Conversations with corporate researchers

Michael Klein

Director of Insights and Analytics

Post Foods*

Tell us about your journey to your current position at Post Foods.

I have worked to develop an expertise in multiple areas of insights, analytics and research throughout my career. I have also focused on learning all aspects of the CPG industry – retailer, broker and manufacturer. In these roles, I have learned the benefits of using both primary and secondary insights to create actionable recommendations.

I joined Post in 2009, as Post was purchased by Ralcorp from Kraft. The position focused on developing the sales analytics/category management function, as this function was a shared service at Kraft and was not purchased by Ralcorp. Years later, after various roles of increasing responsibility at Post, I was asked to develop a best-in-class insights and analytics team in 2013.

Having experiences in various areas of analytics and insights, I understood that a best-in-class team needs to wear different hats in advanced analytics, shopper insights and category management. More importantly, there needs to be a direct link to senior management where decisions are made and the recommendations from the new team can directly help Post win.

As a result, Post utilized the analytics and insights team on the path to 13 consecutive months of share growth, and Post being the only major manufacturer to grow in 2014. The team contributed to this success by offering clear, concise recommendations to help Post capitalize on new opportunities and partner directly with top retailers. 

What research methodologies have given you the best ROI lately?

We have found that virtual store testing has given us the best ROI, and most closely mimics the in-store purchase behavior in a controlled environment.

What advice would you give to a smaller company or internal insights function that wants to conduct strong research/analytics but may not have the funding or resources to do so?

A company does not need to spend crazy sums of money to benefit from research and analytics. Although there is a strong push for the Cadillac version, often less-expensive options will suffice. Syndicated versions (and) utilizing the Internet can often yield strong results. Having some information allows a smaller company to make better decisions than having no information. Additionally, smaller companies should utilize the various supplier client service teams to help formulate actionable insights, as their expertise should not be lost.

What is your greatest concern for the future of research and analytics? 

My greatest concern is that the different groups of experts continue to be siloed within their organizations. For example, there is a benefit for the primary research team to be well-connected to the category management team – and vice versa. In this example, the primary researchers can include retailer questions in their studies, while the category management team can utilize account specific primary research with their customers.

 

*At the time of this interview, Michael Klein was director of insights and analytics at Post Foods.