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External Partners Alumni Search Submit Return to home Search Search About About Olin Home Why Olin Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership & Strategy News & Media Events Contact Us Programs Programs Home Explore Our Programs BS in Business Administration MBAs Specialized Master's Doctoral Executive Education Dual Degrees Faculty & Research Faculty & Research Home Faculty Directory Research Research Centers Olin Brookings Commission Olin Award Student Resources Student Resources Home Career Services Center for Experiential Learning Entrepreneurship Academic Calendars Student Organizations For Current Students For Military Veterans Admissions Admissions Home Scholarships & Aid Attend Program Events Visit Olin Ask a Student Student Profiles Request Information Refer a Candidate External Partners Alumni Valerie Toothman: Her values-based, data-driven decision May 31, 2019 By Kurt Greenbaum 2 minute read Home News Valerie Toothman: Her values-based, data-driven decision A few years ago, a trend in convenience store sales alarmed Valerie Toothman and her team at Anheuser-Busch, where she was then vice president of innovation. A competitor was snatching market share from beer sales and other specialty malt beverages like AB&＃8217;s Lime-A-Rita. The 2018 Olin Business magazine shared a series of vignettes featuring alumni faced with a business decision requiring them to weigh data with their values. We featured these stories to support Olin&＃8217;s strategic pillar focused on equipping leaders to confront challenge and create change, for good. This is one of those vignettes. Phusion Projects gained the ground with Four Loko, a beverage line featuring flavors such as sour apple and fruit punch. The alarming part? The consumer target was entry-level drinkers&＃8212;21 years old. The alcohol content was high&＃8212; between 12 and 14 percent. And the containers were big&＃8212;24 ounces. &＃8220;We have very clear principles that drive our company forward. The biggest one that has governed a lot of my role is that &＃8216;the consumer is the boss,&＃8217;&＃8221; said Toothman, BSBME 2001, BSAS 2001, MBA 2008. &＃8220;If we do what&＃8217;s right for the consumer, we do what&＃8217;s right for the business.&＃8221; The data shouted a message from consumers: &＃8220;The growth is there. The volume is there,&＃8221; said Toothman, now executive vice president, brand and beverage marketing, for DrinkWorks. But alcohol content that high, in containers that large, didn&＃8217;t jibe with other company principles and values&＃8212;specifically AB&＃8217;s commitment to delivering a better, healthier world, where every experience with beer is a positive one and supports a life well lived. Therefore, AB tested two versions of &＃8220;Natty Rush,&＃8221; a new beverage with its own bold flavors, but better aligned with delivering against AB&＃8217;s principles&＃8212;one with 8 percent alcohol content and 25-ounce cans, the other with 12 percent alcohol, but at a third of the serving size, 8 ounces. The larger can prevailed&＃8212; allowing AB to recover market share in a way that felt true to the example AB wants to set forth in the industry. &＃8220;We want to serve that customer&＃8217;s needs,&＃8221; Toothman said. &＃8220;However, we&＃8217;re 100 percent committed to doing it in a way we believe is responsible.&＃8221; About the Author Kurt Greenbaum As communications director for WashU Olin Business School, my job is to find and share great stories about our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I've worked for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management as communications director and as a journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sun-Sentinel in South Florida and the Chicago Tribune. Contact Us For assistance in finding faculty experts, please contact Washington University Public Affairs. Monday&＃8211;Friday, 8:30 to 5 p.m. Sara Savat, Senior News Director, Business and Social [email protected] &＃160; Kurt Greenbaum,Communications [email protected] Twitter: WUSTLnews Share article Apply Now Visit Us Request Info One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 [email protected] 314-935-7301 News & Media Events Faculty Directory WashU Center for Career Engagement Washington University home Olin Links Sitemap Privacy Policies Title IX Accessibility ©2024 Washington University in St. Louis