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Posts Tagged ‘Food Marketing’

Mission: Seek and Target

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

There’s no magic formula to successful food marketing in today’s world of social media. The strategy is the same as it was 20 years ago…keep your brand visible and relevant where your consumers are actively engaged. Certainly the avenues have radically changed and consumers have adopted and embraced mediums where they have a voice and influence.

Some food brands have done a decent job at engaging and marketing to consumers on social networks, but few have it down to a measurable, effective science. Here are two tools that can take your social network marketing to the next level.

First, you have to seek out and find those who are already enjoying your brand or would be likely to purchase it. As well as those who already have an affinity and are sharing with others the wonderful attributes of your product.

One of the tools you can utilize to gather this intelligence is a software called All Access™. It’s the next-generation of social media monitoring and analysis. All Access finds, aggregates, and interprets conversations taking place in ALL social media outlets, by category and brand.

All Access gives you the ability to:

  • Search and analyze web-based conversations around unlimited topics:
    • Product, service, and brand names or categories
    • Pre and post marketing campaign and product launch initiatives
    • Customer service and investor relation discussions
  • All Access has the ability to take a specific topic or category of interest and find EVERY credible two-way conversation on the web.

Now that you know who is consuming your product and who would be likely to, you have to target them with marketing communications. Working hand-in-hand with All Access is a program called AdSlider™.

AdSlider™ has the ability to:

  • INSERT associated content – static or animated banner ads, coupons, videos, blog entries, posts, and sweepstakes entries – into relevant conversations about your brand or category.
  • CONTENT can be part of the actual conversation or in a promotional format.
  • DELIVER content based on consumer sentiment and specific conversations about your brand, category, or competitors.
  • ANALYZE the content, format, number of views, actions performed, etc., allowing you to track success in real time.

Today’s consumers have adopted and embraced these new mediums where they have a voice–where they have influence within an affinity group of peers. This type of marketing approach will allow you to measure your share of voice, know what consumers are saying, join the conversations, effectively target consumers and potential consumer, and much more.

Social media is an incredible avenue available for you to build your food brand–as long as you use a strategic approach with measurable results.

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Posted in Food Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Who Is the New Consumer?

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

A few weeks ago I tuned into a webinar hosted by a fantastic vendor and partner of ours, Valassis. Valassis is one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies. They deliver value to consumers how, when, and where they want through their consumer brand, Red Plum. Valassis also offers a tremendous variety of other products, from E-Marketing all the way to direct-to-door marketing. They pretty much do it all so I was very interested when the opportunity came my way for their “Finding the Silver Lining” Webinar.

The theme behind Finding the Silver Lining was to first determine “your new consumer.” Who is this new consumer and how do you determine who this person is now, as opposed to yesterday? As we are slowly coming out of the recession, consumers are redefining their needs and wants. Some products that were once “needs” are actually being pushed to “wants” in the eyes of consumers (i.e. IPhone vs. Blackberry). Since consumers are redefining their shopping purchases, it is our number one job as an agency to make sure our client’s products are staying in the need category. Unfortunately the good old days of solely creating awareness to create loyal customers is long gone and frugality will be sticking around.

According to Valassis “the new consumer” is limiting, deal-seeking, and trading down. This person is budget conscious and “all about the savings”, which requires us to speak differently to them in all aspects. The media outlets and the creative we use to communicate our message must approach this particular consumer differently. They are buying only needs, cutting back on luxury, postponing purchases, and making fewer purchases. We want our products to make that need list because 61% of consumers are in the “value seeking” category.

So…where is the Silver Lining? Answer: Disruptive Behavior. Purchasing behavior is a three step cycle: original habitual conditions, disruptive behavior (i.e. economy), then new conditions. We are in the “new conditions” now as we are coming out of the recession so we need to learn how to advertise to the “new consumer” that is living in them.

By Lindsay Reasner, Media Director

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Posted in Advertising, Food Marketing, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The First 500 Billion Impressions

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Posted by Kelly, Senior Copywriter

We’ve all heard it at one time or another from our mother, “If your friend jumped off a bridge would you?” Of course not. That is unless your friend happens to be in the 6.2% of online adults who generates 80% of the influence impressions on social networking sites, or among the 13.8% of online adults who generate influence posts via a blog or a blog comment. Add all these impressions together and they reach the remarkable total of 500 billion impressions made yearly regarding products and services by influential online users.* Then, yes, you may just find yourself jumping off a bridge. Or trying a new product that you just can’t live without.

Now, let’s couple these impressions with the fact that women, who control 73% of household spending, make up 55%** of active users on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. These figures reflect two key points for food marketers: one, your most influential consumers are online, they are blogging, they are Facebooking, they are tweeting. They are waiting to be engaged. Two, your influential consumers are actually easier to find and begin a dialogue with in order to gain your share of the 275 billion impressions women make yearly. You just have to reach out.

However, just as you shouldn’t jump off a bridge, you best watch your tone when engaging with these women. Simply put, it isn’t nice to fool Mother Nature and if you try and fool the Real Mom with false promises and a false, disingenuous tone, you’ll be the fool. Dubbed the Real Mom, by marketers, these women range in age from 24-45 and act as the emotional and operational core of her family’s life. These women plan the majority of meals, they do the grocery shopping, and they prepare the meals. All on top of working, very often, a full-time job and having the overwhelming feeling that personal time must be sacrificed for a clean and organized home.

Thus, when the real mom goes to unwind and relax in the evening, they do so, very often, online while chatting with friends or visiting social networking sites and blogs. And, because she is the core of her family’s values, very often she is connecting with friends regarding products that make an impact on her: what foods make her life easier at meal time; what healthy, all natural snack does she feel good about giving her kids; what yummy treat is she craving for a pick-me-up; what are her diet secrets. She is a real person, providing her real opinion, and she expects, in return, from her friends and her brands, Real Engagement. A community.

In recognition that her life is a series of trade offs, the Real Mom is willing to seek a sense of community online. Furthermore, she is seeking out brands that offer a community where she can be both engaged and entertained, as well as have a voice, and she knows her friends and other moms are looking for those brands who get what it means to be a Real Mom. As a food marketer you need to ask yourself: are you targeting the Real Mom? To meet the real mom on her terms, you have to first listen and then act. Respond to her comments, appreciate her ideas, and offer her support – these are actions that speak directly to her needs. These are the actions that will make a real impression - She and her friends will make the other 274 billion.

*Forrester Research, Inc., World Wide Research Center, 2010
** The Rise of the Real Mom, Ad Age White Paper

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Posted in Advertising, Food Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Does Your Brand Need a Makeover?

Friday, February 12th, 2010

There aren’t too many industries that have enjoyed an upswing during the past two years of the downward economy. That is, with the exception of private label food brands. Once akin to the dorky guy no one wanted to date, Wegmans, Target, even Walgreen’s Drug Stores, seeing their chance to woo shoppers with lower costs, improved quality and packaging, and raised expectations in terms of overall use, have created desirable private label products that no consumer is ashamed to take out for dinner – or breakfast, or lunch.

In fact, The Nielson Company, according to an article on Food Navigator-USA.com in December 2009, stated that sales of private label products have increased by 17 percent compared to two years ago – up 12 billion. So how do the name brand products rekindle their relationship with shoppers and compete with the sweetness of low costs and higher quality products?

Kraft, who many consider a staid and true traditionalist when it comes to marketing, have undertaken what many find successful when trying to rekindle the romance. A makeover. A new, modern look. A new, modern attitude.

Taking a holistic approach to marketing, Kraft has recently launched iFood Assistant, an app for the iphone; revamped it’s consumer website, similar to Campbell’s user friendly site; repackaged products giving them a clean more natural look, i.e. Kraft Natural Cheese; revised it’s Food and Family magazine; increased their presence on Facebook; and given fresh attitude to products like Miracle Whip depicting the spread as defiant and quirky to appeal to younger consumers. All while working to create foods that are tastier and more real while reflecting these qualities in their advertising. Advertising that tells a story. The consumer’s story.

The results? Sales have grown to $42 billion from $36 billion.

Looking mighty delicious there, Kraft.

Kelly Gartner, Copywriter

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Posted in Advertising, Food Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized, creativity | No Comments »

Trends Food Marketers Should Follow For 2010

Monday, December 14th, 2009

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.

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Posted in Uncategorized, creativity | No Comments »