Articles by Amanda Del Buono

In 2009, reality-TV celebrity Bethenny Frankel founded Skinnygirl Cocktails on the premise that women want low-calorie, great-tasting Margaritas. In 2011, Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Suntory acquired the brand, which has since grown to include 21 low-calorie products in the vodka, wine and ready-to-drink categories, according to Brendan Lynch, senior marketing director at Beam Suntory.

Scrolling through my LinkedIn newsfeed, a post from Chicago-based Mintel caught my eye. “Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults are interested in seeing carbonated soft drinks with added benefits,” the post stated.

Water is the most abundant element in the human body, a fact that many learn in grade school. But, water isn’t the element that builds muscles, hair, bone and many other tissues in the body — that would be protein.

Three cities in Maryland recently named October “Shore Craft Beer and Hard Cider Month.” One of them in Ocean City, also hosted a Shore Craft Beer Festival, which took place Oct. 24 and featured local brewers, according to the Caroline Times Record.

The world of retail is ever-changing, and retailers continually have to innovate and adapt to the changing times and consumer.

On a pit-stop at a gas station not too long ago, the Dunkin’ Donuts sign across the street glowed as it sang to me, “Pumpkin is back.” Nothing says fall to me like my large Dunkin’ coffee with pumpkin spice, cream and sugar (whether it needs the cream and sugar, I don’t know, but I’m afraid to try it without).

In Styx’s 1983 hit “Mr. Roboto,” the band sings, “Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto; For doing the jobs that nobody wants to.” Little did the band know, robots eventually would take on an immense amount of jobs that warehouse workers find repetitive and boring.

The ever-increasing number of SKUs within the beverage industry has been one obstacle beverage warehouse operators have been facing the past several years. However, the proven benefits of, and further innovations to, voice-picking technology has made it a staple in many beverage distribution centers today.

Bottled water has come a long way in its lifetime, and today, consumers are choosing this natural, healthy beverage more than ever. Industry experts even speculate that the category could grow larger than the carbonated soft drink (CSD) category by the end of the decade.

There was once a time when marketing was trusted by consumers. However, in the digital age, when information is just a few clicks away, it’s become even more important for brands to be as transparent and honest as possible.