Dive Brief:
- Dana Anderson, senior VP and CMO of Mondelez International, described how the company is adapting to the evolving food industry through the inspiration of startups when she spoke with Ad Age at the 2015 ANA Masters of Marketing conference.
- Anderson emphasized what larger and older companies can learn from smaller and younger startups. Mondelez acquired Enjoy Life Foods, a free-from foods company, earlier this year.
- "Their sphere and their lens is different than our folks' and for them, anything is possible, Our people, our teams, learn that when you get out of the house and share with other people your challenges, they can help you find solutions you never thought of before. So it's a great exchange," Anderson told Ad Age.
Dive Insight:
Enjoy Life's chief sales and marketing officer Joel Warady told Food Dive that Mondelez has been a hands-off parent company since the acquisition. This has allowed Enjoy Life to grow on its own accord with its own operations and sales team while still enjoying the benefits a larger company can bring, including capital resources and expertise in operations efficiency.
Major food and beverage companies have been snapping up smaller companies and startups to capitalize on their ability to adapt to movements in the industry, like clean labels.
"It is a wonderful way to energize your team and also give to a company that's just beginning. The way that startups think about problem is different, how they see opportunities, and their perspective is usually different," Anderson told Ad Age.