For decades, success in consumer packaged goods (CPG) meant fighting for shelf space. If your cereal box made it to eye level at the grocery store, you were set. But now, the shelves that matter most are digital — and many legacy brands are realizing they’re behind.
This is more than just turning on e-commerce. It’s about shifting from “How do we sell more units?” to “How do we build lasting, direct relationships with consumers?” In a world where TikTok trends drive buying decisions and loyalty is earned through email flows, shelf presence is just one piece of the puzzle.
Here’s how the most successful legacy brands are thinking beyond the shelf — and how digital marketing for legacy CPG brands can open new doors.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) models used to make traditional CPG brands nervous. The idea of skipping the retailer felt risky. But DTC doesn’t mean ditching stores; it means owning your relationship with your audience and capturing rich data along the way.
Take Heinz, for instance. Amid the pandemic in 2020, Heinz launched Heinz to Home, a DTC site made to help people who couldn’t get to the store or wanted to limit their grocery visits. But instead of treating it as a one-time pivot, they leaned into personalized bundles, merchandise, and smart cross-sells.
The win here isn’t just sales; it’s insight. When you can control the checkout page, you know what people actually buy together, what flavors they love, and when they reorder. That’s the kind of data legacy brands pay retailers to share, but why pay when you can collect it yourself?
[Insert picture of Heinz to Home]
For truly omnichannel CPG strategies, look at Kerrygold butter. Just last year, their Instagram was filled with stock images of cows munching on grass. But they quickly learned that great Instagram content is what people are sharing on their stories, pushing them to an even wider audience for no extra cost.
Their new social team absolutely crushed it, taking trends like:
Kerrygold took their socials and made them shareable, and in turn, they have a healthy Instagram following of 108K to show for it.
In February 2024, TikTok officially took over Google as the most popular search engine among Gen Z. And it makes sense — when you want an easy, crunchy taco recipe, who wants to scroll through the long life stories about how the author’s great-great-grandmother made these tacos in the 90s? A quick search on TikTok with a simple video and breakdown of the ingredients in the captions is much faster.
While not a CPG brand itself, there’s a lot that brands can learn from Kroger. Kroger’s TikTok has hit a shocking 680K followers — something that would not happen for a grocery store alone without a comprehensive strategy. Brands should take note of how well their strategy, which involves everything from recipes to capitalizing on trending sounds, is working.
Their strategy includes:
Remember, as a CPG brand, you don’t need to abandon retail, and you shouldn’t. It’s just time to stop relying on it as the only option. Layering in omnichannel CPG strategies, including paid search, dynamic retargeting ads, and engaging social content, helps you meet consumers where they are, drive measurable results, and build a more resilient, future-ready brand.
Selling direct to consumer isn’t going to work for everyone, but a conversation will. So start small. Launch a landing page. Build a following. And begin layering digital into your brand’s story.
Or better yet, hire Oodle to take care of it for you. Contact us today.
Get marketing insights that actually move the needle — directly in your inbox.
