The CPG Marketing Guide
Discover the insights and strategies used behind the most successful brands
In-depth guides to the concepts, strategies, and best practices that drive CPG marketing and trade marketing — written for brand professionals who want real insight, not just definitions.
Trade Marketing & Retail
Merchandising
Merchandising is the practice of strategically selecting, presenting, pricing, and promoting CPG products within retail environments to maximize visibility and drive consumer purchases at the point of sale.
Private Label
Private label is a product manufactured by one company but sold under a retailer's own brand name — such as Costco's Kirkland Signature, Target's Good & Gather, or Walmart's Great Value.
Trade Spend
Trade spend is the money a CPG manufacturer invests to promote and sell products through retail and distribution partners—covering discounts, in-store displays, circular features, slotting fees, distributor incentives, and co-op advertising to drive sales and shelf presence.
Retail & Distribution
Category Captain
A category captain is a market-leading manufacturer that a retailer designates to help manage and optimize a specific product category, advising on shelf sets, planograms, assortment, and data-driven decisions to grow the overall category.
Retail Media Network
A retail media network (RMN) is an advertising platform owned and operated by a retailer that allows brands to purchase ad placements on the retailer's digital properties, physical stores, or partner channels.
Brand & Marketing Strategy
Brand Architecture
Brand architecture is the strategic framework that defines how a company organizes its brands, products, and SKUs, and how they relate to each other. It determines whether consumers see one unified brand or a portfolio of independent brands.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is the degree to which consumers recognize and recall a specific brand within a product category, measured through aided awareness (recognition when prompted) and unaided awareness (spontaneous recall without prompts).
Brand Equity
Brand equity is the value a brand adds to a product beyond the product itself, measured by the price premium (or discount) consumers are willing to pay compared to an unbranded or generic alternative.
Creative Brief
A creative brief is a short strategic document that outlines the objective of a marketing campaign and provides the essential context that anyone producing creative work needs to do it well.
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