Podcast Summary: The Current Podcast – Episode Featuring Brigitte King of Colgate-Palmolive

Release Date: October 9, 2024

Title: Colgate-Palmolive’s Brigitte King on Steering a Global Giant Through Digital Transformation

Host/Authors: Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing

Introduction

In this episode of The Current Podcast, hosts Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing engage in an insightful conversation with Brigitte King, the Global Chief Digital Officer at Colgate-Palmolive. Brigitte shares her extensive experience in leading the company's digital transformation, navigating challenges, and leveraging opportunities in the highly competitive Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) landscape.

Brigitte King's Role and Background

Brigitte King joined Colgate-Palmolive in 2020, bringing a wealth of expertise to drive the company's digital and data analytics transformation. With Colgate's origins dating back to 1806 as a small soap and candle business in New York City, Brigitte emphasizes the importance of blending legacy with modern innovation.

Notable Quote:

"We are a company with a lot of legacy brands and a lot of longevity, and that's actually something great for the company. But we've got dynamic change ahead of us, and what's fantastic is the company recognizes that."
— Brigitte King (00:43)

Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Transformation

Brigitte discusses the challenges and opportunities CPG brands face in today's digital-first environment. She highlights that while legacy brands like Colgate have a strong foundation, adapting to digital commerce requires significant changes in strategy and operations.

Key Points:

• Late Adoption: CPG brands have been somewhat late in embracing digital and data transformations but are rapidly catching up.
• E-commerce Growth: Colgate-Palmolive has achieved a 15% e-commerce penetration of total sales by mastering online sales channels post-pandemic.
• Skill Set Evolution: Transitioning to digital commerce necessitates new skills, such as content creation, algorithm management, and innovative retailer collaborations.

Notable Quote:

"It's a very different skill. It requires content. It requires mastery of the algorithm. It requires working with your retailers in many new and different ways."
— Brigitte King (02:11)

The Role of Retail Media Networks and Data

The conversation delves into the burgeoning field of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) and the strategic use of retail data for precise customer targeting. Brigitte explains how RMNs provide closed-loop sales attribution, allowing Colgate-Palmolive to measure the direct impact of their marketing efforts on sales.

Key Points:

• Early Adoption: Colgate-Palmolive is ahead of the curve in investing and experimenting with retail media.
• Closed-Loop Sales: RMNs enable tracking from consumer attention to final purchase, enhancing measurement accuracy.
• Holistic Brand Building: Emphasis on integrating retail media within the broader media planning to sustain long-term brand growth.

Notable Quote:

"Retail media networks give you closed loop sales. You can really go from attention to consideration to discovery and you can basically close the loop and see did what you do actually impact the bottom line."
— Brigitte King (06:05)

Balancing Brand Marketing and Performance Marketing

Brigitte addresses the evolving marketing dynamics, particularly the shift from traditional funnels to more integrated models like the infinity loop or seesaw metaphor. She advocates for a balanced approach between brand marketing and performance marketing to achieve both short-term gains and long-term brand loyalty.

Key Points:

• Evolving Funnels: The traditional marketing funnel is being replaced by more fluid models that accommodate digital interactions.
• Seesaw Metaphor: Balancing brand and performance marketing is likened to a seesaw, ensuring neither side dominates.
• Integrated Strategies: Combining data-driven performance marketing with traditional brand-building techniques for holistic success.

Notable Quote:

"For me it is striking the balance, I think about a seesaw really between brand marketing on one side, performance marketing on the other and instead of one tipping too far, balancing the two, I think that's how you get to both short and long term brand building."
— Brigitte King (15:00)

Leveraging Digital Channels like Connected TV

The discussion moves to the significance of Connected TV (CTV) and Streaming Platforms in Colgate-Palmolive's marketing mix. Brigitte highlights the effectiveness of CTV in reaching targeted audiences and its role in driving organic sales growth.

Key Points:

• CTV Growth: Rapid expansion and increased investment in CTV as a data-driven, addressable advertising channel.
• Performance Metrics: Positive ROI from CTV campaigns, contributing to Colgate’s 9.8% organic sales growth.
• Integration with Retail Media: Synergizing CTV with retail media enhances overall marketing effectiveness.

Notable Quote:

"We are really learning how to do what I would call data driven decision making, data driven targeting and get the measurement that proves that cycle is really working for us."
— Brigitte King (15:35)

Data Management and Digital Transformation

Managing the vast amounts of data generated through digital channels is crucial. Brigitte explains Colgate-Palmolive's approach to data management, emphasizing the importance of a Data Cloud and Consumer Data Platforms (CDPs) to unify first, second, and third-party data for comprehensive consumer insights.

Key Points:

• Data Integration: Utilizing CDPs to stitch together diverse data sets for a unified consumer view.
• Data Exhaust: Addressing the complexity of managing data spinoffs from various digital interactions.
• Strategic Utilization: Leveraging integrated data to drive informed, data-driven marketing decisions.

Notable Quote:

"We are looking at consumer data platforms, CDPs because we do understand that's a place where we can stitch data together to give us a better view of the consumer."
— Brigitte King (17:31)

Importance of Upskilling Employees

Brigitte underscores the critical role of employee upskilling in driving successful digital transformations. By investing in continuous learning and development, Colgate-Palmolive ensures that its workforce is equipped to navigate and lead in a digital-first environment.

Key Points:

• Continuous Improvement: Providing employees with access to ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Motivation and Engagement: Initiatives like badges for completed courses encourage employees to showcase their new skills.
• Cultural Shift: Empowering employees to make informed decisions and drive competitive marketing strategies in the digital age.

Notable Quote:

"Upskilling was everything for us. And it's really also about Colgate's belief that we should invest back in our employees. This is about raising all boats."
— Brigitte King (18:22)

Conclusion

Brigitte King’s insights reveal how Colgate-Palmolive is effectively navigating the complexities of digital transformation in the CPG sector. From embracing retail media networks and balancing marketing strategies to managing vast data ecosystems and prioritizing employee development, Colgate-Palmolive serves as a prime example of a legacy brand successfully adapting to the digital age.

Closing Quote:

"The most fascinating thing about content today is it's truly being what I call atomized. You need to create it with the three Vs, volume, velocity and variety of content."
— Brigitte King (20:02)

Hosts: Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing
Additional Contributors: Kat Vessi and Sydney Cairns

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