In this episode of Brave Commerce, Sean Adams, svp of digital marketing and ecommerce at Utz Quality Foods, the operating company of Utz Brands, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to offer insights into the evolving landscape of marketing and consumer behavior within the CPG industry.

In his 13 years with snack maker Utz, Adams has boiled his approach down to this simple philosophy: “Build sales overnight and brands over time.”

While that might sound simple, succeeding at it is anything but. Adams starts by understanding the who and when of snacking. There are all kinds of consumers: foodies, functional eaters, adventurers. There are also all kinds of times for a snack: on-the-go, with friends, fueling activities and more. Success comes from aligning the Utz brand portfolio with the consumer and the occasion.

According to Adams, “once someone tries Utz, they love Utz,” therefore a big part of expansion is to reach consumers who might not otherwise have thought of trying Utz products. Search has been key to this bottom-of-the-funnel marketing.

Adams and his team pair search with a balance of retail and social media in order to increase amplification. This combination of channels provides multiple venues by which to educate consumers about their products, especially in new markets.

As a legacy brand with an embedded culture of in-store sales and discovery, internal storytelling is key to getting buy-in for digital initiatives. Adams uses the same skillset to cut through the noise with consumers as when influencing internal stakeholders.

As a self-taught marketer with an entrepreneurial spirit, Adams focuses on finding a message that resonates with his target audience, and that focus has helped him lead Utz to become the fastest-growing salty snack brand in ecommerce, according to Circana.

Key takeaways:

• Build sales overnight and brands over time.
• Storytelling is your most powerful tool to get buy-in with consumers and internal stakeholders.
• Know your objectives and ensure that your investments are serving them.