INNOVATION AT THE SPEED OF TIKTOK (CONT.)
7. Integrating social into your internal innovation playbook
To make this integration of social into your innovation process sustainable and scalable:
• Assign a “social intelligence owner” in your innovation team (someone part analyst, part curator, part storyteller).
• Incorporate social insight reviews in your stage-gate templates (e.g., “Social signal strength (volume, sentiment, trajectory)” becomes a decision metric).
• Encourage cross-team training (marketing, insights, R&D, packaging) to read social outputs. The better they all “speak social,” the faster you can act.
• Run periodic trend “sprints” where team members dig deep into a preidentified platform (e.g. scroll these 5 subReddits for 1 hour and bring back inspiration).
Faster and Smarter
The world isn’t slowing down. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit are only accelerating the pace of food culture. In bakery, dairy, and deli, you can either react after the fact and watch someone else grab the shelf, or you can smartly weave social into your innovation process and use speed as your competitive edge.
About the Author
Kevin Ryan is founder and CEO of Malachite Strategy & Research, where he advises CPG, retail, and foodservice leaders on translating cultural shifts and consumer behavior into breakthrough innovation strategies. His work has guided decision-making for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 brands to high-growth emerging companies, helping them gain clarity on emerging demand spaces, uncover critical Jobs-to-be-Done, and discover opportunities they might otherwise miss.
Kevin holds a PhD in Food Science and an MSc in Food Anthropology. He shares his perspective through the FoodStuff newsletter, 3 Squares podcast, and as a keynote presenter at industry events, and is regularly featured in publications like Food Dive, The Food Institute, and Food Navigator-USA. Kevin brings this cross-disciplinary lens to audiences navigating the intersection of culture, consumer needs, and commercial opportunity.
WHAT’S IN STORE | 2026 © 2026 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association
Industry Landscape
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