9. embracing the groundswell

In a tiny town in central Pennsylvania lives a guy named George. George loves his dog, Pooch. Pooch is a cockapoo, which is a fuzzy cross between a spaniel and a poodle. George and Pooch are very close. “We enjoy taking walks and running,” says George. “We also go hiking and enjoy playing in the yard. I would be lost without my Pooch.”

Gala Amoroso was very interested in people like George. Gala was senior consumer insights manager for Del Monte Foods. She’s spent her whole career peeking into the psychology of people who buy products in grocery stores. She describes doing research on consumers as detective work. “That’s what I love to do,” she says. “Understand what the story is—how to connect the dots—and come up ...

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