Suave Brands Company’s Noah Knoblauch on Rebuilding Legacy CPG for a Digital-First, Private Equity-Backed Future

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Noah Knoblauch, Head of eCommerce and Retail Media at Suave Brands Company. With a background at Procter & Gamble and deep experience in private equity environments, Noah shares what it takes to rebuild iconic brands like Suave and ChapStick for modern commerce. Noah explains how he started from scratch following the brand’s spin-off from Unilever and Haleon, focusing first on profitability and operational foundations before investing in content or storytelling. From strategic bundling to keyword-level retail media planning, Noah gives a transparent look at what actually drives results in the private equity-backed world of consumer goods. He also shares how he thinks about team structure, omnichannel planning, and the future of social commerce for mass brands looking to stay relevant in emerging platforms. Key takeaways:Profitability is the foundation. Noah prioritized assortment, packaging, and pricing to unlock growth before touching brand content.Retail media drives more than clicks. Strategic investments helped drive in-store velocity and strengthen retailer partnerships.Private equity changes everything. Noah outlines what marketers should know before joining a private equity-backed business and how to thrive in the model. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.