People to Watch: Susie Frausto, The Jel Sert Co.

Title: Senior Director of Marketing, The Jel Sert Co., West Chicago, ILAge: 35Education: University of Wisconsin (BA, English and Journalism); University of Notre Dame (MBA)Why she's one to watch: In charge of marketing all of Jel Sert's brands, including the company's growing licensed business with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, NASCAR, Disney Consumer Products and moreSusie Frausto has come a long way since her first stint in brand marketing -- driving the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. "It was an opportunity of a lifetime," she says, although "it took me a while to get used to driving in a regular car after driving a 27-foot hot dog." Now, Frausto drives the marketing department at Jel Sert, overseeing the entire process from planning through execution for all of the company's branded and licensed products.The latest addition to Jel Sert's arsenal of drink mixes, freezer pops and other snack items is Diet Snapple powdered soft drinks, a partnership with Dr Pepper Snapple Group. The two companies worked together in the past for Hawaiian Punch drink mixes and Soda Pops freezer pops, but taking on one of the soda giant's core brands required extra care."This is one of the gems in their franchise so it was something that they definitely didn't take lightly," Frausto says. "We truly started from scratch and determined what the characteristics of the product would be, what the key selling points would be, drawing that from consumer research and then putting it into testing again to make sure it had the right flavor profile."Jel Sert conducted focus groups and consumer taste testing to aid in the development of this product, which is now in stores on shippers, power wings and special 24-count trays at Walgreens, among other merchandising materials. "Some of our customers prefer one vehicle or another or they don't allow certain vehicles in their stores, so we really try to accommodate what they are or are not willing to work with," Frausto says.Frausto, who worked on the agency side at Leo Burnett before making the switch to CPGs (she was at Favorite Brands International and ConAgra Foods before Jel Sert), hopes to stay involved in food marketing for years to come. "I love going to the grocery store and seeing what's new, even in other categories, because you can always take something from another category and apply it to yours," she says. "There's nothing like seeing a product that you've worked with finally make it on the shelf because you know all the little nuances and all the different things you had to go through to get it there."