E-marketing: Painless profit for endless gain

Step 2: Understand the Interaction between New and Traditional Media
BrandSpark International’s Canadian Shopper Study reveals shopper's trends and how they embrace multi-media.

Understand shopping behavior:  Marketers need to get their products in shoppers’ consideration sets before the store.

• While 37% have a standard shopping list they each week, only 15% decide most of their purchases in store.

• Planning begins at home with 96% reading supermarket flyers at least occasionally, and 93% reading drug store

flyers.  More than 90% are looking for low priced specials and more than 7 in 10 are comparing prices between stores.

• Once in-store, 25% rush to get the items on their list and get out, while 66% indicate that they walk all of the aisles

to be sure not to miss anything they need.

• Shopping for multiple categories is common on most trips: 62% of shoppers buy most of their food products on

dedicated shopping trips, while 48% of shoppers say the same for personal care products, and 37% for household

care products.

• A segment of shoppers agree that they often make impulse purchases: 23% in food

Shoppers are interested in new products:  68% say they are willing to pay more for a new product that is better than what is currently available.  Consumers believe that research and development really is leading to better products: 71% believe for health, 67% for household care, 61% for personal care, and 56% for food.

Leverage social media and out-of-home ads:  Shoppers indicate again that ads in TV are most successful at capturing their attention (92% always/sometimes pay attention), followed by those in out-of-home ads (87%) and magazines (85%).  Internet ads are “always or sometimes noticed” by 79% of shoppers, with online display solidifying its’ position as a cornerstone of many if not most campaigns. 

Product samples, retail flyers, TV, direct mail coupons, and magazines ads are considered the most useful ad channels for learning about new products.  Paper coupons remain popular with 70% having used direct mail coupons in the past year, 70% a newspaper coupon, and 50% used coupons from magazines.  Digital coupons are challenging print coupons with 50% having used digital coupons acquired from retailer or brand websites.

Optimize Social Networks and Peer Recommendations:  Facebook dominates the social media universe and must be the social media starting point for any brand: 76% of shoppers are on Facebook.  Twitter and LinkedIn membership have both grown significantly among principal grocery shoppers, now at 21% and 17% of shoppers.  54% of shoppers admit to paying attention to ads on social networks, and this increases to 67% of Early Adopters.   36% of Canadian shoppers are fans of a CPG brand on Facebook.

Peer recommendations are becoming even more common, both in terms of being given and being accepted. 80% agree that “If I find a product that I like, I will encourage friends and family to purchase”, while nearly 90% agree that if “I get a deal on something, I love to tell my friends and family about it.”  70% say they are likely to choose a product based on the recommendations of others.

E-marketing: Painless profit for endless gain

How do we Market in a Brave New World?  How do you beat your competitor and stay abreast of the consumer preferences, media, and technology that impacts your brand?  Social media is the fastest growing marketing space with 845 Million Facebook and 175 Million Linkedin users per month.  Canada sees 18 Million Facebook users per month and 12 Million Facebook users per day with an average of 260 "friends".  The international Facebook "friend" average is only 30 so this new market space is ideal to launch and advertise your product in.
So where do you begin?  Acquire cutting edge social media, mobile, and digital learning for your brands.  Start by embracing and using Facebook to grow your brand.

Step #1: Build your Facebook Page:  Create a visual impact Facebook page to build connections with people. You connect with fans by announcing new products, sharing news, and gathering feedback. Your Page is also where you create unique brand content that can become ads and sponsored stories.  It’s the core place for businesses to manage their posting and advertising content.  Pages allow you to:

1. Express your identity with features like cover photo and Page timeline.

2. Reach and engage your audience on the web and on mobile.

              3. Respond to people in a quick, more personal way.

Set the Profile picture: Use a logo that people associate with your business.

Views and apps: Your photos, events, and custom apps are now easier for people to find.

Friend activity: People can see how their friends are engaging with your Page.

Composer: Post regularly on your Page to reach your audience and drive engagement.

Pinned posts: Anchor the most important story to the top of your Page for up to 7 days.

Star and hide stories: Highlight important stories.

Use a consistent and branded profile picture that scales well from 180x180 to 32x32 pixels.

Your profile picture follows your business on Facebook as a thumbnail image in news feed

              stories, ads and sponsored stories.  Make your page posts visually engaging.

2012 CPG Food Trends in Canada

North America’s largest and most credible consumer packaged goods award program, the Best New Product Awards (BNPAs), announced CPG food consumer trends from the ninth annual BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, which surveyed more than 53,000 Canadian consumers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Top CPG Consumer Trends include:

·       61% of consumers believe Canada is in a recession, up from 54% last year.

·       More than 80% of shoppers agreed that they “always try to buy products that are on sale.”

·       60% of shoppers are interested in using their Smartphones to download or scan coupons, over 50% are using them to store their shopping lists and 40% are willing to make instant purchases.

·       Consumer awareness of mobile technology used in marketing is strong with 78% of shoppers aware of quick response codes or QR codes.  Expect new technologies such as NFC codes (Near Field Communication) to gain popularity.

·       50% of Canadians consider themselves to be overweight, which is on par with the U.S., and the same percentage is trying to reduce carbohydrates from their diet.

·       Canadians are increasingly concerned with their intake of sugar (65%), sodium (71%), cholesterol (58%) and fat (73%).  However only 40% indicated that they know their recommended daily intake of major nutrients including sodium and fat, and only 25% indicated that they follow that intake with 75% unsure or not following any recommended guidelines.

·       Beneficial ingredients important to shoppers are fibre (71%), whole grains (67%), calcium (61%), Omega 3 (58%), vitamin D (58%), and protein (57%).  Interestingly, although Omega 3 is considered important to shoppers, less than 31% consider “essential fatty acids, fish oil, or Omega 6"   important.

·       88% continue to believe that there is a lot they can do with food and nutrition to prevent illness, while 68% say they are trying to reduce the risk of major health issues with their food choices.  Both statistics remain unchanged from last year.

·       80% are concerned about chemicals in their food, but only 37% believe that organic food is healthier and 25% of shoppers are willing to pay more for food that is certified organic.  44% of Canadians are unsure of what “organic” guarantees.

·       64% are trying to buy products that are “as natural as possible” with 75% trying to reduce the amount of processed foods they consume.

·       Name Brands: Overall Brand Loyalty Increased to 49% from 45% while private label penetration remained constant for food (90%).

Canada’s Top Three 2012 Best New Product Award Winners:

·       Best in Food & Beverage Category: Nestle Mini Drumstick

·       Best in Household Product Category: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubber

·       Best in Health & Beauty Category: Colgate My First Toothpaste

So what are Canada's top food restaurant trends this year?

The year's top trends have emerged enticing!

 

1. Communal - Dining at tables in the centre of the restaurant, bar tables and counter menus. 2. No-Time Dining - some restaurants are extending their menus offering longer lunch hours, snacks and late night options. 3.  Snacking  - With more smaller meals including dim sum and tapas. 4. Grandma’s recipes - Tweaked with the latest cooking trends. 5. Homegrown gardens - Jump into the on site restaurant menu. 6. Mobile restaurants - High-class street food will soon be available on the street corner through more upscale carts. 7. iPad ordering - Servers in restaurants have begun trading their pads and pens for iPads or iPods to take your orders. 8. Potatoes - The spud is making a comeback in 2012. The potato is a great gluten-free alternative that is cheap and diverse. Health food experts are also singing the praises of the nutritional benefits of the potato, which is packed with minerals and nutrients, particularly the skin. Expect to see more dishes featuring a wide range of potatoes including purple potatoes, fingerlings, sweet potatoes and yams, and perhaps the resurgence of an old bar favourite – potato skins. 9. Healthier kids offerings - Recently, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative in the U.S. has forced several large American chain restaurants to introduce healthier kids’ menus.  Here, more restaurants are now offering healthier menu items for kids that feature more lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. 10. Beer pairings