Here’s some solid career advice: Identify a brand you have a passion for and seek out an opportunity. That’s exactly what our guest Gina Peterson did. Gina has been with Hershey for the last 11 years and to simply say she is passionate about her work is a massive understatement. Gina is the Sr. Manager of Retail Experience for the confections giant and has an amazing opportunity to identify new opportunities and holistic solutions (beyond selling another candy bar) with retail partners. Gina’s work is grounded in the voice of the shopper and her team partners with Hershey’s retail customers to create and activate playbooks and principles to drive growth in the space. In this episode Gina shares with Lee Peterson (EVP, Thought Leadership & Marketing at WD Partners) what digital first means for Hershey, the impact the great accelerator has had on the CPG industry, and how sweet it is to work at a place you love.

1:30 – Hershey in her heart
4:58 – A day in Gina’s life
7:20 – Insights to activation
9:42 – Voice of the shopper
11:12 – Digital first for Hershey
14:14 – The impact of the great accelerator
18:26 – The 15-minute city
20:46 – Who’s doing it right?
24:15 – A take on social media
25:38 – 2021 Predictions
27:25 – The personal side of Gina