:By Robert Urban: Executive Marketing Consultant/ CPG Expert and Professional Fire-Juggler (Metaphorically… mostly)
Let’s clear something up right away: being a CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) consultant is not just about making something look shiny on a shelf. It’s about crafting a strategy that sells everything from sparkling water to non-dairy cheese to biodegradable laundry detergent. If you’ve ever walked through a store and had a sudden craving for something you didn’t know existed five seconds earlier that was probably someone like me pulling invisible marketing strings behind the scenes.
If you have been on the market team for a CPG company, there is nothing worse than an empty cart- literally and digitally.
This job isn’t for the faint of heart or the brand-agnostic. It’s part storyteller, part psychologist, part hype-man (or woman), part data geek, and part event roadie who can assemble a 10×10 booth in their sleep and still have opinions about font hierarchy and scent diffusion.
Let me walk you through what it actually means to do this job, because if you think we’re just picking Pantone colors and designing tote bags, you’re only seeing the tip of a very caffeinated iceberg.
🎯 Brand Strategy: Where the Heart Meets the Market
Every product has a soul—or at least it better. Whether it’s a new line of protein drinks or a household cleaner with attitude, my job starts with defining that soul.
Who are you?
Why should anyone care?
What story are we telling every time someone picks up your product, scrolls past your ad, or meets your team at a trade show?
I help define the voice, tone, and emotional arc of a brand—not just for the consumer, but for every person who touches that product along its journey: internal team, retail buyers, influencers, and yes, even your uncle who still calls it “The Facebook.”
🛒 Shopper Marketing & Retail Reality Checks
Ah, the retail floor-where dreams go to die unless you’ve nailed your point-of-sale strategy.
As a CPG consultant, I help bridge the gap between a brand’s beautiful, idealistic vision and what actually fits in the tight parameters of a retailer’s gondola. It’s less “Field of Dreams” and more “Survivor: Endcap Edition.”
From promotional signage and interactive displays to packaging that pops on shelf, I work with sales teams, distributors, and retail partners to optimize presence, improve conversion, and keep the planogram gods happy.
📱 Social Media & Influencer Management (aka Herding Cats)
Your product could be a miracle in a bottle, but if no one’s posting about it, it might as well not exist. Your story must rise above the noise.
My role involves coordinating with agencies and internal teams to design social strategies that are aligned with brand pillars but flexible enough to adapt to viral moments, influencer moods, and algorithm black magic.
I recruit the right partners (hello micro-influencers, not mega-divas), drive engagement, and build communities-not just followings. Because likes are cute, but loyalty is revenue.
🎪 Experiential & Events: Face-to-Face in the Age of Screens
Want to know the fastest way to make someone fall in love with your brand? Let them taste it, smell it, touch it, or try it- live and in person.
Whether it’s trade shows, festivals, conferences, or pop-up sampling activations in random parking lots, I plan and execute best-in-class experiential campaigns that leave lasting impressions. I also teach teams how to make the most of those moments—from booth layout to body language to QR code placement.
It’s not just about handing out free stuff. It’s about creating a memory tied to your brand. One that turns curiosity into conversion.
Pro Tip- Even in a pitch where everything is digital to get buy-in from people in account and C-Suite, always have something to leave in their hand.
🖥️ Website, Email, and Digital Funnels: The Unseen Machine
Behind every great CPG brand is a conversion funnel that doesn’t just catch interest-it pulls people through. I manage everything from homepage messaging to email flows, blog strategy, and abandoned cart logic.
Upper funnel = storytelling and awareness.
Mid funnel = consideration and education.
Lower funnel = action, urgency, and that magical “Add to Cart” moment.
(And there are multi-stages in cart and pages I could write about cart abandonment, click minimalization, retargeting, remarketing and so much more, but hey this is a “High-level overview post”
If you’re not obsessed with your analytics dashboard, are you even a marketing consultant?
📣 PR & Earned Media: The Art of Making Noise Without Paying for It
PR is more than pitching product roundups. It’s about building relationships with editors, bloggers, moms, etc, and being ready when opportunities arise, and managing a narrative that adds value to a conversation. I coordinate with agencies and media partners to get products featured, stories told, and brands noticed-without dropping six figures on a billboard that most people are too busy looking down at their phones to even notice.
🧢 Swag & Merchandise: The Trojan Horse of Brand Awareness
Branded swag may seem like fluff, but it can be one of your strongest marketing tools if it’s done right. I help plan and produce merchandise that people actually use (and wear proudly), turning customers into walking ambassadors.
Pro tip: A well-designed hoodie can sell more than a digital ad.
👛 Budget Management: Because Ideas Don’t Mean a Thing If They Can’t Afford Ink
At the end of the day, even the best creative needs to live within a budget. I manage marketing spend with the precision of a financial planner-allocating resources to balance short-term ROI with long-term brand equity.
Is this activation worth it?
Will this ad campaign pay off?
Should we spend more on paid media or invest in a killer referral program?
Is this PAO (plan of action) intended to drive revenue and what is the expected ROI or is it for a brand lift- and how does that brand lift lead to revenue?
These are the kinds of calls I make daily. And I don’t make them alone-I collaborate with the team, agencies, and finance folks to ensure we’re building smart, not just splashy.
So… Why Do It?
Because I love this chaos. This energy is exciting to me.
I love helping founders and companies scale their ideas into category leaders. I love making products feel human, accessible, relatable and exciting in a world full of noise. I love connecting data to emotion, strategy to storytelling, and creative to conversion. Whether it is crafting a campaign or write a book or ad, it is when the recipient is dazzled by something in the story that I came up with that I find the most rewarding.
And let’s be real-there’s something deeply satisfying about walking down a grocery aisle, seeing a product you helped build, and watching a total stranger choose it without hesitation.
If you’re building a CPG brand-from beauty to beverages, snacks to supplements, or pet care to cleaning supplies—and you want marketing that actually moves the needle, let’s talk.
At PaperBoat Media, I specialize in strategic brand development, retail optimization, social content, experiential campaigns, and full-spectrum marketing consulting for CPG companies looking to stand out and scale up.
👉 Reach out at www.PaperBoatMedia.com
Let’s make your product the one people can’t stop talking about.