The CPG Guys Adds Two Groups, New Show and $20,000 Fee

By Nathan Brooks

A $20,000 appearance on The CPG Guys carries a new catch: retailer guests who pitch services such as retail media or data will be charged, according to The CPG Guys.

Retail veterans Sri Rajagopalan and Peter V.S. Bond, the platform's founders, are also acquiring two executive share groups and launching another show. The moves broaden a podcast they started in 2020 into a branded business for commerce executives, according to an Adweek report.

Adweek framed the ambition as “a business bigger than podcasts.” That description fits a platform adding share groups, another program and a commercial charge rather than relying on the original interview format alone.

The acquisitions bring two executive share groups from Coogan Partners, the company of CPG marketing veteran Ken Coogan. The CPG Guys said the purchases form part of a wider effort to position the podcast as a brand, Adweek reported.

Bond and Rajagopalan started The CPG Guys in 2020 to educate and talk with fellow retail executives. Since then, the show has interviewed executives at large CPG brands, startups, retailers and vendors, according to Adweek.

The guest list has included executives from Walmart, Pernod Ricard and Ibotta. The show has also assembled almost 50,000 followers on LinkedIn, Adweek reported.

The fee is five figures. The LinkedIn audience is nearly five figures. The microphone now has a rate card. That is a sharper business model than the original peer-to-peer premise, though not yet a fully disclosed one.

The expansion has three announced components:

• The acquisition of two executive share groups from Coogan Partners.
• Another show under The CPG Guys.
• A $20,000 charge tied to retailer appearances involving retail media or data pitches.

What does the $20,000 fee change for retailers?

Retailers should separate editorial access from a vendor pitch. Under the plan described by The CPG Guys, a retailer guest who uses the show to pitch services such as retail media or data can expect a $20,000 charge.

Adweek's report also lists $20,000 as the cost of a podcast appearance without giving further pricing detail. It does not specify the fee's duration, deliverables, publication terms or any volume discount. Retail buyers should confirm those terms before treating an invitation as a media booking.

That matters because the guests include executives from Walmart, Pernod Ricard and Ibotta, while the show has attracted almost 50,000 LinkedIn followers. The conversation may remain editorial. The sales opportunity attached to it may not.

Adweek's report does not name the new show, set a launch date or describe its format. It also provides no acquisition terms for the two Coogan Partners share groups, nor their membership or role in the expanded platform.

The next test is straightforward: can a five-figure appearance fee, two share-group acquisitions and a new show turn a nearly 50,000-follower audience into a repeatable branded business? Rajagopalan and Bond have the reach. Adweek's account leaves the new program and fee terms for a later announcement.