75. Reviving a Dead Category with Real Innovation With Joel Clark, Kodiak Cakes

75. If you're fighting for shelf space in a "dead" category, you're playing the wrong game — and it's costing you growth. Most brands try to win with price cuts, deeper discounts, and louder pitches. That's a race to the bottom. In this episode, I sit down with Joel Clark of Kodiak Cakes to unpack how they revived a stagnant pancake category, grew to a 54% share at Target, and built sustainable sales without relying on reckless trade spend. We dive into how true innovation (not flavor extensions), premium positioning, strategic trade marketing, and social media engagement drove incremental growth instead of cannibalization. You'll learn how to shift retailer conversations from "How much are you spending?" to "How are you growing my category?" Get instant access on the show webpage: RetailSolved.com/session75