Grocerant Guru’s 10 Tools for your Food Marketing Tool Kit

 

The value of a product or brand at times diminishes in consumer relevance. The vernacular of the consumer is ever evolving and the vernacular of your brand must as well. Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® understands that the consumer is dynamic not static. Here are 10 clues to keep your food brand dynamic:

1. Symbolism. Why you are there! The most successful brands are inclusive include values greater than themselves. A lifestyle, a philosophy, an emotion a point in time.

2. A story. Most major brands have a story. Examples: if you like Ford vehicles, you might be familiar with the story of Henry Ford or if you love your Nikes, you probably know how the Nike swoosh logo was created.

3. A track record. When your business is first starting out, don't fool yourself into believing that your marketing efforts are 'brand building' efforts. They're not because to build a real brand, you have to have an extensive track record with consumers.

4. Trust. When you've consistently delivered for your customers long enough, you'll gain the type of trust that many brands have. Case in point: a friend of mine always reminds people that he won't buy an automobile that isn't a BMW. He's had a good experience with his and trusts so much in the company that he doesn't believe there's a better-made car.

5. Expectation. When a consumer chooses a product or service because of brand association, he or she is buying an expectation. Perhaps it's the expectation that the branded product is of higher quality or that the service will be provided in a more efficient manner.

6. Differentiation. Expectation is often borne of differentiation. Many brands offer products and services that are commodities but they're successful in developing some differentiation for their products and services that consumers are sold on.

7. Imitators. Imitation is the sincerest of flattery and you're probably not a 'brand' until you have competitors trying to copy you.

8. Market leadership. Top brands are usually looked at as leaders in the markets they compete in.

9. Adaptability. The best brands are flexible and capable of reshaping and reinventing themselves and their messages over time. Coca-Cola is a good example of a brand that has never abandoned its core product but has evolved its message over time to keep up with changes in the marketplace and society at large.

10. A strong marketing presence. Although it's nice to believe that you can market yourself for free on Facebook and Twitter, the reality is that brands aren't advertising on television and radio because they're dumb. Building and maintaining brand equity requires awareness and awareness requires broad marketing efforts.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Mix & Match Bundled Meal Components Prepared Fresh Boost Sales

Consumers are dynamic not static, times change, and consumers evolve according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  However, back in the day when Alice May Brock said: “Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian, wine and tarragon make it French, sour cream makes it Russian, lemon and cinnamon make it Greek, soy sauce makes it Chinese, garlic makes it good.”  She was right.  Today, consumer mix and match those items into one customized family meal and that’s is What’s for Dinner.

What Alice May Brock was envisioning, is today’s convenient meal participation, differentiation, and individualization.  Each continue to be a pillar of the grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food sales success in the minds-eye of the consumer.  According to Johnson they are also is the recipe for incremental retail food success in 2018 and 2019. Foodservice Solutions® October, 2018 Grocerant ScoreCards indicate that 83.2% dinners service at home have at least one fresh prepared meal component.

Meal components allow customers to select from Italian, American, French, Russian or Greek and utilize the components at home any way they like.  The new American meal can be a composite of any prepared food components that the individual may want and they can mix and pair them any way as well. 

Despite the undercurrents of political rhetoric, the United States is a melting pot of people from all over the world, with different cultures, traditions, and flavor preferences.  The new American meal is a melting pot of flavor and empowered choice.  Meal components that can be mix and matched for home consumption are integral to retail foodservice success.

Fresh prepared and portable Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat foods are now available for all.  Consumers however are now expecting to find grocerant fresh prepared meal components just about anywhere they shop.   Including furniture stores the ilk of Ikea, Convenience stores, Drug stores, Grocery stores, Restaurants, Mobile trucks and they expect them to just be waiting for the taking.  When developing new menu items do you consider where the food will be consumed?

Consumers have been exposed to a plethora of flavors and have not the time to master the skill of cooking each.  The rapidly growing grocerant trend is empowering the consumer to establish new customs and traditions in eating better, more flavorful food.  The Grocerant niche is about convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

Here is our success clue for today: 83.7% of consumers what to eat their meal in front of their 65 Inch HDTV.  However, they are willing and want to buy their favorite meal component from a restaurant, brand, grocery, drug store, or furniture store of their choosing and mix and match the components into a perfect family meal.  

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Grocerant Meal Component Meal Assembly Success

You have been asked to many times, What’s for dinner?  If your cooking for an at home family meal for two, three, or four, family members, chances are very good your buying several Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meal components.   

Grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants are all bundling fresh prepared meal components for the home cook.  The home cook is responding buying individualized grocerant niche meal components according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Foodservice branded retailers and private label food manufactures are all vying for your attention. Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat foods from Swiss steak, Meatloaf, Baked Salmon, Rotisserie Chicken, Pizza and Lasagna fresh prepared, portioned and portable in portions for 1,2, or 5 are all available at most foodservice retail location.

So, lets look at some facts from recent Grocerant ScoreCards as to why consumer buy them:

1.       85.2 percent of consumers consider speed say they are time starve or press for time when it come to getting dinner ready.  

2.       44% of U.S. adults report they would like to watch TV while eating dinner.

3.       78% of employed U.S. adults report they are trying to eat healthier and meal components are a platform for healthy eating.

Today the opportunity for new start-up’s and regional manufactures to produce sustainable business built on local, fresh and unique flavor profiles.  Legacy national brand manufactures are experiencing an increase in repositioning, consolidation and acquisition activities.  Regional start-ups are thriving supplying local restaurants, C-stores and grocery store delis.

Consumer are responding buying meal components in new food channels, experiencing new flavor profiles all the while individualizing the family meal.  The foodservice industry is evolving with the consumer.  Those companies looking for opportunity for growth times have never been better. The consumer is dynamic not static are you keeping pace?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us