Best CPG Marketing Agency: Top 5 Choices for 2024

When it comes to growing your CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brand, having the right agency in your corner can make all the difference. A strong marketing team can help you increase sales, retention, and profit margins. 

Unfortunately, many companies work with agencies that have no CPG-specific experience. You want to find someone who understands your pain points from production, to slotting fees, COGs, etc.

In this article, we’ll review the benefits of hiring a CPG marketing agency in 2024, how to choose one, red flags to look out for and list our top five agencies in the space.  

What is a CPG marketing agency?

Let’s start by looking at what’s happening in the CPG Space:

• Predicted to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2028 (GlobalNewsWire)

• Legacy brands are acquiring startups/challenger brands with strong DTC presences

• $5.5 Billion was invested into CPGs from 2015 to 2019 (via Salsify)

Now, let’s understand exactly what a CPG marketing agency is and how they differ from other agencies. Typically, agencies have a few specialties or niches they work in; and CPG marketing agencies are no different. These agencies have (i) worked with brands in the past and (ii) have learnings/systems they can deploy in their new projects.

Benefits of hiring a CPG marketing agency

They understand how to market products (not services)

Marketing products is much different than marketing services or SAAS businesses. CPG marketing agencies know this and can use their expertise to drive sales for B2C products. 

They understand funnels

DTC/Ecom brands should be using marketing funnels to attract, nurture and retain customers. Agencies specializing in marketing products know how important it is to set up a marketing funnel.

They understand retention/brand.

With a lot of competition in CPG, great marketers know the importance of brand building and customer retention. In a sea of endless choices for the consumer, retention efforts keep customers coming back over and over again— CPG marketing agencies know this fact. 

They know how to use the current trends to ensure consistent sales.

In today’s age, platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels can seriously affect sales numbers. CPG agencies know this and can help you outline a social media strategy to drive sales.

How do I choose a CPG Marketing Agency?

Choosing an agency comes down to a few things for most companies:

• Relevant Experience
• Cost
• Professional relationship

Relevant Experience

Now, just because an agency doesn’t have CPG experience doesn’t mean they cannot work on your project. However, when you invest in a partner, you will want to ensure you’re not spending money for them to learn the ins and outs of the industry. An experienced agency with relevant experience can bypass the initial hurdles an inexperienced agency may encounter. 

Cost

Let’s face it; the dollars have to make sense. When finding an agency, the pricing can range quite a bit. You will see agencies on the high end charging $50K+ per month for their services, while other agencies may charge anywhere from $10K-$25K depending on the bundle of services needed.

If the $10K budget range is still too high, hiring specific freelancers to manage each section of your marketing might be better. That can bring your cost down to around $5K/month.

Professional Relationship

More often than not, it’s not the business you’re doing but the people you’re doing it with that make all the difference. You will want to find a CPG marketing agency that matches your company philosophies, is accountable, and treats your team respectfully. This may go without saying, but find a partner you want to work with, not someone you tolerate. 

Red Flags to look out for 🚩🚩🚩

Before hiring an agency, you will want to meet the extended team working on your account. Some agencies have a front person who sells services and sends everything to other agencies. You want to make sure you are aware of all stakeholders in the project, and agencies should be forthright in sharing their partners. 

🚩No case studies/reporting examples

Run for the hills if an agency refuses to show you work examples or reporting. That means either (i) they don’t have any experience or (ii) they don’t have any success! You want to work with people who’ve succeeded in one way or another.

🚩Guaranteeing results

It doesn’t matter if it’s a CPG marketing agency or any other vendor; no one should guarantee results. That is a major red flag, as anyone who could guarantee results would be off sipping cocktails on a beach if they had it all figured out. 

The Top 5 CPG Agencies for 2023

1. Cave.

Yes, we put ourselves at the top of the list. But we believe in what we do for CPG brands. We give you a partner who walks the halls of Expo West, interviews Founders, and helps grow CPG brands.

Clients: Fresh Cravings Salsa, Jugo Brands, JLab, Hellowater, Truce Clean

Core Services: Social media strategy, social media advertising, content production,

We’re biased here, but we believe in what we can do with CPG companies. We have proven results with Food & Beverage as well as Consumer Electronics. If you are looking for a complete digital agency to handle your marketing efforts, then we’re the agency for you. Book a free consultation, and we’d be happy to connect you with one of our marketing specialists. 

Schedule a consultation here

Example Content 👇

@freshcravingssalsa Taco 'bout a delicious catch!🐟🌮😋 Perfectly seasoned and topped with Fresh Cravings Salsa, this recipe is sure to make a splash at your next meal.👌🏼 #fishtacos #yum #healthyrecipe #fiestafriday #freshingredients #dinnermadeeasy ♬ original sound – Fresh Cravings

2. Hop Skip media

Core Services: Google Adwords, social media advertising

With a global team, Hop Skip Media specializes in paid media management for companies around North America. They’ve worked in the CPG space for over a decade and bring plenty of experience to any project they work on.

3. Bluelight Media 

Core Services: Product Photography, Video Production, Paid Media Management

Located in Orange County, CA. Blue Light Media focuses on creating beautiful images/videos for its clients. They are one of the few agencies that walk the walk as their founder, Mikhail is very active in promoting the agency. 

4. Boundless Labs

Core Services: Retention, growth marketing, email marketing

Founded by Chase Dimond, Boundless Labs helps eCommerce companies scale their email marketing and retention programs. Chase and the team have worked in retention marketing for over a decade. 

5. Beyond the Agency

Core Services: Video production, Creative Strategy

Based out of Miami, FL. Beyond the agency works to create beautiful/creative projects for their clients. They’ve been featured in Adweek and Adage multiple times and always look to put their stamp on compelling creative. 

Hiring the Right CPG Agency

When hiring an agency, remember to look for an accountable team with a bias for action and isn’t afraid of taking calculated chances.

Reputation: It’s always a good idea to look at the reputation of the agency you plan to hire. Reviews and references can tell you a lot about the quality of the agency and what to expect once you hire them.

CPG Marketing Skills: You want a team with the skills to scale your company. Whether you’re a startup eCommerce company or an established Fortune 500, you will want to hire someone who has done it before when it comes to marketing CPG companies. 

Get a consultation: Before making any serious decision on an agency, sit with them on a consultation call. You want to get a feel for how the agency thinks and approaches problems.

Hold the Agency Accountable: This means agreeing to and holding the agency accountable to the KPIs discussed before a project starts. Data will tell the story at the end of the day, and having a CPG Marketing agency that holds itself accountable to the data goes a long way toward campaign success. 

Do you want to partner with a CPG Marketing Agency that has your back? If so, book a free consultation below. 

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