Nestle's first-quarter organic sales growth of 7.7% is more than double the increase projected by analysts, with coffee, dairy and pet care units leading the strong quarter. Sales growth for the Americas hit 7.2%, and "out-of-home channels saw signs of improvement," according to CEO Mark Schneider.

Danone will boost North American sales of its plant-based Silk portfolio by growing its soy and almond lines and investing in marketing that emphasizes "the differentiation and superiority" of the Silk brand, said Juergen Esser, Danone's chief financial, technology and data officer. Regarding the Silk oats line, "We are conscious that we need to catch up fast on this segment but are determined, and probably more importantly, we are confident in our ability to accelerate based on those initiatives," Esser said.

Perennial is a new plant-based nutritional drink that targets consumers 50 years old and over engaged in active health maintenance, "because quite simply, no other brand is doing so," said co-founder Brent Taylor, who also co-founded Beyond Meat. Perennial piloted its formulation that aims to improve gut and brain health on Amazon and plans to roll out in stores with more products that "reimagine the current 'adult nutrition section,'" said Taylor.

Better-for-you soda brands Poppi and Olipop are aiming to expand their reach by releasing nostalgic flavors. Poppi is debuting a "Classic" line on Amazon that includes the Doc Pop, Root Beer and Classic Cola flavors, while Olipop will release an Orange Cream flavor on its website and at Whole Foods locations next month.

Linqia's survey of 163 marketers revealed that 71% of respondents plan to increase their influencer budgets for 2021 with 90% intending to put more emphasis on microinfluencers compared with 80% last year. Most brands favored using 5 to 10 influencers for each campaign and favor Instagram, but TikTok will see the biggest growth this year, per the report.

Discord's monthly active user base has grown to 140 million individuals who participate in communities focused on everything from gaming and coding to cars, beauty, fashion and music. The platform hasn't yet launched dedicated ad tools but is enticing brands with a customizable interface, a partner program and newer resources, including a Moderator Academy and transparency reports.

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