Nearly three decades into serving food manufacturers with advertising and marketing services, I had an epiphany. It was time for a game change. COVID was the accelerant on embers that were already there.

Two market forces were clearly present before the pandemic. Food manufacturers were turning to multiple resources to cover their increasing marketing needs. In addition to advertising, they were outsourcing some of their new product development, culinary and chain pitch presentations. The complexity of a changing sales channel was likewise sparking the rise of supply chain consultancies. Creative Energy had used a network of trusted partners for this sort of work, but never formalized the relationships. Then came COVID.

A proponent of the pivot policy when the market shifts, I went to work in developing The Flavor Alliance, and it’s resonating.

COVID has cleaned out a lot of mid-management marketers within food manufacturing operations. High-priced agency, culinary and consultant retainers are now suspect, especially if they aren’t tied to documented hours of assigned work. Thanks to COVID, food manufacturers were questioning the norm and seeking a new model.

The Flavor Alliance brings world-class talent together for a one source solution to marketing needs-when its needed. Allied with Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations and experts within the supply chain system for taking products to operators or retailers, I’ve heard multiple client prospects say, “Finally, someone gets it!” Offering concierge access to key disciplines with one phone call, a manufacturer can have the best in an affordable financial model. Additional members of the Alliance will be coming to the front soon that will broaden our services to include data pools, representation, digital application platforms and CRM.

The new model’s efficacy was proven by acquiring four new clients in June and two, thus far, in July. As food manufacturers pivot, they are seeking help and a new model for outsourcing their needs. Two clients are pivoting foodservice products to retail. One foodservice retailer and one who was heavily invested in foodservice are pivoting to e-commerce. One is bringing innovation in portion control and another is deep water seafood farming. Another needs support in assembling data and culinary innovation for broadliner distributor driven GS1 technologies.

Tough times spark innovation and The Flavor Alliance is a good example. The alliance has broadened Creative Energy’s offering into 360° marketing services that open doors to large and mid-size food manufacturing clients who are in search of a new model for outsourcing needed services. Learn more about the Flavor Alliance on LinkedIn and more about Creative Energy by visiting our site and contacting us. If you are looking for a new way to go to market, consider us.