Making the Most of Picnic Season

Making the Most of Picnic Season

July is National Picnic Month; leverage the season to make your brand top-of-mind amongst consumers

For many Americans, vaccines are done and masks are coming off. Regardless of either of those, people are coming out into the world again as we enter our post-vaccine phase and prepare to welcome the new summer season. Seasons, holidays and even “food marketing holidays,” like National Picnic Month, can represent big opportunities for brands and retailers. National Picnic Month, during July, is especially relevant to the snack and beverage categories.

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HERE’S A TEST YOU CAN EASILY DO RIGHT NOW

Open a web browser, like Google, or a social media platform, like Instagram, and type in the search area “your product category or product name + picnic” and see what search results come up. For example, type:

• “charcuterie + picnic,”

• “sparkling water + picnic,”

• “wine + picnic basket,”

• “healthy snacks + picnic.”

If your brand is not a part of the results, mark that down as a conversation you need to work to be a part of, and possibly even lead, or attempt to “own.”

Photo source: Google.

Food and beverage brands should naturally have marketing communications campaigns around their biggest selling seasons and holidays, but don’t forget about occasions you can own as well, like picnics. Might your snack product or sparkling water be the product people think of when they plan their picnic? When couples, for example, plan a picnic date, or a group of moms plan a mother-baby picnic at a playground, don’t you want to be the brand that they think of when they plan their ideal picnic experience.

According to our shopper research, we know American consumers are currently very keen to gather with friends and family again (after over a year apart,) and feel more comfortable doing so outdoors. Many of the people we’ve recently interviewed proactively brought up spring and summer picnics are something they are already doing or planning to do soon. We also know that amongst the more natural consumers, they are even more focused now on minimizing single-use plastic in food & beverage products they buy.

For example, one millennial woman in Washington, DC shared with us…

““I used to pop into a grocery store and buy ready-made sandwiches and appetizers on the way to picnic in the park, but so much of that stuff has way too much plastic, some that’s not even able to be recycled. I now prefer to prepare food at home and am using reusable containers from home. For wine, I’m bringing stainless steel cups or glasses. I feel much better about making a pretty picnic out in Mother Nature if what I’m consuming is not bad for the Planet.””

We know consumers that feel good about what they purchase are more likely to tell others, who will also potentially buy your products.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Are you ready to start owning occasions and seasons?

If you’re keen for your brand to start owning occasions for your category, like picnics, the backyard BBQ, pool parties, etc, let’s talk about how to make that happen. Contact us to learn more.

Marketing Third Party Labels to Consumers

Marketing Third Party Labels to Consumers

Best practices to leverage certifications at the retail shelf

Certifications go a long way to assure consumers and B2B customers of product quality, brand value and commitment to trust. Third party labels or trust marks, like USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Fair Trade Certified or Global Animal Partnership Animal Welfare Certified, are growing. According to the New Hope Network’s NEXT Trends Database, there is a 34% growth in the number of food and beverage products earning certifications. Similarly, data collected from Natural Products Expo 2019 reveals that 78% of new food and beverage products launched carried one or more certification type, and half of all food and beverage products exhibited carried two or more certification types.

I’ve conducted shopper research and manage public relations for labeling programs. As a result, I’ve created some recent thought leadership content on the topic of marketing third party labeling programs to consumers. See the links below, including a podcast and some articles, along with one slide from my presentation during a speaking engagement at the 2019 SupplySide West Show in Las Vegas. Whether you work directly for a labeling program or are a brand that has earned certifications, you’ll likely find some insights below to help your consumer marketing program.

Insights on certifications & labeling programs

• Natural Products Insider | Get more from your third party certifications www.naturalproductsinsider.com/certification/get-more-your-third-party-certifications

• Natural Products Insider | Claims and certifications: What do they mean and who cares? www.naturalproductsinsider.com/claims/claims-and-certifications-what-do-they-mean-and-who-cares

• Natural Products Insider | Exploring claims & certifications from the consumer perspective www.naturalproductsinsider.com/branding-marketing/exploring-claims-and-certifications-consumer-perspective

• Natural Products Insider Podcast | The impact of third-party certifications on shopping behaviors – podcast www.naturalproductsinsider.com/certification/impact-third-party-certifications-shopping-behaviors-podcast

How is your brand communicating that your products are better because they have third party labels?

Hungry for more? Set up a 1-hour virtual consult with Green Purse PR at →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/consult and we'll share our proprietary list of eight best practices + you'll come away with a plan to better communicate the value of your labels to consumers.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Webinar May 15th with the Specialty Food Association | Register for 'Understanding Millennial and Gen Z Shoppers'

Webinar May 15th with the Specialty Food Association | Register for 'Understanding Millennial and Gen Z Shoppers'

We’re excited to partner with the Specialty Food Association to bring the specialty food industry fresh insight into younger generations of shoppers.

Join Green Purse PR’s CEO, Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, for an in-depth look at how Millennials and Gen Z shoppers are learning about, shopping for, using and sharing specialty food products.

Lisa will share some valuable insights from the qualitative research (shop-alongs) she’s recently conducted with Millennial and Gen Z shoppers, as well as examples of other makers who are successfully connecting with young shoppers. Come away with practical insights makers can use in their own specialty food businesses to better understand your shoppers and how best to communicate with them.

The webinar will address these questions and more:

• How well do you know your younger consumers?

• How can I find who my “tribe” or most passionate consumers are/will be?

• How are other makers effectively reaching younger consumers?

• What should I be doing now to better understand my company’s young shoppers?

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Time: 2:00pm EST (USA time)

Register on the Specialty Food Association’s website here → → → https://bit.ly/2J3GMIb.

IN THE NEWS -- Natural Products Insider | Leveraging the Influence of Influencers

IN THE NEWS -- Natural Products Insider | Leveraging the Influence of Influencers

In our shopper research, many consumers report that they first learned about a product through an influencer. There is certainly a lot of discussion around influencers, but what does “working with influencers” mean, what do influencer programs look like, and what outcomes can a brand realistically expect to get?

Read Lisa's new thought leadership article on the Natural Products Insider here: https://bit.ly/2RejvEt.

Source: Informa’s Natural Products Insider

Download our 2019 list of holidays for food marketing

Download our New List of Holidays for Food Marketing + Get Access to Our Upcoming Webinar on How to Leverage Food Holidays to Drive Awareness & Sales

Ever heard of National Cheese Lover's Day, Coffee Day or Beef Tallow Day? What about Weed Day or Farmer's Day? There are a lot of these so called food holidays or marketing holidays - some are silly, but some are serious. Serious in that some of them can help drive real awareness and sales.

We see retailers, media and consumer-influencers, like food bloggers, leveraging these holidays on social media, such as Instagram, and retailers using them for in-store promotions. Some holidays, like National Cookie Day (December 4) are made into big promotions at grocery retailers like Whole Foods Market. (See an earlier post we wrote on retailers taking a bite out of Cookie Day here.) 

If you're keen to see how you can leverage food related holidays to market your specialty or natural food product, download the list here. We’ll be hosting a one-time bonus webinar session exclusively for those who download our list. The webinar will highlight some of our favorite examples from companies creating content around holidays, like Halloween, Ramadan, National Coffee Day and National Picnic Day.

Download our 2018 list of holidays for food marketing

Download our New List of Holidays for Food Marketing + Get Access to Our Upcoming Webinar on How to Leverage Food Holidays to Drive Awareness & Sales

Ever heard of National Cheese Lover's Day, Coffee Day or Beef Tallow Day? What about Weed Day or Farmer's Day? There are a lot of these so called food holidays or marketing holidays - some are silly, but some are serious. Serious in that some of them can help drive real awareness and sales.

We see retailers, media and consumer-influencers, like food bloggers, leveraging these holidays on social media, such as Instagram, and retailers using them for in-store promotions. Some holidays, like National Cookie Day (December 4) are made into big promotions at grocery retailers like Whole Foods Market. (See an earlier post we wrote on retailers taking a bite out of Cookie Day here.) 

If you're keen to see how you can leverage food related holidays to market your specialty or natural food product, download the list here. We’ll be hosting a one-time bonus webinar session exclusively for those who downloaded this list during our initial offering phase. The webinar will highlight some of the most relevant holidays and why holidays like these are worth incorporating into your social communications program.