implement QC2™, providing a case study and concrete recommendations to foster agility and accelerate market responsiveness.



Process Paralysis in CPG

Ever wondered why flight prices change so rapidly? Join Shailendra Kumar on 'AI with Shaily' as we explore the complex world of AI-driven flight pricing. Discover how algorithms manipulate prices based on demand and personal behavior, and learn valuable tips to save money on your next trip! ✈️💡🤔 Don't forget to follow for more insights and share your thoughts on algorithmic pricing in the comments!

Unlocking the Mystery of Flight Price Fluctuations

Food for Thought Leadership co-host Chris Campbell sits down with Robyn Carter, founder and CEO of Jump Rope Innovation, to explore the concept of the “return to real” in today’s food industry. With so much of life filtered through screens, algorithms, and ad-driven messaging, consumers are now seeking real food, real stories, and real connection. Robyn lays out how this trend is reshaping not only what we eat, but how we shop, dine, and engage with brands.

Looking ahead, Robyn highlights the next frontier of the trend: longevity and women’s health, and deeper provenance through farm-to-table narratives. Whether you’re a CPG brand, a retailer, or a food-service operator, this conversation offers timely insights and actionable ideas to align your strategy with a consumer mindset that values what’s real.

More About Robyn Carter:
Robyn Carter is the founder and CEO of Jump Rope Innovation, a best-in-class trends and innovation consultancy based just outside NYC. Founded in 2005, Jump Rope brings a human-centered approach to innovation through immersive research, trend insights, and co-creation techniques.

Beginning her career in advertising, Robyn held roles in Account Management and New Business, working on iconic brands including Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, and Red Stripe. She was a Partner and Account Supervisor at Ogilvy, where she helped develop and implement communications strategy for the global Maxwell House brand.

Robyn is a co-founder of IT! Factor, a groundbreaking Influencer research and innovation tool. She is also a host of the Ask an Influencer podcast, sharing insights and advice for brands based on learnings from category influencers. She is a renowned moderator and has been a featured guest on numerous panels and podcasts, including BevNet Community Call.

Connect with Robyn on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-carter-72b4391/
Listen, Share and Subscribe to Ask An Influencer here or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qfOAuHGyzIEznmwBnAX8D?si=2606fb21856e403d

More About Jump Rope Innovation:
At Jump Rope Innovation, we’re a team of curious, collaborative problem-solvers. We’re strategists, researchers, and creative thinkers, driven by the thrill of discovery and a commitment to true understanding. We specialize in uncovering insights that spark breakthrough innovation, activation and communication. We help our clients to develop their gut for the consumer and to use this understanding to develop bold, meaningful strategies that resonate today—and tomorrow.

Find us online at https://jumpropeinnovation.com/
And follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jumpropeinnovation/
on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@jumpropeinnovation

Learn More:

LinkedIn: 
Jump Rope Innovation: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jump-rope-innovation/
Robyn Carter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-carter-72b4391/


Podcast:
Ask An Influencer: https://www.instagram.com/jumpropeinnovation/


Instagram:
Jump Rope Innovation: https://www.instagram.com/jumpropeinnovation/
Ask an Influencer: https://www.instagram.com/askaninfluencerpodcast/


TikTok:
Jump Rope Innovation: https://www.tiktok.com/@jumpropeinnovation?lang=en

Food for Thought Leadership: The Return to Real with Robyn Carter

Unlock the secrets of data mastery with Shailendra, a 27-year veteran in AI, ML, and Data Science, driving AU$ 6 Billion in transformative value. As the author of 'Making Money out of Data,' their strategies redefine digital success. With expertise honed at IBM and Accenture, they drive innovation and data monetization. Explore how loyalty programs like Flybuys and Everyday Rewards revolutionize business—connect with Shaily today.

Tech entrepreneur, market and consumer insights.

MARKETING DEEP DIVES by DENYSE is a Podcast for CPG Executives wanting to attract, delight and retain more consumers.
In each episode Denyse shares her tips, tools and ideas gathered from her more than 30 years experience working in over 125 countries around the globe.
Denyse is: 📈 Advisor to Fortune 100-Inc 5000 | 🚀 Strategist for mid-sized CPGs | 👨‍💼👩‍💼Leadership Coach | 🎤 Keynote Speaker | 📚 #1 Best-Selling Author | 🌍 Former Global Head of Consumer Excellence at Nestlé

The Food Institute Podcast leverages the Food Institute's 90-plus-year history to provide actionable information and insight to food industry professionals.

New tracks tagged #consumer insights