Jamie Collins: Navigating Tradition and Innovation in Grocery Marketing

Jamie Collins shares her career journey and insights on grocery marketing trends, emphasizing the significance of data, adaptability, and mentorship in the evolving landscape. The conversation highlights generational shifts in consumer behavior and the challenges of technology in marketing.

• Jamie's transition from corporate marketing to grocery 
• Importance of data-driven marketing strategies 
• Generational differences in consumer behavior 
• Mentorship’s role in professional growth 
• Challenges and opportunities with technology 
• The need for community and support among women leaders 

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Dierbergs Grocery

dierbergs.com

Jamie Collins

Transcript

Women Leading in Grocery Industry Careers

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat. The WGA podcast, offering a unique perspective as seen through the eyes of remarkable women who shape and lead in the independent grocery industry. Your host, Kristen Popp, president of WGA, will bring you exclusive stories and insights from the women serving our industry, From presidents to CEOs, to entrepreneurs and students. This podcast is your source of information. Now listen, take notes and welcome Kristen Popp.

Speaker 2 0:31

I am your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have the opportunity to chat with Jamie Collins, Vice President, Advertising and Marketing at Dearburg's Markets. Welcome to Grocery from your City, Jamie, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today.

Speaker 3 0:44

Thank you, Kristen. I'm happy to spend the time with you today.

Speaker 2 0:48

Jamie, you've always been in groceries, so before we dive into your grocery career, can you share your background and how you've arrived in your role today?

Speaker 3 0:58

Yeah, sure, of course You're absolutely right. I am celebrating 10 years in grocery this year, but before then I mean I've always been in some sort of marketing or advertising role, mostly focused in brand communications, and I've been fortunate enough to work for local like smaller local companies, national companies and even international companies. So I really started out working in advertising and promotions agencies and kind of cutting my teeth on client service and understanding what really kind of a customer service mentality was, and then really kind of just building my acumen for how to run an account, anticipate a customer's needs and so forth. And then that became very taxing on. Just there was really no work-life balance, if I'm being honest. And I had an early mentor at the time ask if I'd ever thought of moving over to corporate marketing. So I hadn't. I thought, you know, agency life was kind of for me for at least the better part of my 20s.

Speaker 3 2:10

I actually moved into corporate marketing early in my career and started at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I had an awesome opportunity to work for their international marketing team and then I mean, that's just, that was an incredible experience of itself. And then moved to more of a business-to-business role after that. So another I'm in St Louis, so a St Louis-based company, and they focused more on like the rewards and incentive space, and so my job there was to get to know subject matter experts in building out incentive programs and then really kind of selling those skill sets into organizations.

Speaker 3 2:57

And then I was recruited to work for a food manufacturer and that was my first opportunity or really experience in the food industry period and I realized within a matter of weeks that I found my niche. I loved working with the chefs, the food scientists, the brand managers, the product development team. It just became. It was just so fascinating to me how to take a product to market and really did not look back once I entered the food industry About five years into that role.

Speaker 3 3:34

I had an opportunity to come over to work and take on the leadership role in marketing for Dearburg's and Dearburgs is a brand that I grew up with. I've always been in the St Louis area. Dearbergs itself has been around over 170 years, so it was certainly a brand I was familiar with the brand and the feel when you walk in the stores is very appealing. So it was a neat opportunity for me to get back into customer marketing and take on a role where I could learn to manage people that manage people. That was a new experience for me, but the most intriguing piece honestly was number one staying within the food industry but then learning a whole, a whole new vertical and go-to-market strategy.

Speaker 2 4:27

You've had a very extensive career journey and getting you into the food industry. I love it. So you mentioned that you got into the food manufacturing and then you moved over to Deerburg's. Is there anything specific that inspired you to pursue the journey in food marketing or was it just the happenstance and the opportunities that presented themselves in front of you?

Speaker 3 4:47

I wish I had this wonderful story for you, kristen, but really it was a matter of right place, right time. I had somebody pursue me with the opportunity and it just really it clicked. And I do think just every person that I've met throughout the course of my career kind of led me to the next experience.

Evolution of Marketing Technologies in Grocery

Speaker 2 5:07

But I also wouldn't discount the work and the experience and the knowledge that you've gained that allowed you to be in that right place too. So it's not all just the right place at the right time. It's your journey led you to that place and it was the right time for the next opportunity to present itself to you. I know we touched on your title, but can you share with us a little more in detail what that entails, specific to your role at Dearburg.

Speaker 3 5:30

So what it entailed 10 years ago versus what it entails now is light years difference, and so when I joined the organization, we were very much, I would call, more on the advertising side Some might say pictures and words, but we churned out a lot of awareness-based advertising elements TV radio, we had signage that we used for store products displays, we were just getting into some email marketing, and so it really was more just focused on awareness building and supporting the organization. But last 10 years it's really morphed into more of a marketing data focused group. We now can support pretty much any digital channel you can name, Continue to do some of the things we did 10 years ago TV radio to powering an app, retail media, web, web layers, segment marketing, influencer marketing, name any kind of social marketing you can think of. But it's super exciting and it's happened quickly.

Speaker 2 6:39

I want to point out a couple of things that you mentioned there. First of all, you say you know from where you started 10 years ago to where we are today. Where is it going? So that will be interesting to see. And then meet the customer and where they're at in their journey and their shopping experience and be ready to pivot to where they are. So just trying to stay ahead of that is your full time job, I'm sure.

Speaker 3 7:07

Most definitely, and when you look at, for example and I'm going to sound like a typical Gen Xer, probably, but when you look at Gen Z, I mean, their communication styles are different, like are we talking humans or machines? You know how just they're influenced. I happen to have teenagers, and so they have taught me a tremendous amount how not to settle on what I think is working, because it's always evolving for them, and so I feel like that has equipped me to bring that to the organization and keep pushing our team here to change as the customer changes.

Speaker 2 7:35

Definitely, when you're managing across so many different generations that are in very different spaces, it is a full-time job to keep up with that.

Speaker 3 7:43

One point on that we have found is less can be much more with this group. So giving them too much choice can be paralyzing and I think that goes back to their attention spans and they need it now. So they don't want to ponder over the decision or they don't want to do too much research. So the less choices we can put in front of them, the better. But that's counter to store like. Our environment is a 70,000 square foot store and we might have 18 different types of ketchup and so how do we take that choice that many of our customers like and how do we whittle that down and make it very pointed and purposeful for that group? So super fun challenge. I don't know that I have all the answers right now, but we're working toward it.

Speaker 2 8:32

I think we all are right. So, jamie, not starting your career in grocery? I'm sure that there's some who have helped you navigate your path in grocery. Do you have anybody that you could highlight that has helped you do that?

Speaker 3 8:45

So I walked into this environment almost like fake it till you make it Like I was. The ownership here recognized that and they were willing. Both Greg Dierberg and Laura Padusa-Dierberg were willing to invest that time in me and help me understand the business and give me opportunities, even with store associates. So they put me in the store so I could shadow different individuals, ask them you know what their pain points were and really kind of get to know the environment. I'm just naturally a very curious person, which works really well in this culture. We are very much a what-if culture and so it's accepted to ask questions and the people here are just incredible with offering their time and helping you learn and you know.

Speaker 3 9:37

The other thing I will say is I had, since I've joined Dearburgs, I've been a member of the NGA's marketing share group. That has been a wonderful experience because not only am I with people that are in similar roles as me and their organization, we can share. Okay, you were in a similar experience, how did you power through? Share. Okay, you were in a similar experience, how did you power through? Or how did your customers handle this promotion? And so it's just a wonderful idea exchange and that has helped me get smarter about the industry under quickly, because I can then bring ideas back and learn from others in the industry.

Speaker 2 10:16

I think that's a great call out. I think the resources and the groups and the networks that are offered through associations like NGA are so impactful and so powerful. It's a great shout out.

Speaker 3 10:27

Getting that opportunity to step out of your day-to-day, it is an amazing reset. It's an opportunity to kind of reflect on what it is, or the contributions I do make, and maybe like, oh, where did I get stuck? Because I got too far in the weeds. Now I enjoy being in the middle, but getting away and having an opportunity to just connect with others that are in similar positions has been a great opportunity that NGA has provided.

Speaker 2 10:54

Couldn't agree more, Jamie. I want to take some time to highlight some of the key highlights throughout your career.

Speaker 3 11:00

As I reflect and think back on some of the more exciting projects, there were three that just kind of came to mind instantaneously. So the first one was when I did work at Enterprise Rent-A-Car on that international marketing team, I was given the opportunity to launch the very first brand campaign in the UK and Ireland. The opportunity to launch the very first brand campaign in the UK and Ireland. So at that time we were only in the UK and Ireland and Germany and Canada, but being able to learn the nuances of the British culture, being able to understand media habits and just diving into that experience and creating a brand campaign for them was a really fun one. The other one was when I moved over to the food manufacturer.

Speaker 3 11:48

I did not have a product development background and so the skew rationalization, reformulation, consolidate you know, all the consolidation work was all foreign to me. So the company took a chance on me and I just kind of dove in and figured it out. They had gone through a series of acquisitions of companies and they had a lot of similar product lines. So there were salespeople that are like well, how do I sell the difference between this and this when really they're kind of the same, it's just a different brand name, and so the opportunity in front of me was to create more of a single brand recognition, not just for our sales teams, and then just maximizing our efficiencies and then just modernizing the brand. So that was an exciting adventure. The most recent has been on hyperspeed mode. Actually, what I've been told by people that have been around this industry a very long time is we've been in an unprecedented pace of growth within the industry, a lot of it due to the onset of marketing technologies.

Speaker 3 12:51

And so I joked, I feel the last four years I've been in this MarTech vortex and just kind of digging in and understanding like, how do customers want to engage with a grocery store of our size I mean, we're not national, we're local Just how do we right size it for our organization?

Speaker 3 13:09

And then I pulled back and I'm like, oh, but we also sell pineapples and green beans and we have an amazing selection of frozen products. And so it's like gosh, jamie, you're not really getting kind of to the core of who we are. I share that because it was more of an aha moment and I think I've kind of balanced out my workload a little bit since. But the opportunity to dive into understanding all of the marketing technologies and then being able to bring some of those tools into my team give them opportunities to advance their skill set. And this is really kind of where the leader in me has started to evolve, because I'm no longer figuring out like how do I advance my own career? I've been spending a lot of time thinking about individuals and how do I give them the best opportunity to succeed and what tools do they need, and that's been a big evolution for me and probably one of my favorite things along my career journey.

Speaker 2 14:11

I think the shift from being the worker to the leader and that transition happens to now it's not about you, but it's about how are you building your team and giving them the opportunities and the tools to grow their careers Definitely a pivot for anybody entering a leadership role. I also think that it's a great call out in the light speed of technology that we're in in the industry right now and there's a lot of buzzwords and a lot of different opportunities from a technology standpoint. But I think you can get lost in what you're doing. You can get lost in what's available right now and trying to understand what opportunities there are and what is the right path to go down.

Speaker 3 14:54

Most definitely, and I would say we get lost on a daily basis. But it's real easy to wander down rabbit holes and kind of get excited about little pieces of technology and start dreaming and you're like, okay, hang on, let's reset. What are we trying to accomplish? So that's definitely a challenge, with everything that's available.

Speaker 2 15:14

For others that are aspiring to join the industry or continue to pursue their career forward, what is some advice that you would share with them?

Future Trends and Female Inspiration

Speaker 3 15:21

You asked me this 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago. You'd probably get a different answer when I reflect back on what has really contributed to my success my curiosity, my authenticity, my accountability and then my prioritization in communicating. This is cross-functionally, this is communicating with your team, communicating to personal commitments as well, just to make sure you're keeping that balance. But really, really, I keep this poster on my wall and I couldn't even tell you who the author was, but it was very inspiring to me and it says you have to do the hard things, and so to me, that really means stepping out of your comfort zone when nobody else will. And if you truly want to be the leader, you've got to be willing to do the hard things, and I know everyone can do it. It just takes a little personal coaching.

Speaker 2 16:17

I love that quote. I'm a big one on get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and so I love that quote. I'm a big one on get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and so I love that quote. I also love curiosity. I am a big question asker and my team would tell you the same thing. You ask the most random questions.

Speaker 3 16:30

Sometimes I did have a teammate one time and not at Dearburg say you need to stop asking so many questions. And I was like how could you even say that to me? Because it just comes so natural to me to just kind of want to keep peeling back the onion. I do know there's kind of a time and place, but I totally agree with you. Just you know, leaning into that curigasi is just going to make you a more well-rounded person for sure.

Speaker 2 16:56

Jamie, are there any female leaders who have inspired you along your career journey and, if so, in what way have they inspired you or impacted you?

Speaker 3 17:03

The mentor I had very early on in my career that encouraged me to move over to corporate marketing and she helped me think differently about what a path could look like for me. You know, I was very one track minded when I was young, which I think is normal. You kind of have like very one-track minded when I was young, which I think is normal. You kind of have like this idea of what your path is going to be, and she helped me see a different way. So I credit her a lot for helping me think outside of the box. But a recent one that I've really been paying attention to is Sarah Blakely. She's the founder of Spanx and she launched a line at Sneaks and so that was just an endeavor she had on finding a shoe that was comfortable.

Speaker 3 17:46

Her story is such an interesting one because she really started at the bottom and she really kind of dug in and learned how to be successful. And she very much so self-made and I will say and I use her quotes with my team a lot she's got a pretty serious coffee cup game. Her coffee mugs all have quotes on them and they're more motivational and her most recent one says you can't control the wind but you can adjust your sails and that's one of the things I shared with my team. In the game of grocery, we have to pivot all of the time and you don't know. You think you know what your day is going to look like, but you really don't.

Speaker 2 18:27

By leaning into the power of being able to pivot is really going to make us better at our jobs, and so I love using her quotes to translate to my team leadership standpoint. And you know to your point if you have followed her story and what she did with the Spanx brand and how she was a self-made success. There's a lot to take and learn from her journey and to where she is today. But, jamie, I have two questions for you. What notable trends do you foresee shaping our future? We talked a little bit about Gen ZI.

Speaker 3 19:16

Think, if we're not paying attention to the power that that generation has, if we don't understand how to really motivate them into the behaviors that we need to thrive as a business, I think we're kidding ourselves.

Speaker 3 19:34

And many of them are too young to even drive a car. Still, wow, they're a powerful group. I think the other thing is this digital transformation and the challenge ahead of us, kristen, is we invest in technology, we implement it, and we, you know, with anything else we do, we finish it and we move on to the next thing, and you can't do that with technology, because it's just going to age and it's not going to work, and you know, somebody has to babysit it or there's a new version of it. This is like an always on, and independents are very scrappy individuals, and so we wear a lot of hats. We're very lean teams, we jump on these initiatives, but what we're finding is we really have to invest in people that understand how to work these technologies and help make them successful for our future, and so in some cases, it's evolving skill sets, but in other cases, it's going outside of the organization and pulling people in that can make us a little more whole.

Speaker 2 20:38

That's such a great call out. When you talk about technology and something that we focus on right, it's an always-on journey to make sure that you're staying ahead of it and not falling behind. So we talk about trends, and what notable trends and what are we foreseeing to shape the future. But what excites you the most about the future of the industry?

Speaker 3 20:58

I just think the fact that I don't know what's coming next. Five years ago I would not have thought the tools we have in place now to utilize first-party data and get really smart about our campaigns. I mean, who knows where we're going to be, even in a year? We've got some ideas, but even then the environment really dictates where we go and really it's our customers that dictate where we go.

Speaker 2 21:23

And I think it goes to your call out early on in our conversation where you talked about you know where we were 10 years ago to where we are today and looking at the future of where will we be in the next five to 10 years, kind of exciting to see where it's heading as we head towards wrapping up our conversation. I know you touched on the share groups that the NGA offers and the marketing group that you're a part of but, can you share maybe a benefit or two that you've had or found from being a part of WGA?

Speaker 3 21:50

Wow, what a group of smart, talented women and when you get them all in a room, it's pretty outstanding and I would say at first I was intimidated walking into the room and not knowing all of a room.

Speaker 3 22:01

It's pretty outstanding and I would say at first I was intimidated walking into the room of not knowing all of these leaders, but everyone that I've encountered, at least, has been very welcoming. People love to share their experiences and pass on knowledge and really the group is there to lift each other up and help each other be successful. Group is there to lift each other up and help each other be successful, and that breaks down a lot of barriers in terms of how to build connections and what's okay to talk with them about and what's not okay, and I've just really treasured the experience. It's extraordinary Well, and it's also just helpful to know you're not alone, having that opportunity, kristen, honestly to connect with those women who are going through similar experiences and I'm not suggesting they're negative experiences, it's just we are growing in our careers and now we can just do it together because we have a group that we can connect with as we go.

Speaker 2 22:58

Absolutely so, jamie. One last question. I'm going to throw you a little curveball here, but as a marketer you may have a good answer for me here. But if you were to write a book or a podcast about the industry today, what would the title be?

Speaker 3 23:12

Yeah, I mean, I think mine would be more of a motto like keep forging forward, but don't forget the lessons of the past. I'm sure that can be condensed more with my friend chat GPT into a book title.

Speaker 2 23:24

I think it's a great title, Jamie and I actually would love to read that story. I think it's a great title.

Speaker 3 23:30

Well, thank you. Okay, well, there you go, I'll keep it there.

Speaker 2 23:33

Sounds good. Jamie, thank you so very much for sharing your time and your thoughts with us today. I appreciate you, your story and your contribution to the industry. Thank you for your valuable thoughts and insights and I look forward to watching you make a difference in all you do and to our guests. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode and, if you found value, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode Until next time. Keep making a difference in all you do.

Speaker 1 23:58

On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we thank you for listening to our podcast today and ask that you subscribe, leave a five-star review and share with a friend. If you have a suggestion for a guest from the industry, mention them in the comments. Episodes are released every other week and they are sponsored by NGA, hosted by Kristen Popp, president of WGA, and published by Rachel Milo with SWA Marketing.