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What’s next for food marketers? More Migration Marketing.

What’s next for food marketers? More Migration Marketing.

Foodpreneur Dom Celentano interviews product launch expert Julie Hall about a continuing trend of migration marketing, where food brands and manufacturers create products for new consumer audiences and retail channels. Recent examples highlighted include QSR chains like IHOP and Olive Garden creating supermarket grocery products. The article discusses how for food marketers, brand and product positioning is essential.

Read more about the Migration Marketing trend.

Launch Expert Julie Hall Adds 5th “P” – Participation – to the Classic 4 P’s of Marketing

The Holmes Report featured an op-ed by Schneider Associates’ EVP and Launch Expert Julie Hall about how social media is changing the way we launch new products. 

Hall and Schneider Associates introduced the Most Memorable New Product Launch (MMNPL) Survey in 2002, and since then, the poll has surveyed thousands of consumers about the most memorable product launches each year, analyzed media consumption and purchasing habits, and predicted trends based on the results. 

Hall highlighted one significant change in this year’s MMNPL findings: “Facebook was nowhere near the top 10 sources of information about new products – and in the span of one year, it became the third most used source of information on new product launches, jumping from 17% to 40%. And this is just Facebook.”

Based on this and other findings, Hall coined the fifth P in the product marketer’s arsenal – Participation (the original four: product, price, promotion and place). Hall insists that consumers can be engaged by “Relationship Marketing,” which allows them to interact more closely with brands and products they love. Going forward, campaigns must consist of a blend of participatory marketing through various sources of old and new, traditional and social media marketing techniques in order to succeed.

Read the full article here.

If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR.

Pre-Launching Products with Consumer Integration - Why Putting Your Customer Front and Center is a 2012 Imperative

By Julie Hall and Joan Schneider

Launching a new product or service in the age of social media isn’t easy. 

As product launch specialists, we know that now it’s harder than ever to get your customer’s attention, and their dollars.  Bust as more people embrace social media, brands have an opportunity to deepen customer relationships, drive loyalty and increase purchases.  Extending relationships with and among customers is the new norm.  It’s time to explore collaborative marketing and messaging with customers-and brands working together to find the right words and action to motivate customers to try and buy new products.

Consumer integration in action

Several brands are using customer integration in developing new services and products.  New Balance customers helped design their Minimus running shoe line.  Baskin-Robbins crowdsourced the creation of a new ice cream flavor.  Mountain Dew’s Dewmocracy campaign called on customers to advocate and gather votes for their favorite discontinued flavors.

Getting engaged

By involving customers before making product development and management decisions, brands can acquire new customers and get existing customers excited before product even hits the shelf, leading to robust initial sales.  What’s better than that?

The State-Gate Solution

Brand managers can profit from adapting Dr. Robert Cooper’s State-Gate approach to developing new products and initiatives by incorporating customer input:

In the Preliminary Investigation phase, consider and identify what your customers really need.  Why do they choose your products and brand over others?  What would they change?

For the Detailed Investigation phase, consider starting a beta program to test your product or services with a few core customers, secure feedback and use their input to refine your product.

The Development phase provides the opportunity to craft your message with input from customers.  What are they saying about your brand, product or service?  What do they want to hear?

In the Testing and Validation phase, introduce the redesigned product to the customers who provided feedback.

During the Manufacturing Production phase, provide your employees with the training and tools they need to become ambassadors for the launch.

In the Market Launch phase, involve the customers with whom you initially recruited to create the launch marketing strategy.

 

To learn more about cutting edge public relations tactics and trends from our PR agency partners around the world, download our free eBook from WorldCom Public Relations Group.

If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR.

 

10 Consumer Behavior Trends from the Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey

Check out our video highlighting 10 Consumer Behavior Trends from the Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey.

Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Forge New Ideas in Quick and Easy Dinners

Velveeta and its parent company, Kraft, have earned a reputation for introducing products that provide families with convenience and ease in the kitchen. Building on Velveeta’s popular quick and easy meals, the new Velveeta Cheesy Skillets are creating a buzz. The difference between the new introduction and Velveeta’s past dinner products is that moms and dads can whip up a “real” non-microwaved meal for the family in no time. Kraft is targeting busy moms during back to school season, when hectic schedules necessitate quick and easy meals.

In the commercial, a suburban mom is abruptly greeted by a man dressed as a 19^th century blacksmith holding an iron skillet and a box of Velveeta Cheesy Skillets as she attempts to leave the house to pick up dinner. The spokesman guides her hands while she prepares the meal in a way that is reminiscent of the famous pottery scene in the movie Ghost, all the while speaking in an olde English accent.  Another Commercial portrays a mom attempting to prepare a meal in the microwave as the 19^th century blacksmith appears yet again and stops her. He proclaims, “Reject these cold technology contraptions.  Would you want the shoes of your horse forged in a microwave? Your Stove: Use it!”

Velveeta promoted Cheesy Skillets via their Facebook page where visitors could take a poll on which of the four flavors is their favorite, while reading up on a product description of each.

Along with television ads, Facebook, and YouTube, Velveeta is also activating one of the most effective tools in promoting a new product: word of mouth. Through promotions that encourage hosting a Velveeta Cheesy Skillets House Party, the brand is hoping to promote trial and create a buzz by asking people to upload their house party photos to the Facebook page.

With the school year in full swing, it will be interesting to see if Velveeta’s new launch and ad campaign are persuasive enough to take market share away from competitors like Hamburger Helper and make it to family dinner tables.

A Healthy Shade of Green: The Avocado Trend

Where health-conscious eaters used to steer away from this fruit (yes – avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable), it seems that Americans now can’t get enough of them.  In the past year, domestic avocado sales skyrocketed to 1.3 billion pounds - a 16% increase, according to the Hass Avocado Board. This is partially due to the more than 75 new products made with avocado have been introduced over the past five years. Grocery store products, restaurant menus and chain markets have all jumped on the trend. Whether it’s a side of guacamole, a topping on your sandwich, or the center of a vegetarian entrée – avocados are now a low cost, healthy and tasty indulgence. 

With 85% of its calories coming from fat, it’s no wonder the avocado was nicknamed the “butter-fruit.” In recent years, researchers have put the high-fat myth to rest, uncovering an important difference between the fat content of avocados (monounsaturated fats), and the fat content of, say, a bag of potato chips. Avocados boost your metabolism, offer more than 20 different nutrients, help fight cancer and osteoporosis, and improve heart health, memory, weight-loss and anti-aging.

Using this new evidence, The California Avocado Commission (CAC) organized a marketing campaign that included a combination of radio spots, outdoor and online banner ads, trade commissions, print ads, point-of-sale support and coupon programs, resulting in 33 million consumer impressions.

A follow-up survey revealed that the primary motivation to purchase avocados came as a result of its versatility as an ingredient and use in conjunction with other foods. From here, CAC modified their campaign to include promotions that focused on educating the consumer on how to use and prepare avocados at home. 
Avocado products were co-promoted with related ingredients like chips, lime and salads – for example, CAC teamed up with ReadyPac Salad to co-promote avocados and fresh cut salads, via radio spots and coupons. Adhering to the consumer trend of authenticity, they also began to coordinate promotions with domestic avocado growers around peak harvest periods.  

These awareness campaigns successfully established public interest in avocados and its newly discovered health advantages. Results demonstrated a significant increase in consumers’ understanding of the health benefits of eating avocados.

Subway’s Avocado Sandwich

Earlier this year, Subway jumped on the avocado band wagon, nudging other fast food chains to follow suit and include the vitamin- and mineral-packed fruit on their menus. To promote the launch of its avocado spread, Subway created an ad campaign featuring Olympic athletes Michael Phelps and Apolo Ohno, juggling avocados. Subway also launched a “Grab the Green” campaign, promoting avocados alongside the summer flick, The Green Lantern. 

Their social media campaign included a Subway Avocado and Green Lantern promotion party, hosted on Twitter. For one hour, The Clever Girls Collective discussed the health benefits of avocados, as well as the Green Lantern movie, and Twitter followers’ superpower wish lists.

The avocado option was initially a limited-time offer, but after seeing all-time sales records during its first week, franchises may decide to keep avocados as a permanent topping. 

Around the same time that Subway released its avocado spread, Frito-Lay launched three different flavors of dip seasonings, including “Freshly Made Guacamole,” a seasoning mix added to fresh avocados, catered to those who need a quick and easy recipe to wow their guests. 

It’s rare that a fruit or vegetable ingredient takes the food industry by storm, but the amazing avocado has done just that, supported by a strong awareness campaign and a healthy eating trend.

Mountain Dew’s “Back by Popular Dewmand” Resurrects 3 Favorite Dew Flavors

Mountain Dew has earned a reputation for interacting with consumers to create new products. As one of the brands that is at the forefront of a new trend that Schneider Associates is calling Customer Calibration,™ Mountain Dew has actively involved consumers in all stages of new product development and marketing. First launched in late 2007, the DEWmocracy campaign allowed consumers to help create new Mountain Dew flavors, which resulted in the production of Voltage® in 2008 and the newest craze, White Out®, in 2010.

In 2011, Mountain Dew took a new route in DEWmocracy and developed another way to incorporate consumers into their production decisions – “Back by Popular Dewmand.” In an interview with Ad Age, Zach Harris, the senior marketing manager of Mountain Dew, explained, “In 2011, we consistently heard from our consumers, ‘But what about our favorite flavors that are no longer in the market?’ Instead of creating more new products from scratch, like we’ve done with Dewmocracy 1 and 2, we decided to celebrate our fans and portfolio by bringing back their favorite flavors.” The flavors were chosen by fans for fans and are back on the market as limited edition products during the summer of 2011.

“Back by Popular Dewmand” was designed to let fans reach out to other fans. Mountain Dew used Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and partnered with other media outlets like Adult Swim, College Humor, and Gizmodo to advertise the campaign. Mountain Dew also asked their passionate advocates, or “Dew All-Stars,” to lobby for their individual favorites. Some fans created their own Facebook pages to rally friends and acquaintances to support specific flavors, while others produced viral videos to inform the World Wide Web. In the campaign’s press release, Brett O’Brien, senior director of marketing at Mountain Dew, discussed the company’s intention of encouraging participation from the masses. “Back by Popular Dewmand was created to celebrate our incredible fans by rewarding them with the return of some of their favorite Dew flavors,” said O’Brien. “There is no fan like a Mountain Dew fan – Dew fans are always engaged.” 

On May 16, 2011, Mountain Dew re-launched the three top-voted favorite drinks: Mountain Dew Pitch Black®, Mountain Dew Supernova® and Mountain Dew Typhoon®. Mountain Dew revealed that the diet version of Mountain Dew Supernova® will remain as a permanent addition in their lineup of diet drinks, so Dew lovers won’t lose the strawberry-flavored soda again. Mountain Dew is also featuring the “Dew All-Stars” in their print and web campaigns featuring fans and the resurrected flavors. It remains to be seen whether Mountain Dew’s fan engagement in flavor creation and marketing will result in strong sales, but it’s certainly an excellent case study in Customer Calibration™ where consumers help design both the product and marketing experience.

New Balance Goes Minimalist With Minimus Launch

New Balance is toeing the line on the minimalist running craze with its Spring 2011 release of its Minimus – a product that fits the trend but is steeped in consumer insights and research.

The New Balance Minimus, or NB Minimus for short, represents the company’s first venture into minimalist shoes, a rapidly growing market for the hardcore running community.

“NB Minimus is a barefoot-inspired line of shoes created specifically for runners seeking a truly minimalist experience,” said Katherine Petrecca, the manager for the new line. “We view these shoes very much as tools that encourage better running form, and help strengthen the legs and feet. As important, a great minimal shoe should deliver increased ground feel and control, which is what makes them so much fun to use.”

You don’t have to be a competitive runner to use a Minimus shoe, either. New Balance created three different shoes for different uses: Minimus Road, Minimus Trail and Minimus Wellness. The first two are self-explanatory while the Minimus Wellness is intended as a shoe that doesn’t have to be used just for exercise.

This isn’t the first line of shoes to hit the minimalist market. The Merrell Barefoot shoes, the Vibram Five Fingers and the Mizuno Universe Wave 3 racing flats all have a healthy following among runners. However, what sets the NB Minimus apart from its competitors is its reliance on incorporating feedback from real minimalist running enthusiasts into their designs.

A video on their website shows Team New Balance ultra-marathoner Anton Krupicka describing how he had begun cutting the soles off of his running shoes in frustration because he could not find a shoe with a small enough drop, and the other minimalist shoes available weren’t protective enough. This led to an “aha!” moment for New Balance’s designers: Send prototypes to real runners and encourage them to make modifications to the shoes and send them back. The result? A minimalist shoe made by runners, for runners.

The minimalist movement is all about providing the most natural running experience, and that means using a shoe that feels like it’s barely there. Its growth is thanks in large part to the research done by Dr. Daniel Lieberman at Harvard University, which found that the most experienced (read: best) runners avoid landing on their heels to minimize impact and maximize energy and endurance. It is also based on the ideas in Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run.

The NB Minimus design is ultralight (under 8.5 ounces) and incredibly low to the ground with just a 4 mm drop from the heel to the forefoot.

New Balance took all of the research and information they had gathered in developing the Minimus and created educational launch events which promised “There’s a better way to run. Learn to train more efficiently, to keep you on the road, to run longer, faster, and more comfortably than ever before.” These events were designed to advocate for minimalist running, teach proper form and to dispel some of the myths around the minimalist movement.

By integrating customers into the development of their product, and positioning themselves as an expert in the minimalist running category, New Balance has definitely created and launched a line of products designed to go the distance.

Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cereal Launch Targets Males, Uses QR Codes to Spur Engagement

After years of success in the UK, Kellogg’s rolled out their Crunchy Nut Cereal in the U.S. in late January. Kellogg’s is targeting a young male adult audience by sending the message that cereal isn’t just for breakfast. The campaign slogan, “It’s morning somewhere,” a play off it’s 5:00 somewhere, is an unusual approach for a product category traditionally aimed at either kids or health-conscious adults. 

The official launch was hosted at a 24-hour event, centered on a six-story tall cuckoo clock, which aimed to make the Guinness Book of World Records. Every hour of the day-long launch, the gigantic clock would chime, and actor Brad Norman would emerge, offering comedic performances dressed as a character from a location where it was currently morning. Celebrity entertainer Nick Cannon kicked off the event at Hollywood and Highlander Center in Los Angeles, energizing the crowd with a countdown to the first chime.

                         

 Live video streams of the performances were available on the Crunchy Nut Facebook page, keeping fans in the loop. Additionally, there were opportunities to sample the cereal and interact with Brad Norman.
 
Keeping in mind the rising trend of brand engagement via mobile, Kellogg’s partnered with Augme Technologies, one of the leading services in the interactive media market. Augme launched a program that offered QR codes and SMS keywords printed on the backs of the cereal boxes.  The codes recognize the user’s location and local time, and use this information to direct them to a mobile page offering one of 13 different videos of morning in a foreign location. By scanning at different times of the day, consumers experience different videos, all reinforcing the message, “It’s morning somewhere.”

The QR campaign was targeted specifically to single males between the ages of 18 and 35, who were mostly college students. The goal was to use the QR code to intrigue this market, who are computer literate and enjoy electronic games.

The mobile campaign drove more than 40,000 QR scans and 60,000 texts during its promotional period, resulting in 38,000 videos played and 50,000 page views. It seems surprising that QR scans would outnumber keyword texts, but the effectiveness of QR scans makes sense in realm of cereal promotions – where consumers used to spend time reading the backs of cereal boxes, now they can now use a simple barcode as they leisurely eat their breakfast.

If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR.

AXE Uses Social Media to Build Buzz

With Summer upon us, it’s time for men to chop those shaggy locks for a short-cropped style that will keep them cool, like a military crew-cut, which has been making a pop culture comeback. The problem with a short buzz cut, as identified by Axe, is it exposes the scalp to the sun’s powerful UV rays. Earlier this month, Axe offered a solution for this summertime hair woe with the launch of its new Buzzed-Look Cream with SPF +15. The product is effective for crew cut styles - protecting the scalp from the sun, while keeping hair soft and touchable.

Axe targeted their product launch to those who best represent the classic military-style cut, by partnering with Wounded Warriors – a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded soldiers. Axe donated $50,000 to the organization in conjunction with the launch.   
 
 "Over 44,000 of our nation's armed forces have been physically wounded during the current military conflicts and hundreds of thousands more are estimated to be recovering from the invisible wounds of war," said Adam Silva, chief development officer of Wounded Warrior Project. "Axe Hair's contribution will fund programs that nurture the mind, body and spirit and help returning warriors take on their next challenges here at home."

The Launch event, hosted on June 11^th at the Axe Lounge in Southampton, New York, was attended by Reality TV star Lo Bosworth, who helped shave the heads of bushy-haired guys.
 
One of those guys was NFL quarterback Sam Bradford, 2008 Heisman Trophy winner and number one draft pick of the 2011 season. As a spokesperson for Axe hair products, particularly the Buzzed Look Cream, Bradford had his trademark long, curly hair shaved off by an Axe stylist.

“I’m always changing up my style – my ritual is to grow my hair and to cut it off at the end of each season. This time I’m doing it the right way by working with Axe Hair who’s giving me a new buzz look,” he said.

Axe used Facebook as the central platform for their social media push. A landing page is dedicated to the product, presenting the slogan “Protected scalp for you, feels good for her.” The page includes a video of an Axe street team promoting the product in New York City, offering free buzz cuts and product samples. A Q&A forum features celebrity hairstylist Amy Komorowski answering questions about buzzed hairstyles.

The Buzzed Look Cream is Axe’s first and only product with SPF, but without any print or television ad support to date, it will be interesting to see how well the product fares in the competitive market of summer hair product introductions.