ORRVILLE, Ohio, U.S. — The J. M. Smucker Company has announced a transformation of its marketing model to better engage today’s consumer. The new marketing model, titled the “Power of One,” allows the Company to connect with consumers by aligning its creative, data, media, and technology resources; developing bolder, breakthrough creative; and moving at the speed of consumers and culture.
“We have consistently embraced change when it makes sense for the long-term success of our business and our stakeholders. The introduction of the ‘Power of One’ model is the latest example of our ability to evolve and innovate to meet the needs of consumers,” said Mark Smucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, The J. M. Smucker Company.
“The transformation of our marketing model, which enhances our ability to put the consumer at the center of everything we do, highlights our commitment to capitalize on opportunities for continued growth.”
The “Power of One” model is built upon seamless collaboration internally, and with external business partners, to anticipate and meet the changing needs of consumers. Adoption of the new model meant three significant changes for Smucker:
- Overhauling the Company’s internal marketing model;
- Introducing an innovative agency model and partner in Publicis Groupe; and
- Investing in resources to bolster content, consumer insights, and data capabilities.
“We want to continue building brands people love – brands that stand for something. To do that, we needed to make changes internally as well as how we leverage our strategic partners,” said Geoff Tanner, Senior Vice President, Growth and Consumer Engagement, The J. M. Smucker Company.
“One of the pillars of the transformation is increasing our speed and agility. In only four months, we have been able to move from establishing our objectives to launching this new ‘Power of One’ model.”
The restructuring of the Company’s internal marketing operations involved consolidating multiple Centers of Excellence into three, multi-discipline teams to holistically support the Company’s three major business units of coffee, pet food and snacks, and consumer foods. This model brings together discipline experts in a collaborative environment that ensures the omni-channel consumer remains at the center of every brand’s efforts.
As part of the “Power of One” model, Smucker is consolidating the majority of its marketing business with Publicis Groupe, the third largest communications group in the world. Publicis Groupe was selected based upon its ability to bring together the best professionals from across its diverse roster of agencies to create multi-functional teams, thought leadership, strong data capabilities, and commitment to breakthrough programs.
“We are thrilled to have a business partner the caliber of Publicis so invested in the success of our business,” added Tanner. “The introduction of a single holding company partner allows us to truly embed them into our business, both at a strategic and an operational level.”
In this new model, Publicis Groupe will create three dedicated, multi-functional agency teams to support the three major business units at Smucker, pulling from its network of talented professionals across agencies. Publicis Groupe will begin work on the business this fall.
“Smucker is going through an incredible journey and we are proud to partner with them to accelerate their transformation and impact with a Publicis Groupe end-to-end Power of One solution spanning creative, media and business transformation—all with data and insights at the core,” says Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO, Publicis Groupe.
In addition to the operating model changes, Smucker is investing in resources to support its content, consumer insights, and data analytics needs.
“These investments will allow us to leverage the latest technologies to power our first-party data efforts and introduce a new suite of insights tools, so our teams can make quick, informed decisions,” commented Tanner. “This is a significant endeavor and one we are confident will allow us to continue to best serve our consumers.”
