Alleblog

By Kelly Gartner

This article recently appeared in Allebach Communications Quarterly Newsletter, Alle Carte. If you’re interested in receiving Alle Carte drop us a line. We’re happy to include you in our e-mailing.

It’s true. People will always need to eat. But, what they eat is another story. Here are just a few of Allebach Communication’s tips on how to make your brand stand out in 2010 and provide consumers with a reason to buy.

1) Value. Value. Value. Did we mention value? Consumers are going to continue to look for value when purchasing items. If you’re a food brand this means providing the value they are looking for. Quick, low cost meals, such as Hatfield Quality Meats Family Classics meals, a brand Allebach helped develop and created the campaign for, is a good example. Each package contains 4 portions and is sold for $9.99.

2) Added Value. Consumers are going to buy brands that offer value plus what the brand stands for, i.e., your advertising will tell your story. Campbell’s is a good example. Let’s take Tomato Soup as an example. It’s a good product. A product many people associate with an emotion, a time, a person (mom). People are still going to purchase Campbell’s Tomato soup for the story – the feeling – as well as the taste. In fact the story, becomes a part of the taste. With your own brand, creatively tell your story. Create the added value. The emotion. Use your print, radio, and TV to sell the experience. The emotion. The taste. View our Hatfield Quality Meats commercial here to see how we provided extra value through the commercial.

3) Brand differentiation. Generic features will no longer differentiate your brand. Be unique. Be cutting edge. Think ahead of the curve. It’s critical for success. Look at your brand and really dig deep as to what makes you better. Different. Tastier.

4) Establish dialogue and continue talking. Telling your customer your brand is the best, no longer makes it a fact. Bloggers, Facebook, and Twitter have given the consumer a larger voice. To really be the best, listen to what they say and use it to create a stronger product and brand. Engage in a conversation with them. If consumers trust the community, then they will trust the brand.

5) Expect More. Pay Less. Yes, it’s superstore Taget’s tagline however, it’s exactly what consumers want. Identify unmet expectations so you can then capitalize on them and then deliver them at a reasonable price point. Challenging? Definitely. Impossible? Absolutely not. Consider partnering with store brands in order to promote your brand. For example, if you’re a deli meat, like Creta Farms Gourmet EVOO Deli Meats, partner with the store brand bread or condiments. Offer a coupon or discount when the deli meat and the condiment are purchased together.