Verde Farms is on a mission to expand its market share in the better-for-you beef category. Once a mostly private-label brand, within the past few years Verde Farms has flipped its go-to-market strategy and began marketing directly to consumers through retailers—a move that allowed it to control its brand story by leaning on customer insights to inform packaging design, brand positioning and campaign creative. Here’s a deep dive into Verde Farms’ marketing success.

With its inaugural Marketing Vitality Index report, the CMO Council has tracked and analyzed data within five core marketing categories: marketing mix and spend; organizational dynamics; technology adoption and execution; market outlook and trends; and customer affinity and attachment. We’ve compiled the most useful insights and data within the report to help marketers to navigate through what promises to be a year of flux.

Despite the digitization of the customer experience, 78% of today’s shoppers still prefer seeing physical products in brick-and-mortar stores while researching things to buy, according to a December 2024 Criteo Shopper Survey. For many product categories, including groceries, consumer electronics and household goods, consumers want to see or try in the flesh before making a purchase decision, even if they research the same items online before heading to the store. We examine this insight and others in the report.

Lastly, Chief Marketer’s Top Women in Marketing program, celebrating the most impactful brand marketers, agencies and partners making waves across the industry, has unveiled this year’s honorees. Join us in congratulating these trailblazers. Read all about 2025’s standouts here.

Until next week,