Turning around Windex, Tollhouse, and Nesquik | Courtney Shane, Challenger Brand Group

On this episode, we’re joined by Courtney Shane, Founder & CEO of Challenger Brand Group.Courtney led turnarounds for iconic brands like Windex, Tollhouse, and Windex and now brings big brand rigor to emerging, challenger brands.We dig into how to think like a P&L-minded marketer, what she had to unlearn from “Big CPG,” the initiatives that change trajectories like nailing price-pack architecture, packaging design frameworks and storytelling strategies tailored to core stakeholder groups.Courtney breaks down what belongs in a tight creative brief, the most common packaging mistakes she sees, and how to evaluate when you need a refresh versus a full rebrand. We also get tactical on “owning a color and designing for real store lighting.---------------Episode Highlights:🎯 From corporate turnarounds to challenger brand operator🧠 What to unlearn from Big CPG when you’re scrappy📊 Price Pack Architecture for early-stage brands🗂️ The anatomy of a strong agency brief📦 Packaging pitfalls that kill clarity at shelf🎨 Why “owning a color” creates true brand blocking💡 Small packaging tweaks that reliably lift velocity🛒 How store lighting impacts design choices🔁 Refresh vs. rebrand: how to decide📖 Storytelling for consumers, retailers, investors, and employees📈 Trends and challenger brands Courtney is watching---------------Table of Contents:00:00 - Intro00:48 - The Challenger Brand Group03:15 - Turning around Nesquik06:22 - Turning around Windex08:45 - (Un)learning from “Big CPG”10:23 - Game-changing strategies and initiatives11:59 - Pricing strategy18:42 - What a well-rounded agency brief looks like20:42 - Common packaging design pitfalls24:00 - Owning a color28:21 - Most and least impactful packaging tweaks29:37 - Lighting environment and packaging design31:14 - Packaging refresh vs full rebrand33:35 - Storytelling38:14 - Brand and trends Courtney is tracking---------------Links:Challenger Brand Group – https://www.challengerbrandgroup.com/Follow Courtney on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyfshane/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.