Podcast Summary: The CPG Guys – Innovation & Growth with Kimberly-Clark's Patricia Corsi & Craig Slavtcheff

Date: March 7, 2026
Hosts: Sri Rajagopalan & Peter V.S. Bond
Guests: Patricia Corsi (Chief Growth Officer, Kimberly-Clark), Craig Slavtcheff (Chief R&D Officer, Kimberly-Clark)
Episode Focus: How cross-functional alignment at Kimberly-Clark is powering rapid innovation, brand growth, and transformation—balancing technical excellence and consumer-centric storytelling.

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the collaborative dynamics between Marketing and R&D at Kimberly-Clark, illustrated through the partnership of Patricia Corsi and Craig Slavtcheff. Live from the CAGNY conference, they reveal how the company is overcoming legacy CPG hurdles—including slow innovation and functional silos—by anchoring all decisions in unified consumer insights. The conversation explores everything from value engineering and emotional storytelling to rapid innovation deployment and category expansion, offering listeners a rare look at how true partnership can fuel growth in today’s fast-moving, fragmented consumer landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Synergy Between R&D and Brand (04:25-09:24)

• Consumer Insight as the Bridge:
  Both leaders emphasize that the "electricity" connecting their teams is a shared obsession with consumer insights.
  • Craig: “The current that goes through the wiring quite literally is the consumer insight… It's what allows us to say through my lens… it's all towards the service of this consumer insight, solving it in a way that is better than competition.” (04:26)
• Unified Mission & Trust:
  Having started at Kimberly-Clark around the same time, Patricia and Craig point to shared history and values (from their Unilever days) as essential to fostering trust and a no-ego approach.
  • Patricia: “There is no ego in the system... Even when we have disagreement… we respect so much each other that we pause... and say, okay, help me to understand where this is coming from.” (05:33-07:36)
• Top-Down Change Management:
  Their practical rewiring includes cross-disciplinary leadership with supply chain, clarity in objectives, and modeling collaborative behavior to fluidize teams.

2. Engineering Value: Premiumization and Accessibility (10:39-15:27)

• Value Assortment Strategy:
  Kimberly-Clark distinguishes itself by cascading premium technologies into value-tier products without compromising margins.
  • Craig: “The algorithm is to launch in a premium setting and then quickly redesign it to drive costs down… We brought the cost down 75%… so now we have this fantastic premium feature accessible at a lower tier.” (11:35-12:58)
• Communication and RGM Excellence:
  Patricia explains that price is not a strategy; rather, clear value communication and over-delivering against expectations shape modern consumer perception.
  • Patricia: “Price is not a strategy… Value perception is, ‘how much I pay, how much I think it’s worth.’” (14:11-14:47)

3. From Local Innovation to Global Scale (19:25-24:37)

• Rapid Scaling Example – Cloud Waistband:
  Successfully scaled from China to 57 markets in three years by engineering a technology platform for cost and adaptability, then localizing the narrative for each market.
  • Craig: “We were able to scale into 57 markets... because the technology was engineered for accessibility and cost structure. The story was customized for Brazil—a unique fit, working with marketing to figure out what resonates.” (20:34-22:12)
• Rescuing and Revitalizing Legacy Brands:
  Patricia frames legacy brands not as a burden, but as an obligation to reignite equity and leave each brand better than she found it.

4. Challenging Stigma through Storytelling and Innovation (27:07-31:06)

• Femcare & Emotional Storytelling:
  Patricia recounts the challenges and nuances of marketing stigmatized categories.
  • Deep insights (e.g., girls dropping out of sports due to period stigma) directly inspire creative campaigns and product launches.
  • Patricia: “The boundaries are difficult… We were the first with Kotex to put red on pads. But you need the product to back it up. We want to get girls back to sport. We have the products, we got your back…” (27:07-30:48)
• Claims Visualization:
  Both leaders push for clearer, more visual communication of functional benefits—especially important when legal and regulatory language becomes a barrier.

5. Winning in a Fragmented Media Era (31:06-34:54)

• Media Mix and Creativity:
  Success splits 50/50 between precise targeting/buying and creative storytelling.
  • Patricia: “50% is buying efficiencies and targeting... there is a limit to what you can do there. The other 50% is creativity—the story you want to tell. And it has to be engaging and drive action.” (31:38-32:18)
  • Tailors channel strategy by region (e.g., TikTok in SE Asia, Instagram in Brazil) and creates platform-specific content from inception, not as afterthoughts.

6. Favorite Launches, Consumer Trends, and Looking Ahead (40:34-49:30)

• Favorite Innovations:
  • Craig: Body-responsive, 3D substrate technology in Huggies Korea—conceived and launched in just 18 months. (40:34-41:49)
  • Patricia: Kleenex Snap and Go, illustrating how functional design and occasion-based packaging can renew brand love.
• Emerging Consumer Trends:
  • Craig: “The science of sleep... democratizing consumers’ ability to manage their own health.” (42:02-43:11)
  • Patricia: Rising mental health and resilience challenge in younger generations, with a potential role for storytelling and trusted brands to help.
• Message for Retailers:
  • Craig: “We’re innovating on all levers in 2026… retailers should get behind us with distribution and excitement.” (47:09-47:19)
  • Patricia: "We're delivering total business transformation, expanding usage, users, and occasions—not just grabbing share, but growing the category." (48:22-49:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Consumer-Centric Partnership

• Craig Slavtcheff (04:26):
  “The current that goes through the wiring quite literally is the consumer insight... It's what allows us to say through my lens... it's all towards the service of this consumer insight, solving it in a way that is better than competition.”

• Patricia Corsi (07:47):
  “You are not going to see two divas here.”

On Value Engineering

• Craig Slavtcheff (11:35):
  “It's to launch in a premium setting and then quickly redesign it to drive costs... a premium feature that's accessible at a lower tier.”

On Storytelling and Brand Responsibility

• Patricia Corsi (24:03):
  “We owe it to those brands to leave them better than we got them.”

On Marketing Stigmatized Categories

• Patricia Corsi (27:07):
  “Even for us to extract the winning real consumer insights, we need to be thoughtful. The boundaries are difficult... But you need the product to back it up. We want to get girls back to sport. We have the products, we got your back.”

• Craig Slavtcheff (25:46):
  “This is what's on the inside of a feminine care pad... acts as a vortex to pull fluid away from the body. That's why the gravity core is superior technology.”

On Media and Creativity

• Patricia Corsi (32:04):
  “50% is everything that you do from buying efficiencies, targeting... The other 50% is creativity, the story. It has to be something that speaks to me and keeps me engaged.”

Important Timestamps

• Warmup & Episode Framing: 00:21–02:06
• Synergy of R&D and Marketing: 04:25–09:24
• Value Premiumization Strategy: 10:39–14:47
• Scaling Innovation Globally: 19:25–22:12
• Emotional Storytelling in Hygiene Categories: 27:07–30:48
• Fragmented Media Execution: 31:06–34:54
• Personal Favorite Launches & Trends: 40:34–45:53
• Retailer Messages & Future Growth: 47:09–49:30

Episode Tone and Language

The conversation is candid, energetic, and collaborative, marked by hands-on examples, personal anecdotes, and humble leadership. Both Patricia and Craig bring warmth, passion, and a sense of stewardship—not just for brand growth, but for societal impact.

Summary Takeaways

• Consumer insight is not just a KPI but a connective tissue for cross-functional teams driving innovation and brand love at Kimberly-Clark.
• Premium features can—and should—be democratized, expanding access and driving value without sacrificing margins, thanks to relentless R&D/marketing partnerships.
• Rapid, scalable innovation roots in shared values, explicit trust, and clarity of mission, not in committee decision-making or ego-driven leadership.
• Authentic storytelling, emotional resonance, and channel-specific creative execution are essential for breakthrough in today’s fragmented, noisy media landscape.
• Legacy CPGs can move fast, scale globally, and regain market dynamism, disproving the “slow and stodgy” stereotype when culture and process are truly rewired for growth.

For more insights, connect with The CPG Guys on your favorite podcast platform, and stay tuned for future conversations bridging commerce, consumer insights, and growth.