Blink:
I read daily articles about the growth in snack foods and our “grazing” lifestyle. Last week I learned that the average smartphone user spends 2.7 hours per day connecting, twice as much time as they spend eating. For me it validates: Welcome to the new age of “Portafuel.”
Read On:
Major food companies like Kraft, General Mills, Quaker Oats, etc. in recognition of America’s on-the-go lifestyles have been introducing numerous morning snacks under the guise of “healthy halo” umbrellas. Kraft claims a MilkBite granola bar has the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. General Mills introduced this past year Fiber One bars (90 to 140 calories) as well as their Yoplait Greek yogurt multipacks (twice as much protein as regular yogurt). Quaker Oat’s “Real Medley” instant oatmeal cups with fruit & nuts will be coming to your shelves soon. The restaurant industry has also jumped on the bandwagon to capture their fair share of consumers eating their breakfast in stages, on the run. McDonald’s breakfast menu now include snacks (e.g., smoothies), Starbucks has expanded their menu to include numerous items that compliment their coffee offerings, etc. NPD the research company reported that 60 percent of restaurant growth over the past few years is attributed to the breakfast daypart.
Therefore my query is what is driving morning munchies? Commuting? The most recent data I could find dates back to a New York Times article, Commuter Nation, September 2011. The median American leaves for work between 7:30 AM and 7:59 AM with an average commute of 25.1 minutes, one way! I work out of my home, so my commute is less than five seconds from my bed to my computer. Therefore, extreme commuters, people according to the U.S. Census Bureau (3% of American adult workers) who actually commute more than 90 minutes each way, contribute to our median. Throw in the time needed to prepare for work or prepare your family for their day, who has time for a sit-down breakfast anymore?
NPD projects that morning snacks will continue to grow faster than afternoon or evening snacks through 2018. However, when I read that Nielsen reported sales of all snack foods hit $16.64 billion last year, up 3.3 percent from the previous year, I still believe snacking is a 24/7 affair with Americans. Commuting is one contributing factor, but I also hypnotize, technology is now a significant contributing factor. Remember my original blink: Smartphone users spend 2.7 hours connecting (phone calls, texting, social networking) via their gizmos (note: This excludes time spent gaming and using apps). That is twice as much time as they spend eating.
Who will have time to sit down for a real meal in the future? Welcome to the new age of “Portafuel.”
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
The Road to Shangri-La
Blink:
As 2011 came to a close, I wrote about Moet Hennessy partnering with a Chinese company to build a vineyard in northwest China. I just learned that their Chief Executive, Christopher Navarre revealed:”Our first objective is to produce the best quality.” Sounds like a great wine production objective for Shangri-La.
Read On:
As I reported, the production costs of champagne in Reims, France have skyrocketed due to the increased cost of grapes and land since most of the major brands do not own vineyards, thus buy their grapes from independent growers. Consequently, Moet Hennessy, the French wine and spirits company has been investing in China. They just entered into a joint red wine venture with Chinese liquor maker the VATS Group. The area in China they have chosen to plant vines that will produce superior grapes is in the far northwest corner of the Yunnan Province at the foot of the Himalayas. Mr. Navarre at the signing ceremony indicated: “The team spent a lot of time in China to find the right location to produce this top-quality red wine. The combination of soil, sunshine and climate make it ideal for the type of grapes needed to produce a robust, Bordeaux-style wine that should be ready in three to four years. The objective here is not market share, not sales revenue. Our first objective is to produce the best quality.” For the record the signing ceremony was held in the town of Shangri-La.
Remember Shangri-La, the fictional place depicted in the British classic Lost Horizon? It was a mystical valley isolated from the outside world, synonymous with paradise and utopia according to Tibetan Buddhist folk-lore. Let’s face it, as business leaders; we are all searching for our Shangri-La. Smart marketers recognize that classic marketing models are fading and are being replaced by customer centric engagement strategies. As a result, companies (B2C and B2B) are utilizing collaborative Web 2.0 technologies to get closer to their customers. Occupants of the C-Suite are challenging their people to get into the social media game. They are also demanding “Show me the ROI” since they are too accustomed/programmed to the traditional bottom line quantitative monetary measurement of Return on Investment.
SMARTKETING has been afforded the opportunity to work on several social media projects and recommends stealing a page from Moet Hennessy’s playbook – when embarking in the new world of social media, think big picture/long-term. Make your first objective to produce the best quality social media movement since the end result is still all about achieving a transaction. Moet Hennessy understands this concept since they know they will be producing choice bottles of Bordeaux that their Chinese target market will be lining up for in future years.
Is your company ready for the long journey to Shangri-La?
As 2011 came to a close, I wrote about Moet Hennessy partnering with a Chinese company to build a vineyard in northwest China. I just learned that their Chief Executive, Christopher Navarre revealed:”Our first objective is to produce the best quality.” Sounds like a great wine production objective for Shangri-La.
Read On:
As I reported, the production costs of champagne in Reims, France have skyrocketed due to the increased cost of grapes and land since most of the major brands do not own vineyards, thus buy their grapes from independent growers. Consequently, Moet Hennessy, the French wine and spirits company has been investing in China. They just entered into a joint red wine venture with Chinese liquor maker the VATS Group. The area in China they have chosen to plant vines that will produce superior grapes is in the far northwest corner of the Yunnan Province at the foot of the Himalayas. Mr. Navarre at the signing ceremony indicated: “The team spent a lot of time in China to find the right location to produce this top-quality red wine. The combination of soil, sunshine and climate make it ideal for the type of grapes needed to produce a robust, Bordeaux-style wine that should be ready in three to four years. The objective here is not market share, not sales revenue. Our first objective is to produce the best quality.” For the record the signing ceremony was held in the town of Shangri-La.
Remember Shangri-La, the fictional place depicted in the British classic Lost Horizon? It was a mystical valley isolated from the outside world, synonymous with paradise and utopia according to Tibetan Buddhist folk-lore. Let’s face it, as business leaders; we are all searching for our Shangri-La. Smart marketers recognize that classic marketing models are fading and are being replaced by customer centric engagement strategies. As a result, companies (B2C and B2B) are utilizing collaborative Web 2.0 technologies to get closer to their customers. Occupants of the C-Suite are challenging their people to get into the social media game. They are also demanding “Show me the ROI” since they are too accustomed/programmed to the traditional bottom line quantitative monetary measurement of Return on Investment.
SMARTKETING has been afforded the opportunity to work on several social media projects and recommends stealing a page from Moet Hennessy’s playbook – when embarking in the new world of social media, think big picture/long-term. Make your first objective to produce the best quality social media movement since the end result is still all about achieving a transaction. Moet Hennessy understands this concept since they know they will be producing choice bottles of Bordeaux that their Chinese target market will be lining up for in future years.
Is your company ready for the long journey to Shangri-La?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hybrid
Blink:
“Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet you do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable.” – Twyla Tharp
Congratulations Michel Hazanavicius for venturing outside your comfort zone to direct Academy Award winner The Artist.
Read On:
Sunday night, the black-and-white silent film The Artist walked off with five academy awards. Imagine in an age of computer generated action thrillers, director Michel Hazanavicius conceived of a classic black-and-white silent film about a fading movie star caught up in the transition of silent movies transforming over to sound. The last silent film to win the top prize for Best Picture was Wings back in 1929.
Marketing is morphing. Status quo or adapt? I am an advocate of change. Change takes risk. Yet change sometimes can be the adaption of the old/classic combined with what is new – hybrid. That is what classically trained marketers understand thanks to the new collaborative tools of Web 2.0. Consumers are more engaged than ever due to the Internet. However, smart marketers recognize all the touch points that need to be addressed that influence consumer buying behavior. TV, print, packaging graphics, end-aisle displays, etc. will endure. Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, NFC, etc. are the future. The best of the old/classic combined with the new, hybrid, will produce winners. Michel Hazanavicius understood this concept when he directed The Artist. Michel was willing to take some hybrid risk.
Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone and take some hybrid risk?
I would be remiss not to mention, The Artist actually won a sixth award recently. Uggie the star dog won the first Golden Collar Award earlier in the month.
“Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet you do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable.” – Twyla Tharp
Congratulations Michel Hazanavicius for venturing outside your comfort zone to direct Academy Award winner The Artist.
Read On:
Sunday night, the black-and-white silent film The Artist walked off with five academy awards. Imagine in an age of computer generated action thrillers, director Michel Hazanavicius conceived of a classic black-and-white silent film about a fading movie star caught up in the transition of silent movies transforming over to sound. The last silent film to win the top prize for Best Picture was Wings back in 1929.
Marketing is morphing. Status quo or adapt? I am an advocate of change. Change takes risk. Yet change sometimes can be the adaption of the old/classic combined with what is new – hybrid. That is what classically trained marketers understand thanks to the new collaborative tools of Web 2.0. Consumers are more engaged than ever due to the Internet. However, smart marketers recognize all the touch points that need to be addressed that influence consumer buying behavior. TV, print, packaging graphics, end-aisle displays, etc. will endure. Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, NFC, etc. are the future. The best of the old/classic combined with the new, hybrid, will produce winners. Michel Hazanavicius understood this concept when he directed The Artist. Michel was willing to take some hybrid risk.
Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone and take some hybrid risk?
I would be remiss not to mention, The Artist actually won a sixth award recently. Uggie the star dog won the first Golden Collar Award earlier in the month.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Content Marketing – So What’s New?
Blink:
I am amused by how many marketing experts there are on LinkedIn; especially when it comes to the new world of digital marketing. Their latest “buzz du jour” – content marketing.
Read On:
According to the LinkedIn experts, content marketing is all about the creation and sharing of relevant information to potential or existing customers throughout the various media platforms. In addition, marketers now have the opportunity to engage via the collaborative tools of Web 2.0 with their targeted audiences. Candidly, for me, content marketing has been around for years. Classically trained marketers call it Messaging 101.
Bottomline: Messaging 101 is essential for effective communication. I recommend all future content marketers read a business classic, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by the Heath brothers. They emphasized three key Messaging 101 elements:
· Simplicity Rocks – Keep your message short. Your potential or existing customers are on sensory overload thanks to all the different forms of media they encounter day to day. Respect their time.
· Sound Bites – Concise language evokes a positive image. Remember Dunkin' Donuts classic Fred the Baker? “Time to make the donuts!” Fresh was the message.
· Emotional Chords – People love stories, stories build credibility. Thanks to Web 2.0 everyone has become a critic or a blogger, thus are sharing their stories. People also like babies, pets, etc. Did you notice how many Super Bowl ads incorporated babies or dogs this year?
Do you rock? Are you delivering simple content that strikes an emotional chord?
I am amused by how many marketing experts there are on LinkedIn; especially when it comes to the new world of digital marketing. Their latest “buzz du jour” – content marketing.
Read On:
According to the LinkedIn experts, content marketing is all about the creation and sharing of relevant information to potential or existing customers throughout the various media platforms. In addition, marketers now have the opportunity to engage via the collaborative tools of Web 2.0 with their targeted audiences. Candidly, for me, content marketing has been around for years. Classically trained marketers call it Messaging 101.
Bottomline: Messaging 101 is essential for effective communication. I recommend all future content marketers read a business classic, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by the Heath brothers. They emphasized three key Messaging 101 elements:
· Simplicity Rocks – Keep your message short. Your potential or existing customers are on sensory overload thanks to all the different forms of media they encounter day to day. Respect their time.
· Sound Bites – Concise language evokes a positive image. Remember Dunkin' Donuts classic Fred the Baker? “Time to make the donuts!” Fresh was the message.
· Emotional Chords – People love stories, stories build credibility. Thanks to Web 2.0 everyone has become a critic or a blogger, thus are sharing their stories. People also like babies, pets, etc. Did you notice how many Super Bowl ads incorporated babies or dogs this year?
Do you rock? Are you delivering simple content that strikes an emotional chord?
Monday, February 20, 2012
Love Your Pet Day
Blink:
What are you going to do today to pamper your little friend(s)?
Read On:
I have written several posts about pet ownership. A quick review of the American Pets Products Association website confirmed that the pet industry continues to flourish. Ownership statistics gathered in APPA’s latest survey indicated the number of U.S. households that now own a pet is 72.9 million compared to 71.4 million when I posted Pets USA Revisited (July, 2010). Currently almost half of American households own a dog; an estimated 4 in 10 households own a cat. Back in 2010, I reported U.S. Pet Industry expenditures at $47.7 billion; estimated expenditures for 2011 were $50.8 billion, an increase of 6.6 percent.
Food is number one in pet expenditures. Retail sales were estimated at $19.5 billion in 2011. The basic annual food expenses for dogs and cats are $254 and $220 respectively. These numbers will continue to exhibit robust growth thanks to the increase in affluent pet owners and aging pets. The APPA reported in their survey that approximately 40 percent of cats and dogs were older than 6 years. Consequently, a new category in pet foods is emerging – super premium products. Marketers from pet food companies are targeting health conscious, label scrutinizing consumers who are willing to spend more on feeding their pets. They call these consumers “Pet Parents.” These luxury pet food items now comprise 5 percent of the market. Market leader Nestlé Purina recently introduced a product line for cats labeled Elegant Medleys with flavors like White Meat Chicken Primavera and Yellowfin Tuna Tuscany. For dogs they introduced a line titled Chef Michael’s Canine Creations with flavors like Beef Short Rib. Niche companies are also jumping into the premium pet food market. One company that piques my interest is Blue Buffalo with their line of chef inspired bistro meals like Beef Bourguignon for cats and antioxidant, nutrient rich Blue Longevity™ for dogs.
So tonight, are you going to order in some pizza or are you going to get down on the floor and enjoy a candlelight gourmet dinner with your little friend(s)?
What are you going to do today to pamper your little friend(s)?
Read On:
I have written several posts about pet ownership. A quick review of the American Pets Products Association website confirmed that the pet industry continues to flourish. Ownership statistics gathered in APPA’s latest survey indicated the number of U.S. households that now own a pet is 72.9 million compared to 71.4 million when I posted Pets USA Revisited (July, 2010). Currently almost half of American households own a dog; an estimated 4 in 10 households own a cat. Back in 2010, I reported U.S. Pet Industry expenditures at $47.7 billion; estimated expenditures for 2011 were $50.8 billion, an increase of 6.6 percent.
Food is number one in pet expenditures. Retail sales were estimated at $19.5 billion in 2011. The basic annual food expenses for dogs and cats are $254 and $220 respectively. These numbers will continue to exhibit robust growth thanks to the increase in affluent pet owners and aging pets. The APPA reported in their survey that approximately 40 percent of cats and dogs were older than 6 years. Consequently, a new category in pet foods is emerging – super premium products. Marketers from pet food companies are targeting health conscious, label scrutinizing consumers who are willing to spend more on feeding their pets. They call these consumers “Pet Parents.” These luxury pet food items now comprise 5 percent of the market. Market leader Nestlé Purina recently introduced a product line for cats labeled Elegant Medleys with flavors like White Meat Chicken Primavera and Yellowfin Tuna Tuscany. For dogs they introduced a line titled Chef Michael’s Canine Creations with flavors like Beef Short Rib. Niche companies are also jumping into the premium pet food market. One company that piques my interest is Blue Buffalo with their line of chef inspired bistro meals like Beef Bourguignon for cats and antioxidant, nutrient rich Blue Longevity™ for dogs.
So tonight, are you going to order in some pizza or are you going to get down on the floor and enjoy a candlelight gourmet dinner with your little friend(s)?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
WMD
Blink:
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Reduced Iron, B Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid)], Corn Syrup, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable and/or Animal Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed and/or Canola Oil, Beef Fat), Whole Eggs, Dextrose. Contains 2% or Less: Stop! Sounds like a WMD!
Read On:
February is National Snack Food Month. The bad news is one of America’s best known snacks, a cultural icon that President Clinton placed in a time capsule and that some people fry, is under siege. Yes folks, Twinkies, a true WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction – ingredient statement listed above), the snack creation of inventor Jimmy Dewar (1930, Schiller Park, Illinois) is battling hard times. Hostess Brands, the privately held company that produces the product filed for bankruptcy back in January, the second time in a decade. Financial issues attributed to $860 million in debt, high labor costs and rising commodity prices forced the company to file. However, the good news is senior management indicated they will continue rolling Twinkies off their production lines. Bravo Hostess Brands for not laying off any of your labor force (19,000 people in 48 states) despite being under attack.
Competition in the snack business is fierce, but candidly there is one other major reason Hostess Brands, also the manufacturer of Wonder Bread, is in trouble. America’s snacking eating behavior is gradually changing. Overall, in the food-away-from-home channel, the NPD Group estimates that the overall annual serving’s per capita consumption of snacks (all types) for consumers 13+ years of age is 1,256. They also reported that the overall consumption of healthier snacks is growing. One healthier option is yogurt – 32% of Americans ate yogurt at least once in two weeks in 2011 compared to 18% in 2000. The Produce for Better Health Foundation reported in their last State of the Plate Study (2010) that the per capita cup consumption of fruit increased +5% versus 2004 and that 15% of the fruit was consumed as a snack.
Have healthy snacks declared war on WMDs?
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Reduced Iron, B Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid)], Corn Syrup, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable and/or Animal Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed and/or Canola Oil, Beef Fat), Whole Eggs, Dextrose. Contains 2% or Less: Stop! Sounds like a WMD!
Read On:
February is National Snack Food Month. The bad news is one of America’s best known snacks, a cultural icon that President Clinton placed in a time capsule and that some people fry, is under siege. Yes folks, Twinkies, a true WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction – ingredient statement listed above), the snack creation of inventor Jimmy Dewar (1930, Schiller Park, Illinois) is battling hard times. Hostess Brands, the privately held company that produces the product filed for bankruptcy back in January, the second time in a decade. Financial issues attributed to $860 million in debt, high labor costs and rising commodity prices forced the company to file. However, the good news is senior management indicated they will continue rolling Twinkies off their production lines. Bravo Hostess Brands for not laying off any of your labor force (19,000 people in 48 states) despite being under attack.
Competition in the snack business is fierce, but candidly there is one other major reason Hostess Brands, also the manufacturer of Wonder Bread, is in trouble. America’s snacking eating behavior is gradually changing. Overall, in the food-away-from-home channel, the NPD Group estimates that the overall annual serving’s per capita consumption of snacks (all types) for consumers 13+ years of age is 1,256. They also reported that the overall consumption of healthier snacks is growing. One healthier option is yogurt – 32% of Americans ate yogurt at least once in two weeks in 2011 compared to 18% in 2000. The Produce for Better Health Foundation reported in their last State of the Plate Study (2010) that the per capita cup consumption of fruit increased +5% versus 2004 and that 15% of the fruit was consumed as a snack.
Have healthy snacks declared war on WMDs?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Happy Birthday Abe & Charlie
Blink:
We all know that it is Abe Lincoln’s birthday Sunday. Did you know that Charles Darwin was also born on February 12th, back in 1809, the same day as Abe?
Read On:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
Great inspirational quote! I used it in an old post back in 2009 advocating that companies needed to think forward and innovate. I proclaimed that status quo would be the pre-cursor for business failure. Opposed to cutting back on spending, I recommended four areas of investment:
· Join the “Social Media Revolution.”
· Tap into the talented labor pool attributed to high unemployment.
· Invest in organic growth.
· Outsource innovation.
Individually or collectively, I believe these initiatives will pay off two to three years down the road for those businesses that subscribe to a sustainable business model.
Status quo or adapt?
We all know that it is Abe Lincoln’s birthday Sunday. Did you know that Charles Darwin was also born on February 12th, back in 1809, the same day as Abe?
Read On:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
Great inspirational quote! I used it in an old post back in 2009 advocating that companies needed to think forward and innovate. I proclaimed that status quo would be the pre-cursor for business failure. Opposed to cutting back on spending, I recommended four areas of investment:
· Join the “Social Media Revolution.”
· Tap into the talented labor pool attributed to high unemployment.
· Invest in organic growth.
· Outsource innovation.
Individually or collectively, I believe these initiatives will pay off two to three years down the road for those businesses that subscribe to a sustainable business model.
Status quo or adapt?
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