The announcement by the World Health Organisation that we should halve the amount of sugar in our diets will reopen the debate over healthy food labelling and whether this is the only way to encourage healthier eating.
Brands will not only need to consider the implications of the WHO guidance that our recommended sugar intake stay at below 10% of total calorie intake a day, with 5% the target, but also other factors that influence our shopping and consumption choices. The suggested limits apply to all sugars added to food, as well as sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates.
The WHO announcement follows the introduction last year of a traffic-light system for packaging showing consumers a combination of guideline daily amounts, colour coding and "high, medium or low" wording to show how much fat, salt and sugar and how many calories are in each product.
The government argued that the scheme would help people choose healthier food options and make more sensible decisions about what to buy. Research published in 2012 by DEFRA showed that 80 per cent of people rated health as the most important factor affecting their buying decisions.
Most shoppers – 82% - said they actively sought to buy healthy foods. The figures also indicated, though, that people’s preferences don’t always match what they ultimately buy, with price being a major factor in many people’s buying decisions, especially in the current climate. In practise, though, anecdotally it would seem to be further down our list of priorities. Too much research focuses on one issue - such as labelling - in isolation, rather than at the issue as a whole.
At this point I cite the story of a colleague who undertook research among housewives, where each was asked to compare their last supermarket shop.
With all of the produce on the table, they discussed what they had bought and why. They became quite competitive and in their efforts to win their impromptu 'supermum' competition, they became strong advocates for their products. Health was rarely part of the argument. Price, offers, quantity, shelf-life, convenience came first.
On the demand side, it may be harder than expected for consumers to change their taste preferences. Taste preference can change with age, but if as an adult you have a sweet tooth it may be difficult to let go physiologically or even emotionally. This may provide an opportunity for alternative sweeteners like stevia and agave nectar, which may be seen as preferential to more processed ones like aspartame.
Even when health is considered, the consumer’s understanding of health is still poorly defined. In separate research undertaken by Engage, mum spent far more time than you would think possible trying to decide whether potatoes counted as one of your five a day. Milk - vital for child health - is too often restricted because it is seen as a high fat food (even though full fat milk is still only 4% fat). Most of them end up aiming for a balanced plate and call it a day.
It is going to be important to ensure that the consumer is educated to understand the information behind the headline WHO announcement. A knee-jerk reaction to a product with a red label on it could be counter-productive. The word ‘fat’ on a product could turn off the consumer, even though some fat in a diet is essential. Similarly, most products will contain an element of sugar, but some from natural sources like tomatoes rather than synthetic additives.
Brands are going to have to adopt a more holistic approach to health; stating the % of ingredients may not be enough. Brands and retailers may have to work together to create a well-being experience, which may involve the in-store experience - display, promotion, training and product presentation – as well as the brand itself.
The WHO announcement shows that this issue is not going to be quickly resolved. It’s time for brands to look at the wider context of healthy eating and be able to demonstrate to consumers that you can buy and eat healthy, tasty, products on a budget.
Ends.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Monday, 3 March 2014
Detailed consumer testing essential for products to pass the dunking test
The announcement that United Biscuits is to revert to a former recipe for its digestive biscuits because some consumers had missed, what the company called, the ‘taste, texture and dunkability’ of the original recipe, highlights the importance of undertaking detailed and repeated consumer research before fundamental changes to favourite products are made.
Preparation for any change in recipe, though, should include detailed and repeated consumer testing to ensure that the new product meets the same consumer expectations.
A lot of the time research will need to consider the motivation for the reformulation.It is important to generate the right expectations so that you get an accurate reflection of how consumers will react in the real world. This is why some testing is undertaken blind and some branded. Sometimes, though, the questions will also be dictated by whether the reformulation is being driven by internal factors, such as a need to reduce cost, or an external motivation such as reduced fat or salt in response to a pressure to be healthier.
History is littered with examples of new formulations of favourite products being withdrawn in favour of the original. Most notable among these is New Coke, the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 to replace the original Coca-Cola. Public reaction to the change was less than favourable leading to the subsequent reintroduction of Coke's original formula.
It’s essential to get your research positioning right.If you tell me the product is ‘light’ I may have different reactions or expectations than if you don't. If everyone around you is reducing salt levels in their products you may be able to reduce salt at a faster rate than if you are alone in doing it, as other products will affect people's taste tolerances. But you are likely to be testing products several months ahead of when they hit the shelves so research needs to take this into account.
With a reformulation, we would have identified early on that either this change in recipe would not work or we would have worked out how to position it and communicate it so that it did work. Rather than testing once, making changes suggested by the research and then hoping for the best, we would re-test each iteration of the product qualitatively, so that the optimal version is put forward for quantitative research, which again saves wastage.
Preparation for any change in recipe, though, should include detailed and repeated consumer testing to ensure that the new product meets the same consumer expectations.
A lot of the time research will need to consider the motivation for the reformulation.It is important to generate the right expectations so that you get an accurate reflection of how consumers will react in the real world. This is why some testing is undertaken blind and some branded. Sometimes, though, the questions will also be dictated by whether the reformulation is being driven by internal factors, such as a need to reduce cost, or an external motivation such as reduced fat or salt in response to a pressure to be healthier.
History is littered with examples of new formulations of favourite products being withdrawn in favour of the original. Most notable among these is New Coke, the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 to replace the original Coca-Cola. Public reaction to the change was less than favourable leading to the subsequent reintroduction of Coke's original formula.
It’s essential to get your research positioning right.If you tell me the product is ‘light’ I may have different reactions or expectations than if you don't. If everyone around you is reducing salt levels in their products you may be able to reduce salt at a faster rate than if you are alone in doing it, as other products will affect people's taste tolerances. But you are likely to be testing products several months ahead of when they hit the shelves so research needs to take this into account.
With a reformulation, we would have identified early on that either this change in recipe would not work or we would have worked out how to position it and communicate it so that it did work. Rather than testing once, making changes suggested by the research and then hoping for the best, we would re-test each iteration of the product qualitatively, so that the optimal version is put forward for quantitative research, which again saves wastage.
More brand collaboration could maximise consumer potential
Brand collaborations could be used more to encourage consumers to try new brands as well as helping retailers maximise the potential that meal and snack time opportunities present.
Bread brand Kingsmill and cheese brand Cathedral City have recently announced a new collaboration, which will include in-store cross merchandising tools to help independent retailers maximise basket spend opportunities and drive lunchtime purchasing. This will include POS material for both bread and chiller sections.
Usually you see brand collaborations intended to help consumers who need inspiration to 'make' products work together, for example, we have seen this with bagels and cream cheese. In this case, though, bread and cheese buyers may not require inspiration but in crowded categories up against other branded and own label products, a collaboration with another well known product can help push these two brands to the fore.
Brand collaborations are nothing new and, as a result, consumers are increasingly receptive to a collaborative approach. Take the fashion industry as a case in point where collaborations have been the norm for some time with, for example, Versace creating a range specifically for retailer H&M.
Although collaborations can be successful, the challenge of asking separate companies to collaborate on messaging and communications could be one reason why they don’t occur as much as they might. However, giving the collaboration the best chance of success remains important and we advocate combined online qualitative and quantitative research to facilitate client-consumer interaction to gain insights on how to maximise the positives of both client brands. But the link does not necessarily need to be formal.
We have seen how certain products, for example prawns and smoked salmon, sometimes don’t do as well as they might because consumers struggle to find occasions to serve them and perhaps only know one or two recipes for using them. In these situations retailers and brands can collaborate effectively to provide 'inspiration' and prompt purchase. Frequency of purchase can be supported in other ways through in-store signage, perhaps showing an occasion or a delicious meal involving the products, recipe cards and placing other category products, perhaps sauces, alongside so that an easy meal is signalled.
If the nature of the collaboration is not as obvious as bread and cheese, brands will want to consider some element of research before committing completely. Many will consider using focus groups which, for many years, has enabled them to access sources of potentially rich qualitative data about their brand and their products. They remain a staple for marketers to determine what a group of customers may feel about an existing or potential product or service, enabling them to secure insights in an informal and flexible way.
Though just because they remain a staple, doesn’t mean they cannot be improved or that developments to the focus group concept can’t be made to deliver higher quality insights. Work that we have undertaken has shown how turning classic focus group research into an “experiential event” can create a more engaging experience for both brand and consumer, yielding significantly enhanced results as a consequence.
We advocate research, which brings brands and consumers together in a way which facilitates co-creation. The brand team can explain their ideas and listen more effectively working with consumers, without the barrier of the mirror; just as consumers respect the work and try harder to develop ideas. The key is the direct interaction between client teams and consumers – great for client teams because they get to ask questions immediately, observe people up close and personal and also answer questions to move the process along; great for consumers because they feel valued and included and their curiosity about who is behind their favourite products is satisfied.
When we conducted our first “experiential” sessions, our original hypothesis - that the experience of being brought to the heart of a business enhances consumer engagement and produces a better level of insight than would otherwise be obtained from more classic research techniques - was proven. And now we do it all the time and find quite clearly that respondents 'respond' to a heightened level of experience.
Bread brand Kingsmill and cheese brand Cathedral City have recently announced a new collaboration, which will include in-store cross merchandising tools to help independent retailers maximise basket spend opportunities and drive lunchtime purchasing. This will include POS material for both bread and chiller sections.
Usually you see brand collaborations intended to help consumers who need inspiration to 'make' products work together, for example, we have seen this with bagels and cream cheese. In this case, though, bread and cheese buyers may not require inspiration but in crowded categories up against other branded and own label products, a collaboration with another well known product can help push these two brands to the fore.
Brand collaborations are nothing new and, as a result, consumers are increasingly receptive to a collaborative approach. Take the fashion industry as a case in point where collaborations have been the norm for some time with, for example, Versace creating a range specifically for retailer H&M.
Although collaborations can be successful, the challenge of asking separate companies to collaborate on messaging and communications could be one reason why they don’t occur as much as they might. However, giving the collaboration the best chance of success remains important and we advocate combined online qualitative and quantitative research to facilitate client-consumer interaction to gain insights on how to maximise the positives of both client brands. But the link does not necessarily need to be formal.
We have seen how certain products, for example prawns and smoked salmon, sometimes don’t do as well as they might because consumers struggle to find occasions to serve them and perhaps only know one or two recipes for using them. In these situations retailers and brands can collaborate effectively to provide 'inspiration' and prompt purchase. Frequency of purchase can be supported in other ways through in-store signage, perhaps showing an occasion or a delicious meal involving the products, recipe cards and placing other category products, perhaps sauces, alongside so that an easy meal is signalled.
If the nature of the collaboration is not as obvious as bread and cheese, brands will want to consider some element of research before committing completely. Many will consider using focus groups which, for many years, has enabled them to access sources of potentially rich qualitative data about their brand and their products. They remain a staple for marketers to determine what a group of customers may feel about an existing or potential product or service, enabling them to secure insights in an informal and flexible way.
Though just because they remain a staple, doesn’t mean they cannot be improved or that developments to the focus group concept can’t be made to deliver higher quality insights. Work that we have undertaken has shown how turning classic focus group research into an “experiential event” can create a more engaging experience for both brand and consumer, yielding significantly enhanced results as a consequence.
We advocate research, which brings brands and consumers together in a way which facilitates co-creation. The brand team can explain their ideas and listen more effectively working with consumers, without the barrier of the mirror; just as consumers respect the work and try harder to develop ideas. The key is the direct interaction between client teams and consumers – great for client teams because they get to ask questions immediately, observe people up close and personal and also answer questions to move the process along; great for consumers because they feel valued and included and their curiosity about who is behind their favourite products is satisfied.
When we conducted our first “experiential” sessions, our original hypothesis - that the experience of being brought to the heart of a business enhances consumer engagement and produces a better level of insight than would otherwise be obtained from more classic research techniques - was proven. And now we do it all the time and find quite clearly that respondents 'respond' to a heightened level of experience.
Monday, 13 January 2014
KIDS’ CEREAL BRANDS - USE QUAL MORE EFFECTIVELY OR RISK BECOMING TOAST!
With sales of children’s breakfast cereals under threat from both new product formats and from those who claim they contribute to childhood obesity, brands should use research to better understand the key messages on which marketing and communications should focus if they are to resonate more successfully with potential consumers.
Many brands undertake research but still fail to extract the insights from the data needed to make the exercise commercially valuable. And this at a time when figures suggest that last year in the UK, the second-largest cereal market in the world, volumes were up just 1%.* The boxed cereal category for children has traditionally been particularly successful. According to Euromonitor they account for £1.64bn in sales in the UK alone in 2011.
If you look, for example, at children’s breakfast cereal brands, ask yourself what a product in this category needs to say about itself in order to maximise its chances of success?
Cereal manufacturers know that mums worry about nutrition, and that kids want taste, you don't need research to tell you that. It is much more complicated. Often, for example, mums just want something kids will eat first and foremost, and, some just pay lip service to nutrition as long as they get something the children will eat quickly and without complaining so they can get them off to school as fast and easily as possible.
Some mothers do place nutrition higher up their scale of priorities but understand so little about it that just putting 'no added sugar' or similar on a pack may be enough to convince them. Emotionally, many do need health reassurances.
It is thought, however, that concerns over the nutritional content of children’s cereals will continue to impact on demand. With some health campaigners claiming they are high in sugar and salt and low in nutrients, brands must be able to demonstrate that their product does not fit this profile. In addition, there is growth in other areas of the breakfast category - cereal bars, breakfast biscuits and instant porridge - that give consumers options to move away from conventional boxed cereals.
Mums are juggling a myriad of different and often conflicting needs. Research needs to do more than just identify these needs, it must also help indicate how to balance them all. By weaving qualitative techniques into research, it is possible to deliver greater respondent engagement and involvement to produce a fresh, deeper consumer perspective. Ends.
Many brands undertake research but still fail to extract the insights from the data needed to make the exercise commercially valuable. And this at a time when figures suggest that last year in the UK, the second-largest cereal market in the world, volumes were up just 1%.* The boxed cereal category for children has traditionally been particularly successful. According to Euromonitor they account for £1.64bn in sales in the UK alone in 2011.
If you look, for example, at children’s breakfast cereal brands, ask yourself what a product in this category needs to say about itself in order to maximise its chances of success?
Cereal manufacturers know that mums worry about nutrition, and that kids want taste, you don't need research to tell you that. It is much more complicated. Often, for example, mums just want something kids will eat first and foremost, and, some just pay lip service to nutrition as long as they get something the children will eat quickly and without complaining so they can get them off to school as fast and easily as possible.
Some mothers do place nutrition higher up their scale of priorities but understand so little about it that just putting 'no added sugar' or similar on a pack may be enough to convince them. Emotionally, many do need health reassurances.
It is thought, however, that concerns over the nutritional content of children’s cereals will continue to impact on demand. With some health campaigners claiming they are high in sugar and salt and low in nutrients, brands must be able to demonstrate that their product does not fit this profile. In addition, there is growth in other areas of the breakfast category - cereal bars, breakfast biscuits and instant porridge - that give consumers options to move away from conventional boxed cereals.
Mums are juggling a myriad of different and often conflicting needs. Research needs to do more than just identify these needs, it must also help indicate how to balance them all. By weaving qualitative techniques into research, it is possible to deliver greater respondent engagement and involvement to produce a fresh, deeper consumer perspective. Ends.
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