Food, Supplements, Ingredients
There’s a man in my kitchen!
Does anyone else remember that jingle from Enjolie fragrances from way back when? The modern woman who brings home the bacon, fries it up in the pan but never ever lets “you” forget you’re a man?
Perhaps there’s a remake in the offing, considering that today’s man (especially Gen X and Millennials) purport to be the primary decision maker regarding the packaged goods, health and pet related items consumed by their families. A full 60% of men surveyed late last year by Yahoo (2,400 men ages 18 – 64) identify themselves as the primary grocery shopper in their household.
The Yahoo study wonders if the shift toward male shoppers is a blip brought on by recessionary times whereby out-of-work men handle more domestic duties … or whether evolving gender roles mean that guys in the grocery store are here to stay. My sense is the latter.
We’ve experienced similar demographic movements in our own shopping surveys conducted throughout the years at CBD. And we totally concur with one of Yahoo’s main findings … that men are not as motivated by Continue reading
McDonald’s Sued Over Happy Meal Toys
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, is trying to save us from—us, by suing McDonald’s to drop toys from Happy Meals. As a parent of three, I could do with less plastic in my house, but the CSPI is missing a few points in its efforts.
First is the word no. I say it often. Fast food is a treat, not a staple. Parents need to work around the constant convenience factor and provide better food for their children, regardless of circumstances. And with all the major chains offering toys and movie tie-ins, it’s actually easier to say no, because getting the toy is commonplace, you can do that anywhere.
Mobile Marketing makes you Smarter!
Statistics surrounding Cyber Monday point to mobile as the “future of shopping”. PayPal alone saw a 310% lift in transactions over the same day in 2009. From PriceGrabber to Williams-Sonoma to mobile commerce superstar, eBay, many more shoppers turned to their mobile phones to compare prices, find retailers with product in stock, get coupons and special deals, and/or purchase merchandise. In other words, to buy smarter. Continue reading
Tips for making Virtual Trade Shows a success
It seems that webinars are “so 2009,” as the cover story in this week’s BtoB Magazine has proclaimed 2010 “The Year of the Virtual Event.”
In partnership with United Business Media, BtoB Magazine conducted a study last month to track use of a variety of virtual events, and to survey companies on their awareness and intended future use of these interactive techniques as part of their marketing mix.
Almost all of the 500 responders were aware of virtual events … and more than half stated that they plan to increase involvement with virtual shows in 2011. The two main reasons cited were the show’s “spirit of innovation as a marketing tool” and their “ability to reduce sales and marketing costs.”
What products can’t you live without?
Think about the products and services you use, the airlines you fly and the retailers you shop. Are you a loyal consumer? If so, to which brands … and to what extent?
NewMediaMetrics creates syndicated databases that measure the Emotional Attachments that we consumers have to the stuff we acquire. They surveyed 3,500 consumers, ages 13 – 54 with annual incomes of $35,000+, to rate which brands they would be most unwilling to give up. A score of 0 – 4 indicates very little emotional attachment and hence a lot of switching. A strong rating of 9 or 10 not only means a “can’t live without” attitude, but indicates really great things, including a likelihood to repurchase, to recommend and to spend more to get the brand. NewMediaMetrics believes that the higher the Emotional Attachment, the greater the brand’s revenue potential.
From groceries to cars to electronics, our fondness for things waxes and wanes from year to year. It appears that Americans are more loyal to makeup and clothing than to food brands. Unlike many years, there’s not a food product to be found in the Top 20. In fact, the very first CPG brand is Hershey’s Milk Chocolate … number 39 on the list! The only others to even hit the Top 60 are M&M’s (46), Oreos (51), Coke (53) and Kraft Mac n Cheese (58).
Our own (CBD’s) annual consumer research ranks 10 criteria most important to consumers when buying food and beverage. This year, for the third in a row, Brand Name was dead last.
What’s going on here?
The economy certainly has something to do with it. Consumers are much more willing to trade out a previously preferred food brand for one that’s less expensive. Today’s high coupon redemption rate points to a lot of switching. That, combined with the multitude of products, line extensions, confusing front-of-package messaging … and loyalty in the consumer packaged goods world is tough to come by. We may be too spoiled by choice and cheap food.
Yet it’s interesting that the brands garnering the most loyalty are not the least bit inexpensive. What do we love most? Entertainment and communications. Here’s the Top 10: iPod, iPhone, Disney Parks, Xbox, Microsoft Office Suite, Nintendo Wii, Honda, Sony Play Station, iPad, Google Search.
Sex or health … which is the better sell?
With more teeth than displayed in recent history, both the FTC and FDA are on the hunt for companies who are, let’s say, “stretching” health and sustainability claims in marketing their products. One of the more interesting cases is that against the owners of POM Wonderful, Lynda and Steward Resnick and their company, Roll International. On September 27, the FTC filed a claim against the POM Wonderful marketers for “false, misleading and unsubstantiated” representations of their product’s health benefits.
Earlier this year, the FDA issued a warning letter stating that the extravagant health claims made for their POM juice qualified the product as a drug, and its marketing campaign therefore was unlawful. (POM responded that it was within its rights to convey “truthful, non-misleading and substantiated” scientific results.)
The LA Times published an fascinating story about the allegations and POM’s weird responses, most of which revolve around Ms. Resnick’s basic ignorance of science, and the truth that she knows in her heart about pom juice’s beneficial effects on prostate cancer, cardiovascular health and even erectile dysfunction. The story also describes the $30 million in company-funded research.
Whether they played a little “loose and free” with the research methodology or interpretations of findings remains to be determined. Equally interesting will be the results of the old marketing language (“Cheat Death,” Drink to Prostate Health! “) vs. that of the brand new series of three sexy-beast commercials that launched this week.
We see Aphrodite introducing the pomegranate to Cypress as an aphrodisiac, Eve in the garden with the pomegranate instead of an apple as the fruit of temptation and a Persian warrior eating pomegranate before going into battle to be “hard as bronze”.
The commercials are beautifully shot and art directed, in b/w with the only color being the ruby red POM Wonderful bottle. A bit of trivia … playing Eve is Sonja Kinski, whose mom, Nastassja posed in a similar fashion in the infamous nude-with-snake Richard Avedon photo of a couple decades ago.
The company claims that the new approach wasn’t the result of the FTC/FDA actions, but because they want to “go after the Cokes, Pepsis, Tropicanas and Minute Maids of the world” that have jumped on the pomegranate bandwagon.
With an estimated $100 million plus in sales last year, POM Wonderful has done well with its aggressive health claims. I can’t wait to see the results that Eve, Aphrodite and the handsome Persian warrior deliver!
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