News & Events |
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News and Events
December 2004
MVS CEO Charles Collier is quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune news article (December 22, 2004) regarding the launch of General Mills' new online weight-management tool, "Brand New You."
From the article: (click here to read online)
With "Brand New You," the maker of Lucky Charms and the Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough tub hopes dieters will take a second look at all of its brands, even products consumers may not necessarily think of as being healthy.
"It's a smart marketing move," said Charles Collier, chief executive of the Boston consulting firm Mount Vernon Strategies. "The company wants to wrap some tired brands under the health and wellness banner and reinvigorate them."
In some ways, General Mills is late to the party, Collier said. With its "Jared" campaign, Subway successfully marketed itself as the "healthy" sandwich chain, he said. And then there's Kellogg's "Special K Challenge," which claims consumers can lose up to 6 pounds in two weeks.
MVS CEO Charles Collier is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article (December 6, 2004) about a new marketing deal PepsiCo has inked with Discovery Communications to promote healthy eating and Pepsi's Smart Spot products.
From the article: (click here to read online, subscription required)
During prime time, Discovery plans a similar network "roadblock" for a 30-second ad reminding consumers about the importance of a healthy breakfast. A Pepsi ad for Tropicana orange juice, Quaker instant oatmeal or Life cereal could follow.
Discovery has editorial control over its spots, which are still in production, and the two sides must agree on which of Pepsi's Smart Spot products are advertised in tandem.
There are some Smart Spot products that aren't inherently healthy, which could spark debate. Diet Pepsi qualified for Smart Spot because it has zero calories and the new Cap'n Crunch's Swirled Berries cereal made the list because it has a third less sugar than the regular version. It hasn't been determined exactly which brands will be featured with Discovery.
Charles Collier, chief executive of Mount Vernon Strategies, a Boston consulting firm on consumer products, says Pepsi's strategy of securing a quasiendorsement from Discovery for some of its brands is brilliant but could backfire if consumers don't deem the products included healthy enough. "It's a slippery slope," he says.
MVS CEO Charles Collier is quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune news article (December 2, 2004) about Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda Corp, and his venture into the organic food market with a new store in Minneapolis called The In.
From the article: (click here to read online)
With organic foods enjoying strong growth and consumers in general demanding more healthful foods, social issues like the environment are creeping into consumer minds, said Charles Collier, chief executive of Boston consulting firm Mount Vernon Strategies.
"This is a market that will become more mainstream," said Collier. "It's getting there. Consumers are becoming much more aware of not only what [foods] will harm them but will harm the environment. Ten years ago, they would not have made that connection."
November 2004
MVS re-engaged by The Vermont Teddy Bear Company to conduct a Strategic Analysis.
MVS is pleased to have conducted the consumer research that helped Green Mountain Coffee Roasters become the coffee of choice at all 242 Bruegger's locations.
News from MVS client Green Mountain Coffee Roasters:
New Partnership Makes a World of Difference:
We are pleased to announce you can now find your favorite Green Mountain
coffee at Bruegger's,
a national chain of neighborhood bakeries. We were recently selected
to provide coffee for the company's 242 bakery cafés. Every Bruegger's
now offers at least one Fair Trade Certified™ coffee every day,
including Rainforest Nut and French Roast. In addition to Fair Trade
coffees, you can choose from Bruegger's House Blend, Bruegger's House
Decaf, Hazelnut, or French Vanilla. At select locations, Fair Trade
espresso and cappuccino drinks are also available. As always, Green
Mountain Coffee Roasters donates at least 5% of all pre-tax profit to
social and environmental projects that "make a world of difference."
Visit a Bruegger's near you today!
October 2004
MVS CEO Charles Collier is quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune news article (October 10, 2004) about General Mills' decision to make all of their breakfast cereals from whole grains, and what this might indicate about the future of the low-carb trend.
From the article: (click here to read online)
Charles Collier, chief executive of Boston consulting firm Mount Vernon Strategies, estimates that low-carb sales peaked four to six months ago. "People want to be feel better about what they are eating," he said. "Instead of low-carb/no-carb, consumers will want fiber and [nutrients] that are better for you."
MVS is engaged by a major client in the gift category to research licensing agreements.
September 2004
MVS client Bravo! Foods signs licensing agreement.
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bravo! Foods International (OTC Bulletin Board: BRVO) ("Bravo"), a brand development and marketing company that manufactures, promotes and distributes vitamin- fortified flavored milks, today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Masterfoods USA, the confectionery and snack food division of Mars, Incorporated, to produce, market and sell Milky Way®, Starburst® and 3 Musketeers® single-serve, fortified milk products under the Company's Slammers® brand.
MVS is hired by a major private equity firm to conduct customer research in the bedding space.
August 2004
MVS is hired by a major retailer in the quick service food category initiate a brand extension strategy.
MVS is hired by a major private equity firm to conduct due diligence and market research in the confection and snack market.
MVS would like to congratulate its client the Vermont Teddy Bear Company for the following article in the New York Times Sunday Business Section (August 8, 2004).
June 2004
Mount Vernon Strategies is re-engaged by an industry leader in the gift-giving and collectible market to perform an extensive company/industry assessment, conduct a “shrinkage test” to measure current theft levels for their dominant brand and analyze results to maximize retail opportunity, and develop merchandising concepts focused around key selling dates to deliver consistent merchandising concepts to all retail outlets.
MVS client Linear Air closed an initial funding round last week and is ready to capture significant market share in the jet-taxi market. [Boston Business Journal 5/26/2004].
April 2004
Mount Vernon Strategies re-engaged by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to conduct market research.
March 2004
Shauna Ginsberg promoted to Senior Associate Consultant.
MVS client Protonex Technology has raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital from Conduit Ventures and SAS Investors (March 18, 2004 New England Tech Wire). Mount Vernon Strategies conducted industry research and wrote the business plan for Protonex. Protonex develops fuel-cell power systems that are lightweight and designed for the 10 to 1,000 watt range. The U.S. military is one of its primary customers. http://www.protonex.com/news.html
Bravo! Foods, located in West Palm Beach, FL, hires MVS to develop a channel marketing strategy.
MVS is hired by Adbeep, LLC, headquartered in Lincolnwood, IL, to engage in an extensive research project designed to create partnerships and/or pilot programs with both grocery chains and consumer product companies for the Adbeep product.
Leah O’Donnell joins Mount Vernon Strategies as a Senior Consultant. Leah has worked on strategic marketing and branding strategies for a number of companies in the consumer goods and financial services industries. She holds a BA in Political Theory from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
February 2004
MVS is hired by Aspen Pet Products, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Dear clients and friends of MVS:
We wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a prosperous, healthy, and safe 2004. MVS is optimistic about the prospects for businesses to grow this year - companies are more focused, leaner, and committed to seeing the bottom line grow despite both economic and international uncertainties.
On that note, Mount Vernon Strategies has made a commitment to maintaining our notoriety in offering result-oriented consulting services focused on return on investment - our work is guaranteed.
We are also pleased to announce the addition of our newest board member, Ed Haft, former President & Chief Operating Officer of Sara Lee Bakery. Mr. Haft led the Bakery through a $13 million operating profit recovery and restored confidence in Foodservice and Retail customer base by returning to 98% + service levels, gold standard quality levels, and aggressive new product activity after a failed plant consolidation initiative in 1999 - 2000.
Joining Tom First, Kevin Murphy, and Bob Fallon, Mr. Haft will also serve as Director of our Brand Positioning and Marketing Department.
We are honored to have begun many new client relationships this year, with companies from both the public and private sector representing a diverse group of industries. We have highlighted some of our clients on this web site.
Again, all the best for the New Year and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Charles Collier
January 2004
MVS is hired to conduct a branding study for a publicly traded company in the gift and collectibles industry.
MVS client Go Boston Card covered in Boston Business Journal reporting on the success of their "smart card" pass for Boston attractions and restaurants.
