Christina Ward
Senior Director of Global Marketing
Sunkist Growers
Main job responsibilities: I oversee the global brand and retail marketing strategies at Sunkist Growers, a 130-year-old fresh citrus cooperative. Since we work with a legacy brand (Sunkist is the longest-standing agricultural co-op in the nation), our team focus has been on innovation, education and celebration. In recent years, this produce brand has taken a huge leap into the shopper marketing world, extremely focused on reaching consumers where they are.
We collaborate with category management and take into consideration shopper behavior insights in order to develop relevant marketing programs for retail partners nationwide. With nearly 40 different fresh Arizona- and California-grown citrus varieties in our portfolio, there truly is an orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, tangelo and tangerine variety for everyone.
Winning with shoppers during uncertain economic times:Shopper behaviors are in constant motion, especially when it comes to fresh produce. So, we prioritize a real-time understanding of what the consumer needs and where they want to buy. We stay in lockstep with category data and shopper insights that guide relevant as well as customizable marketing programs to support our retail partners. Overall, reaching our audiences through an omnichannel approach is key to our programming.
Also, eating healthy is still a priority for citrus shoppers. In a recent study, we learned that shoppers' No. 1 reason for buying citrus was their health and wellness. We're focused on educating shoppers with all of the Peel Good Citrus in our portfolio. Most importantly, everything we do is highly targeted to ensure we reach shoppers with access to Sunkist-grown citrus since it supports our growers and the fruit they carefully grow and handpick.
New marketing tactic that you use:In the past couple of years, we've expanded our capabilities in e-commerce with tools to support retail partners focused on capturing the online shopper. According to a recent study, more than half of U.S. households ordered groceries online in December, up 4% versus 2021. We pair our online programming with in-store promotions to capture shoppers in a time and place that is most convenient for them.
Activating at retail: Brand partnerships are a meaningful way to create new experiences for shoppers. During the holidays, citrus, especially navel oranges, is a sweet tradition in many homes across the country and the world. In representing an iconic brand like Sunkist, we have had some opportunities to promote California-grown navel oranges in November at the start of the season in conjunction with classic movie titles. We created custom 10-pound holiday cartons — the perfect tool for retailers to meet consumer demand for eating and giving health-centric holiday gifts. According to IRI data, our movie-themed promotions have historically supported a more-than-20% increase in navel orange sales at retail. Overall, our data-led and shopper-focused marketing programs are created to drive sales at retail, increase volume and grow the category.
Finally, Sunkist Growers is celebrating its 130th anniversary this season, and we're committed to the legacy of our grower-owned citrus co-op. March 1 is officially registered as National Sunkist Citrus Day. During this citrus-forward national observance, we had in-store and online programming to Celebrate Every Bite.
Best advice you received in your career: Think differently and have fun. In order to stay innovative, there is a need to be open and accepting of other people’s ideas and remain receptive to new ways of doing things. We market fresh citrus for farmers, many of whom are multi-generational, so our team plays an important role in the future of fresh produce and agriculture. I believe that when we act differently, we are able to stay innovative and evolve alongside market trends. Also, it’s okay to love what you do — having fun is a must.
Any memorable "Aha!" moment in your career. An epiphany or special "lightbulb turned on" moment for you: The first part of my career was on the agency side, and that time allowed me to learn about all of the key players in marketing and their specialized skillset. One project, in particular, made me realize just how important communications and storytelling are to everything we do. Fast-forward to when I joined Sunkist nearly five years ago. That's when I learned more about how category management and marketing can make an even more significant impact in packaging a message or telling a story that is data-driven and results-focused on another level.
What are you reading, or watching on TV right now: I love reading historical fiction and coming-of-age books. As for shows, one of my favorites right now is "Reservation Dogs" on Hulu. What Sterlin Harjo created is brilliant, with a great cast and guest stars, a lot of realness and humor wrapped up into that series. I’ve also gotten into "The Last of Us" on HBO.
Recent travel or leisure plans: Spring is a beautiful time of year in So Cal, so I’ll be spending a lot of time with my family, locally when possible. I also have a trip planned to Asia, a family vacation in Florida and a lot of exciting concerts on the horizon.
Katie Boggess
Associate Marketing Manager – Customer Focus
Jack Link’s Protein Snacks
Main job responsibilities: Our team handles several different duties within marketing. These range from normal marketing operations to couponing and partnerships. I was brought on in August 2022 to help revamp our shopper marketing strategy across all Link Snacks brands. I am currently focused on creating processes and baseline strategy for our core products, innovation and emerging brands across all channels.
How you win with shoppers during uncertain economic times:We invest time and resources into learning more about what our shoppers and consumers want and need from our brands, and adjust accordingly. We recently launched a rewards program for Jack Link’s and Lorissa’s Kitchen that provides much-deserved rewards for our loyal consumers.
New marketing tactic that you use:It’s not a new tactic across the board, but in the past year I gained a lot of hands-on experience in the world of experiential marketing. I was tasked with finding unique sampling opportunities at events across the country on a limited budget — a very fun challenge. I was invigorated to see what we could accomplish when we got really strategic with how we would hit our objectives and really squeeze every last drop out of our budget.
Best advice you received in your career: Always be willing to raise your hand and jump in to help where needed, even if it isn’t your usual area of expertise. I am always eager to learn and understand why things are done a certain way. It has allowed me to not only create better relationships with cross-functional teams but has also helped me learn new skills along the way that I might not have otherwise.
Memorable aha moment in your career:I have always had a passion for food and had always worked on food brands throughout my shopper marketing career on the agency side. I took a role with a client that was in skincare and quickly realized that food and beverage is what gets me excited. My “aha” realization was that as long as I believe in and care about the product we are marketing, it makes the hard days easier.
What are you reading, or watching on TV right now: My fiancé and I are on the Ends with Us bandwagon. Recently we started watching "Shrinking" on Apple TV+ and love it. I’ve been reading The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield and listening to the audiobook of Lesson’s in Geometry by Bonnie Garmus.
Travel or leisure plans: I have a lot of travel coming up. Most notably we are heading to Maui for a week with family, Bald Head Island with friends and taking another family trip to Big Fork, Montana, to round out the spring.
