Costco Doesn’t Buy Products. It Buys Reasons.

Many of our CPG clients tell us the same thing: selling into Costco feels different from selling into other retailers. That’s because it is, and it’s worth understanding why. Costco doesn’t evaluate items through traditional category-first logic. It doesn’t respond particularly well to brand ambition, long feature narratives, or clever...

What Investors Actually Look for in Your Equity Story: Insights from BNY’s Global Investor Study

We recently heard Karen Bodner on the Winning IR podcast share findings from a global investor study conducted by BNY. The study surveyed 40 investors representing more than $2 trillion in assets under management. When asked what they wanted to see in equity stories, investors did not ask for innovation...

Why Most Line Reviews Fall Flat and a Structure That Actually Works

For many CPG teams, the Line Review is one of the highest-stakes meetings of the year. You have limited time with a powerful buyer. Big decisions are on the table. Distribution, space, innovation, merch / promo plan and investment levels are all in play. And yet, many Line Reviews don’t...

How Investors Are Using AI Before They Meet You

AI is already changing how analysts and investors review investor materials, and research companies. Many are using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to analyze disclosures, frame questions, and identify gaps or inconsistencies in a company’s investor story before they even speak with IR teams. In a recent Enquire podcast episode,...

Earnings Season Prep: 3 Resources Worth Checking Out

Earnings season is underway. We pulled together three resources to support Q4 earnings preparation. Scan and pick what’s useful, from guidance framing, to ideas for building a repeatable earnings prep system, to Mark Hayes’ take on pressure-testing what belongs in your Q4 materials. How guidance placement sets the tone Drawing...

Best of 2025: Sales & Category Insights You May Find Helpful as You Plan for 2026

To kick off the year, we pulled together the articles that resonated most with Sales + Cat Man leaders in 2025. If building better selling stories is on your 2026 list, you’ll find practical frameworks here for top-to-tops, new item launches, and more. Scan it, bookmark it, steal what you...

Best of 2025: IR Insights You May Find Helpful as You Plan for 2026

To start the year, we pulled together the IR pieces that resonated most with IROs in 2025. We grouped them by theme (Earnings, IR Tools, Investor Thesis, Investor Days, and more) so you can scan fast and jump to what’s most interesting to you as you think of ‘26 priorities....

Build a Presentation Toolkit to Save Time and Influence Retailers Better

If you’re on a Sales or Insights team in the CPG world, you know how much effort goes into retailer facing presentations (and often internal ones for senior leaders too). Whether it’s line reviews, JBPs, top to tops, new product launches, or category growth playbooks, the stakes are high. And...

Visa’s IRO Built a System for Earnings Prep

“I get to have a Super Bowl four times a year.” That is how Jennifer Como, SVP and Head of Global Investor Relations at Visa, describes earnings season. We recently listened to her conversation on the IR in Focus podcast. What stood out was the level of discipline her team brings...

Retail Investors Matter. Here’s What IROs Can Do About It

Retail investors are no longer background noise. According to Gallup (2025), 62% of U.S. adults now own stock, the highest share in two decades. At mid-cap firms, small shifts in retail turnout are determining governance outcomes. This trend is global and structural, not cyclical. Mark Hayes, Partner and Head of...

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