Breaking Compromises: Opportunities for Action in Consumer Markets from the Boston Consulting Group

Praise for Breaking Compromises "Take this book along on your next business trip. In about the time it takes to jet from New York to Chicago, you will gain fresh, practical insights into today's most challenging consumer goods topics, from e-commerce to globalization." -Robert A. Eckert, President and CEO, Kraft Foods, Inc. "These essays detail how successful companies find ideas, bring together resources to test them, learn from their mistakes, and, ultimately, how they succeed." -Steven S Reinemund, President and COO, PepsiCo, Inc. "Branded manufacturers need to refocus on developing new products to fend off consolidating retailers and private labels. Retailers need to uncover the missing link between the company's strategy and its implementation at the front line to provide the kind of service customers are demanding. The challenge is continuous innovation, which is about ideas and process, not one or the other. The essays in Breaking Compromises speak to the most pressing issues across the entire range of consumer businesses today." -William D. Perez, President and COO Worldwide Consumer Products, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. "The consumer industry is undergoing a revolution, not only in how its products and services are made, distributed, marketed, and sold, but also in how consumers learn about, shop for, purchase, and repurchase them. The ideas in Breaking Compromises will help you not only to survive the upheaval in your environment but ultimately to leverage it for improved performance and the highest returns." -Indra K. Nooyi, Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy and Development, PepsiCo, Inc. "If the past decade has taught us anything about retail, it is that change is not only inevitable, it is imperative. To stand still is to declare defeat. To overcome complacency, outsmart and outexecute the competition, and stay ahead of shifting markets, a business must constantly and consistently replenish its stock of fresh insights. This compendium of business practices and wisdom is a very good first step." -Dan Finkelman, Senior Vice President Brand and Business Planning, The Limited, Inc.

MICHAEL J. SILVERSTEIN is a Senior Vice President and head of the Consumer and Retail practice of The Boston Consulting Group. GEORGE STALK JR. is a Senior Vice President, head of The Boston Consulting Group's Innovation and Marketing initiatives, and comanager of BCG's Toronto office. He is the coeditor of Perspectives on Strategy from The Boston Consulting Group and coauthor of the critically acclaimed Competing Against Time and Kaisha: The Japanese Corporation.