Katie Cleary is the former Director of Consumer Insights at the Campbell Soup Company. For over 14 years, she led primary market research for some of the biggest and most beloved food brands in the country, including Campbell's Condensed Soup, Campbell's Chunky Soup, V8 juice, and Pace salsa. By uncovering human insights and understanding consumer behavior, she was able to drive product development and advertising strategy. Additionally, she spearheaded insight development to help shape Campbell's corporate purpose into Real Food and transparency initiatives, emphasizing the importance of consumer co-creation.
Her passion for strong consumer-driven insight balances her enthusiasm for rapid innovation. For five years, Katie worked on a cross-functional disruptive innovation team to identify, translate, and shape new products and processes for Campbell Soup, which included the introduction of new business models. Her work led to the launch of a multigrain cereal brand called The Soulful Project, a Certified B Corp, where for every serving of their hot multigrain cereal sold, a serving is donated to a local food bank. The Soulful Project spun off from Campbell Soup in 2018.
In October 2019, Katie left the Campbell Soup Company to focus on consulting with start-ups grounded in community and social impact. She is also dedicated to helping larger companies engage with their consumers in a more authentic way, enhancing their understanding of consumer insights.
In addition to her consulting efforts, Katie teaches undergraduate marketing courses at Penn State and mentors entrepreneurs. She also volunteers in the community, focusing on helping people break out of the cycle of poverty.
