Mastering Channel Strategy: Lessons from Bumble Bee Foods, Hershey, Kellogg's, P&G, and Starbucks Executive Connie Shepherd

Strategy at Scale

Many rapidly scaled companies won through channel strategy – finding or creating a new path to customers. Consider:

• Dell – Sold directly to consumers, bypassing traditional retailers.
• Salesforce – Delivered CRM via the cloud, avoiding on-premise installations.
• Apple – Opened its own stores, reducing dependence on third-party retailers.
• Amazon – Created an online marketplace, disrupting physical retail.
• Netflix – Shifted from DVDs to streaming, bypassing cable providers.
• Tesla – Sold cars directly online, skipping traditional dealerships.
• Warby Parker – Sold eyewear directly online, avoiding retail optics stores.
• Uber – Connected drivers and riders via an app, replacing dispatch services.

Your channel strategy is one of the most important sets of strategic choices you will make. It may very well determine the success or failure of your enterprise.

So, how do you pick which channel to pursue and assess what it takes to win in that channel?

Well, Connie Shephard knows.

Connie Shepherd is an executive and strategist with over 35 years of experience in some of the world’s leading CPG companies, including P&G, Kellogg’s, Starbucks, Hershey, and Bumble Bee Foods.

Throughout her career, she has built a proven track record of successfully opening up new channels. Her insights will help us better select which channels to serve and how to win in the channel, which as you will hear, involves building top teams across marketing, sales, strategy, and revenue management functions. She has done this across 32 consumer product categories and 21 different distribution channels. She is known for her strategic acumen, able to quickly assess and translate business needs into the pivotal choices that lead to sustainable growth.

Most recently as SVP of Strategy and Commercialization for Bumble Bee Seafoods, she was responsible for managing a $1.02 billion P&L. In three years, the company achieved over $18 million EBITDA growth year over year.

In this episode, gain insights from several of her success stories:

• How Connie led a complete overhaul at Bumble Bee Foods, focusing on strategy, structure, and talent.
• How she brought the Starbucks store experience to retail with innovations like the "signature aisle."
• Turning Kellogg's smallest region into a growth driver by breaking down barriers and leading teams.
• Testing new channels through rapid test-and-learn experiments at P&G.
• Transforming Hershey’s approach by changing key performance metrics to drive better results.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Connie Shepherd.

Thanks for listening! This episode is brought to you by Kaihan Krippendorff of Outthinker Networks and Verne Harnish of Scaling Up.