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Dig In is your go to source for insights innovation. It's for anyone with a genuine interest in fostering brand and product growth, exploring groundbreaking innovations, and embracing the dynamic world of expanding businesses and brands.
Jess Gaedeke (00:00)
Hi everybody. Welcome to the Dig In podcast. I am beyond thrilled to be joined today by a good friend of Dig's. This is Jenna Levine. She is Senior Manager, Agile Strategic Priorities at Danone. Jenna, thank you so much. I've really been looking forward to this conversation.
Jenna Levine (00:15)
Thanks for having me.
Jess Gaedeke (00:16)
So I'm gonna toss an impromptu question at you. You haven't seen this one you could be the lead singer in any band, past or present, what band would you choose?
Jenna Levine (00:25)
my can I choose No Band because I have such a bad singing voice. I have a very deep voice as you can tell not a lot of melodic charm. So I would say like I would be the groupie. Maybe I would come up in like karaoke, but I don't think I would put myself in a lead singer position.
Jess Gaedeke (00:39)
Okay.
leads to
your position. Okay, I tend to disagree. I think you actually do have a melodic voice, but what band would you be a groupie of then?
Jenna Levine (00:49)
Thank you.
Throwing it back, I love ABBA. I love a good disco They just get me off my feet dancing. I love their lyrics. I just think they're phenomenal. So I would travel with them any day.
Jess Gaedeke (00:54)
Mmm.
That's awesome.
I love that one. I love
great. Well, tell us a little bit about your background and your role today at Danone.
Jenna Levine (01:09)
Yeah, so my entire career has really been in innovation or kind of the space of net new growth, if you I really worked across the entire innovation lifecycle My background's actually in engineering. So early in my career, yeah, I was a product developer. did manufacturing scale-ups. So actually coming up with a concept and then bringing it to the manufacturing plant. How do we bring it to Quality control in the market.
to then also very early stage innovation from opportunity identification, insight gathering, trends, foresight, innovation strategy. And I feel very fortunate I've had experiences both client and agency side to be able to do this. And so I think that's given me a really strong perspective on balancing creativity and imagination with kind of grit and the business realities of kind of what it actually takes to bring something to market.
kind of TLDR, my background's in innovation and opportunity identification. And that really brings me to kind of my role today. So like you said, I sit on the enterprise insights and strategy team at Danone and I'm responsible for understanding what are the trends within consumer behavior, the trends within food and beverage, how do we have foresight for kind of what that looks like for us and our strategies moving forward, and then identifying new growth opportunities. And so that could be.
emerging need states, new health spaces that we're seeing coming through, new ingredients, categories, or even new audiences like GLP-1, which I know we'll be talking a lot about.
Jess Gaedeke (02:44)
Yeah, well, that's a great segue. So let's dig Our listeners really crave inspiration from other leaders. And I think one of the best ways to inspire is to tell a story. So we would love for you to tell us the story of a really exciting launch that just came out within the last couple months, I guess. So this is Oikos Fusion, which is an initiative that you really were a big part of from the very start. So Jenna, if you could give us sort of the concept description just so we all know what the product is. And then I'm going to ask you to go back to the beginning.
Jenna Levine (03:11)
Yes.
Jess Gaedeke (03:13)
But first, what is Oikos Fusion?
Jenna Levine (03:15)
Yeah, so Oikos Fusion is, we call it a cultured dairy drink. It's basically a yogurt drink, but specifically designed for GLP-1 users, or really anyone on a weight loss journey. And what makes it unique is it has this patented blend of protein, leucine, which is an essential amino acid, and vitamin D that helps retain lean muscle mass during weight loss. So imagine you're losing a bunch of weight.
very often your muscle is actually coming off with it. And so there's this kind of common phrase of like, I want to lose weight, not muscle. And so this patented blend really helps solve for that need. And so in addition to this protein blend, we also have prebiotic fiber for digestive health. We have no sugar added or artificials. We have vitamins B3 and B12 for energy, all in a really small format of just seven ounces. So it's a really nutrient dense offering for people that have
pretty small appetites and it's hard to meet those nutritional needs in kind of a small meal.
Jess Gaedeke (04:15)
Yeah, So how did this idea get inspired? Like what sorts of conversations and context was happening at Danone when you guys decided to embark on this?
Jenna Levine (04:23)
Yeah, I think there were kind of a few things that drove this. First and foremost was about a year and a half ago, we were starting to hear a lot about GLP-1. We didn't know much about it, but we were kind of starting to read it in the news. You can kind of hear and feel this trend starting to like bloom, and we kind of felt this surge potentially coming. But like I said, we didn't know much about it. So we wanted to just first explore who are these users, what are their needs, and
how does it actually impact their food consumption? Because obviously weight loss and food consumption are very interconnected. So we started with doing some ethnographies and an attitudes and usage study to just get that foundational knowledge who they are, role that this drug is kind of playing in their journey, and then of course, the role that it has on food and beverage. So that was really kind of the first piece of like, okay, there's something interesting here where we learned that
you know, they have incredibly demanding nutritional needs. You have to continue to hit kind of the protein goals, the fiber goals, the vitamin and mineral goals that any person who's not on a weight loss journey is hitting while having a calorie deficit diet, while having a small appetite, and then also having side effects. So there was clearly an opportunity here to do something different to help this unique audience.
Jess Gaedeke (05:40)
Yeah. And so as you went about approaching that, like what were some of the unique things that you employed, whether methodologically or just some of the ways that you looked to unpack some of those insights, because it has been quite a journey, right? You said 18 months, but I felt like it went fast probably on your end.
Jenna Levine (05:55)
Yeah.
Yeah, totally. I think, and it was less like in the start, but one thing that's been really important for us is actually tracking kind of GLP-1 usage and behavior over time. This is a very dynamic space. It's changing every day. We see headlines coming out around, you GLP-1 supplements or like a pill form. There were access issues Some people have side effects, other people don't. And so I think just keeping a pulse on
One, how dynamic it is, how things are changing, but also not looking at this group as a monolith. Really understanding that people do have differences. I think there's commonalities that we use to help inspire this innovation, but really bringing the empathy and understanding that everyone is different, everyone has different experiences. A lot of these users have been on a lifelong journey and struggle with weight loss. so bringing that empathy, think,
Empathy and tracking are probably the two big things that we had to employ as a part of this entire process.
Jess Gaedeke (07:00)
Yeah, yeah, definitely. you share maybe a surprising insight that you found along the way, know, as you tested different aspects of the proposition? Was there anything that was sort unforeseen?
Jenna Levine (07:11)
I think one surprise was that we were, and we still do kind of include anyone on a weight loss journey, but I think really understanding that a GLP-1 user is actually quite different than someone who is on a weight loss journey and not taking these medications, and they actually have opposite needs, right? So like someone who's on this journey, this GLP-1 journey, has a very reduced appetite. They don't really want to eat. So like small format nutrient dense works.
Someone on a weight loss still needs nutrient dense small format calorie deficit, but there might be more hunger there. There probably is more hunger there, more cravings, more things like that. And so being able to understand that while the solution might work for both audiences, again, that empathy and understanding that their experiences and the way that we communicate with them is probably quite different.
Jess Gaedeke (08:03)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. So do you have different communication strategies for the GLP-1 users and sort of the other weight loss journey population?
Jenna Levine (08:12)
say that we have two distinct strategies, we do have kind of our one marketing strategy that communicates relevant for GLP One users, or anyone on a weight loss journey.
But I do know that we're doing some targeted marketing in the sense of like going after specific GLP-1 user, know, social media accounts, leveraging GLP-1 influencers and nutritionists who specialize in We actually don't have GLP-1 language on pack as a way to be a bit broader in our proposition, but then can be more targeted, like I said, in kind of that surround marketing and who we actually share those messages with.
Jess Gaedeke (08:50)
Yeah. And that's the piece that was hoping you'd mention, because I just think that that's really smart. And it's something that makes it so that the product itself can have that more category level appeal. But then you can go find those specific targets targeting activation. So I think that that makes a lot of did things go wrong as you went to market? Were there any hiccups that you might have faced along the way?
Jenna Levine (09:11)
Yeah, we had a bunch of challenges. I think as with any innovation team, of course, you kind of come across issues. I would say one big challenge was actually in the product development. we were quite fortunate, which is what allowed us to be really agile in coming to market with this, that we had very unique patented science that we could leverage internally for the solution. So we have a specialized nutrition business unit here at Danone.
and they had this patented blend that they were using for other patients more in kind of the healthcare realm. And so we brought that over to the consumer side to use. And so from a proposition perspective, it really resonated, but it actually made the development quite difficult I'm not a food scientist, even though I'm an engineer, but the actual combination of kind of that blend with bringing in kind of yogurt equities and yogurt drink expectations was a challenge. And so,
Thankfully, we have an amazing R &D team here that was able to power through that and really come up with a formulation that works to launch with. But that was definitely a challenge, because I think there was a lot of excitement around the proposition and feeling like we really landed something then, of course, creating the product is the most and actually having something that you can launch with. And so trying to reconcile those two things was a difficult piece to get through.
Jess Gaedeke (10:28)
Yeah.
What a challenge because you can't have the most winning concept, right? The proposition just nails it. It meets a need. And then that actual physical deliverable of the product is just so important. And you're right. You guys have a wonderful R &D team that just doesn't give up, do they? They kept at it.
Jenna Levine (10:40)
Yeah.
Yeah, they really did. It very impressed. mean,
the grit, the agility, all of it. Collaboration.
Jess Gaedeke (10:53)
Yeah. How do you measure this launch? I know it's just early days, but what signals are you seeing so far and when will you step back and say was a successful launch?
Jenna Levine (11:02)
so we are just about a month in. So honestly, it's too early to even kind of give early signals. I just heard yesterday we have like three weeks worth of data, so super I think we're getting some early signs that there is some success, but again, like very early even say. I am personally watching reviews like a hawk. I'm on Walmart's website every day for the three flavors and trying to see what people are But I think just hopefully not only like,
getting that initial buy, but we really look at repeat purchase as definitions of success, making sure that sure, our marketing efforts can help trial and drive that, but if people aren't returning and enjoying the product and actually getting the benefit from it, then we have a challenge there. So success to me will look like having high trial scores, but then high repeat as well, and actually having a product that fuels Oikos business.
Jess Gaedeke (11:53)
Yeah, So GLP-1 users aren't necessarily meant to stay on those medications for the long term, right, in many cases. So how did you think about sort of the connection between those users and this product and this brand and how that might change if they do stop that medication?
Jenna Levine (12:10)
Yeah, it's a good question. So I mean, like I said, this product works for anybody on a weight loss journey or even like a weight maintenance journey. Even me, I'm not actively pursuing weight loss, but I am looking to increase my protein and my fiber and low sugar. And so it's really a product that anyone along their GLP-1 journey can leverage and consume.
But we do at kind of a denoun portfolio level look at that journey and all the different products that we can offer. So fusion is really a strong product for someone, especially in kind of their first three to six months on their drug where they don't really know what to eat, what causes side effects or what might trigger side effects or they're starting to see that muscle mass loss. And so that's a really great proposition to help solve for some of those needs in the first six months or so of the journey.
As we look at people off-boarding, especially because that food noise comes the cravings come we actually have another proposition, which is our new Oikos protein shakes. That's a really strong offering for those off-boarding GLP-1. And so we're starting to kind of play with that as well and targeting some GLP-1 users with the Oikos protein shake as another potential offering to, of course, support you along your GLP-1 journey, but definitely as you come off of it.
Jess Gaedeke (13:27)
that's great. I mean, within the portfolio to have those types of ways to help. I know that Danone just as a company is really good at education for consumers as well. And so I imagine that's part of that strategy is sort of helping the off borders navigate that next phase. So that's wonderful. What's your biggest takeaway from this experience? It's been a huge launch, a great one to add to your resume. What are you taking away from it?
Jenna Levine (13:43)
Yeah, definitely.
I think for me, because this was such an agile approach to innovation, I think from beginning to end, it was about a year. I mean, our agile push was the first six weeks of this. We came into this there's an opportunity here, and we had six weeks to get to a validated concept that could be announced externally. And then again, agile to actually go and develop this is strong collaboration is really the way to do agile work.
And that's getting a really tight core team, knowing who your decision makers are, having respect for each other's and each other's perspectives and POVs. So me coming in with the consumer view, the market view, but then having kind of the brand leads come in and understanding what the brand opportunity is and R &D coming in having those open conversations and deciding together what the best path forward is, is really important. And I think lastly in the collaboration is,
having a vendor you can trust. I mean, you know this, because we worked really closely with Dig And I really think part of the secret sauce of this Fusion launch was our partnership with Dig and our ability to leverage the Upsiide tool. Because didn't have to onboard you every single time we were going through a test or a survey or whatever it might be. It was you guys were in the trenches with us.
providing ideas, thinking through the implications. Like you almost knew before we did what test we wanted to do next. And so that's what really allowed us to work through the consumer insight piece in a really agile and strategic way.
Jess Gaedeke (15:20)
Well, thank you for saying that. Your team is such a great partner and what an exciting initiative to be a part of. We're proud of our role in that. now I'm a consumer of it. you know, full circle. Yes, I have. And I thought it was great. So my brain is always about getting like the textural expectation is where my brain sort of struggles. But I thought that the texture delivery was wonderful thing. yeah, I'm a fan.
Jenna Levine (15:29)
Amazing. my gosh, I you had a chance to try it. And what are your thoughts? What do we think?
Interesting, yeah,
that's great to hear. I think going back to kind of the development the thinness of the product was a big hot topic and kind of those expectations for a yogurt drink versus not. So that's great to hear.
Jess Gaedeke (15:56)
Yeah, exactly.
So let's turn now, Jenna, to just some of your more passionate points of view. You obviously been in a lot of different types of organizations with some different roles. And the things I've always valued talking with you about is your view on how to have that forward-looking mindset. And I think that plays into how you approach innovation. So just kind of talk to me about how you see the role of trends foresight innovation. How are those things connected?
What are some things that maybe you do at Danone that you think are particularly impactful as it pertains to pursuing the right innovation opportunities?
Jenna Levine (16:30)
Yeah, think, I mean, trends and trend tracking is so hard. It's so important, but it's so hard because I think business realities kick in. Your core is not doing well. You're super busy this week, this month, these six months, whatever it is. And reading that report, joining a webinar, just general trend tracking falls off the list. It's kind of one of those, if I have time to do it, I'll do it activities.
But it's so important because that's really what keeps you relevant. It's what keeps you competitive. It's what keeps for decades to come. If you don't know is coming, what's going to have that momentum to shape the categories that you're in or the industry you're you're not gonna be able to play in the future. And so I about COVID hitting, GLP-1 hitting, the protein trend hitting.
And if you didn't see these things coming, or if you're not actively working against them, you're going to be left behind. AI, you're not going to be able to be that sustainable business that you're hoping to be. And so I really just see so much importance in doing that. think in terms of successful tactics, it is really hard. think you can bring in a vendor to do some trend reports, but what's hard is it's not always that I think just for me,
It is reading the reports. get daily briefings from three or four different vendors. I get the dig, you know, trend digest or innovation digest. I take the Friday afternoon to read it. I rewatch webinars when things are light. I, you know, I really try to take the time and effort to do it, especially because that's part of my Keep an ear of what your competitors are doing. And I think if you have this always on behavior and this muscle, it is less of a lift.
because you're always cued in to kind of what's happening in the market and your categories. And so it doesn't feel as much of an ad hoc, let's bring a vendor in to do a trend report because you already kind of know what's happening.
Jess Gaedeke (18:31)
Yeah. What tremendous advice. And it sounds like you really just have built that systematic way of tracking that yourself. So congratulations to you. I mean, you really do make me feel like the future is bright for this industry because there's people like you that are figuring out. I mean, you have just as crazy a day as everyone else, right? But to be able to find that time to learn and to be intellectually curious is just so important. So bravo. And you're giving great advice to our listeners. I'm sure that they will take that away.
Jenna Levine (18:41)
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Jess Gaedeke (19:00)
So okay, food industry, kind of a lot going on. What's your hot take on the future of food industry? Where is this all gonna go?
Jenna Levine (19:07)
I don't know if I have an answer for truly the future of food, but I'll give you my hot take, which is I think as AI and digital tools make especially foods so hyper-personalized, I mean, you can type into ChatGPT I'll be home Monday, Wednesday, Thursday of this week, I'm looking for meals that have X ingredients, I want to put in 30 minutes a night, I have someone coming over who's gluten-free on this night, here's what I have.
and it just outputs exactly what meals you have or exactly the nutrients you need, all of these things, I think we're gonna see a lot more hyper-personalized solutions. I think we're gonna see a lot of life stage specific solutions. I don't think we're gonna get rid of these mainstream Greek yogurt, which can be very versatile and used, but I do think we're gonna see more perimenopausal solutions.
the baby that's working to balance and build the microbiome, your elderly man who's chronically challenged or has chronic health issues or the type two diabetic. think because we have such personalized recommendations these days, we're going to be looking for more of those personalized solutions in our food and beverage.
Jess Gaedeke (20:19)
and in the experiences with how we get those foods and beverages, right? I think that's the other piece to it. So, yeah, wow, that's really interesting, especially the live stage piece because, you know, I've talked about my kids lots to you, I think I've got two teenagers, I packed AJ's lunch today, I had to put in three sandwiches. That's where we are. We're in a three sandwich. Yeah. So,
Jenna Levine (20:36)
my gosh.
Jess Gaedeke (20:38)
Things just change so quickly and my needs with sort of convenience and making sure that they get decent nutrition, I mean, it's just happening so fast. So yeah, that's an exciting thing to think about, yeah.
Jenna Levine (20:48)
Wow,
he must be a growing boy.
Jess Gaedeke (20:52)
He is. He's 6'1 at 14, so that's where we are right Okay, we're going to go to the final dig. This is all about you a consumer, non-professional. Feel free to take off that professional hat for a moment. What's the last product or service you bought on Impulse?
Jenna Levine (20:55)
There you go. Wow.
I am a huge Reese's fan, Reese's Cups, huge. I don't know if that's a client of yours, but if they ever need someone to talk about brand love, sign me up. I'm obsessed. So the most recent impulse has been the Oreo Reese's That's kind of made a lot of headlines recently. I had to try it. But my husband and I actually...
Jess Gaedeke (21:12)
I'm really.
Jenna Levine (21:32)
we make a game out of it. We'll go to the local CVS and we'll see what are the new Reese's that are out on shelf and we'll always get them and we kind of go scouting for them. So I guess I was an impulse because we kind of were looking for it, but it just happened to show up where we were shopping.
Jess Gaedeke (21:37)
on.
my gosh.
But I think that counts. Yeah,
I do feel like I have to hook you up with like the brand manager over there. So you could just like, yeah, okay, amazing. What's a category or brand? I feel like you're gonna have the same answer now for each of my questions, but what category or brand that you could rationalize any price point for? You just have to have it in your life.
Jenna Levine (21:50)
Please, please.
I guess connected to the Reese's, think this just category of like mood boosting is I could rationalize any price point there. I would buy a $100 candle for sure. I don't know. I think you light this like amazing candle on a cold, cozy day or you're not feeling well or you're having a hard work day and you just light that and it just instantly uplifts your mood. It puts you in the right mindset and I just think that's priceless.
Jess Gaedeke (22:32)
Yeah, that's amazing. Although I can't really picture you in a bad mood. I don't know, but I'm sure you have your moments. we all know brands have distinct personalities. What's a brand that you would love to date and any brand that you would prefer to marry?
Jenna Levine (22:37)
Yeah, I my moments.
Definitely to date. think Liquid the first thing that comes to mind. I think they are just playful. They're a little bit chaotic and just really fun. And I think that's what would make them a really fun brand to date. I welcome a little bit of chaos, a little bit of fun chaos in my life. And I don't know if I would marry Liquid Death, but I would definitely date them and have a good time. In terms of marry...
Jess Gaedeke (23:08)
Yeah.
Jenna Levine (23:10)
Not the sexiest brand, but I think I would marry Gap. I think especially now they're having a bit of a moment. I respect them a lot. I think that they're a very strong heritage brand. They're very connected and dedicated to their roots and they've been around for a really long But they're also very willing to shift with the times and modernize while still sticking to those values. And so I think they'd be a very dedicated partner that's also willing to grow.
and compromise, and I think that's what's important in a partner.
Jess Gaedeke (23:39)
Yeah. Wow.
That's a really thoughtful response. I'm not surprised. There's also something very comforting about how they have been such a consistent brand for decades, but to your point, still willing to adapt and evolve. So yeah, I could totally see that. Good one. ⁓
Jenna Levine (23:54)
Yeah, and they grow with age
life, know, age two, you know, the brand I shopped as a kid, I continue to buy it into my adulthood. I think you go there, you see all demographics, all ages. And so I just think that they're timeless.
Jess Gaedeke (24:08)
Yeah, yeah, I love it. Good one.
Gosh, I'm sure a lot of things inspire you at work, but if you had to sort of summarize it for us, what keeps you inspired day in and day out?
Jenna Levine (24:17)
I and this actually goes back to the trend conversation too and another tactic is, and this is so silly and basic to say, but honestly leaving my desk and going to the supermarket is the, that is weekly inspiration for me. I go by myself and I literally shop every single aisle and I'm so familiar with what's on there. I know what the new products are now. Whenever I see one, I look at the claims, I look at the packaging, I take pictures.
shop at Sprouts and they have like a little new products area and so I am constantly getting inspiration by doing that and just being out. And whether that's grocery shopping near me or traveling and seeing what global markets have, which is another place that I love getting inspiration, think that's something we have at our fingertips and everyone grocery shops, even if it's online. And so just keeping an eye out and putting a bit of your business hat on as you're shopping I think is really helpful.
Jess Gaedeke (24:54)
and
Yeah. that's really cool. That's a great inspiration to leave our listeners with. And I just have to ask, are you like listening to music while you shop? Are you listening to some of your podcasts? Are you just like in your own space? What's your? Yeah, place.
Jenna Levine (25:24)
The sounds of the grocery store.
don't listen to anything. just kind of, I don't know, think we're always overstimulated. I'm listening to music and podcasts in the car or watching TV or on the computer. And so that's actually my zen time to really center and be inspired and just kind of engage with other people.
Jess Gaedeke (25:47)
That's awesome. Great advice for everybody that wants to stay close to consumers, stay close to that context. Jenna, I mean it. This has been such a great conversation. Thank you for being such a great friend to dig and to me and for sharing your wisdom on this podcast. It's been absolutely joyful.
Jenna Levine (25:56)
No.
Of course.
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.