Dive Brief:
- Consumer values are changing, and manufacturers will need to adapt to stay relevant from a marketing perspective, according to a new report from Deloitte, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and the Food Marketing Institute.
- Manufacturers have relied on drivers like taste, price, and convenience to promote their products, but now may integrate factors like health and wellness, safety, social impact, experience, and transparency into marketing efforts to attract today's consumer.
- These findings were consistent across demographics, which means all manufacturers are impacted by this shift in consumer preferences.
Dive Insight:
Part of this marketing shift could include a renewed focus on the product rather than the concept, according to marketing and consumer experts. Coca-Cola embodies this trend with its new one brand, product-centric campaign, "Taste the Feeling," which highlights the experience of the "simple pleasures" associated with drinking Coke products.
A Campbell marketing campaign launched last year depicted different experiences "real" families might have with Campbell's Soup products, and MillerCoors' Henry's Hard Soda brand integrated a parenting experience into one of its recent ads. Emphasizing the experience of consuming the product aligns with the findings in this recent report.
Also important for manufacturers are the changing definitions of factors like health and wellness, which is less concerned with health and nutrition, such as a shift from diet products, and more focused on organic production and natural ingredients. Safety now includes being free from allergens and complete and accurate food labeling, beyond selling products that won't cause illnesses.