Food Ingredients
Still on a Sugar High
It’s an experience to venture out of the world of stuff that’s good for you and jump right into a circus of pure indulgence … in this case, the All Candy Expo here in Chicago, where more than 2,000 new products were introduced.
There’ve been lots of news reports about this recession-proof industry, with nostalgia-craving adults seeking the sweets that satisfied them as kids. So after finding some Pixy Stix (a Wonka brand) and donning a pair of wax lips, I was off to see (rather, taste) for myself.
New Consumer Behavior Insights
Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Food Technology & Innovation Forum, where I gave a presentation along with Kent Spalding, the marketing director of Weetabix/Barbara’s Bakery. We talked about how consumers engage with brands online. In this case, the Puffins Cereal brand, which is a natural for social media.
As much as I enjoy learning about new products and industry trends, I truly love delving into consumer behavior. The presentations that opened and closed Day One delivered some very specific ideas relevant to mapping minds and developing products.
What’s Your Social Media Excuse?
Lots of companies are still nervous about entering the cool waters of social media. Here are the top excuses—or “rationales”—I hear:
- “We have no resources to devote.”
- “We can’t control it, so why bother at all.”
- “Consumers are confused. There are too many conflicting points of view.”
- “Social media is a trend and will burn out soon.”
These same companies may also still believe that they control the dialogue around their company’s brand, products and services. Truth is, social media is a great leveler. Marketers who refuse to acknowledge the shift that’s taking place are missing out on the opportunity to get in front of online social dialogue and learn from the insights and postings that are happening…with or without you. Continue reading
The Creator Economy
A new era is dawning called “the Creator Economy” and we’re all part of it.
Some of you are creating new flavors. Others, a new sustainable packaging concept. And a few of you may have a breakthrough product you’re about to launch. But if you’ve used Google today—or Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook or any of the myriad interactive channels—you are truly part of the new Creator Economy, a term McKinsey & Company is using to describe the third major economic turning point in just over a century.
Goodbye to the Producer and Consumer Economies
The day after Earth Day: Now what
From its grass roots origin in the 70s to today’s “mission from God” magnitude, Earth Day reminds us that we must become better stewards of our environment … and prompts us to make changes in our personal behaviors that collectively contribute significantly to the health of the planet.
But, how do we know what to do? There’s tons of information out there … always has been. But until recently, essential data were at best tucked away in science journals requiring advanced degrees in chemistry to comprehend—or at worst deliberately hidden from public view.
Small Changes: Thoughts on Wellness 09 Conference
Eat more soup. Have some almonds. My two biggest personal take-aways from a few days at IFT’s Wellness 09 conference.
Beginning with the Center for Disease Control’s overview of America’s dietary habits (with a state-by-state map demonstrating the uptick in obesity rates from the 1980s’, replete with some of the most unattractive food photography I’ve ever seen) to the sad knowledge, courtesy of NPD Market Research, that America still feeds itself the same five basic meals for dinner in 2008 as we did twenty years ago.
Whenever I attend a show like this—a great peek into the minds of nutritionists and food scientists—I come away with the resolution that today’s the day I start my macrobiotic diet. But then, I’m prone to making sweeping, large-scale changes. Or at least prone to thinking that I will.
Which brings me to the mantra expressed over and over again at the conference: “Small Changes.” The powers that be in the food nutrition world have pretty much given up on (for good reason) the concept that the American consumer will ever kick our terrible eating habits, even with the strongest of intentions. But it took a “Joint Task Force of the American Society for Nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists and International Food Information Council” to draw this conclusion?
