Fizz from ConsumerPop

CPG Brands and the Private Label Challenge

As I mentioned recently, CPG manufacturers are looking for ways to combat the growth of private label offerings which are increasing in quality and appeal. The days of generic plain-wrap are gone. Two routes CPG manufacturers can take are 1. build consumer connections to brands through smart social media use and 2. Create packaging that has stronger shelf impact.

Route 1 is a conversation for another post. Route 2 is expensive, slow and it is difficult to gain approval for bold, challenging designs within a multi-layered, conservative bureaucracy which is true for many large CPG companies. Consumers almost always will go further than CPG companies are willing and then they wonder why watered down, safe choices in package design change don't move the needle as much as hoped.

Here is an example (H/T Live4Emma on FriendFeed):

From the blog, Lovely Package. Their comment? "If only all supermarket own-brands had packaging that looked this good…" I'd ammend that to say "if only all brands..."

UK design firm Pearlfisher has created numerous fantastic, arresting designs which serve their brands well. The product quality of the soup has to deliver, but if it does I would be willing to bet both that this brand would eat market share from established CPG players and that a bold design like this would never make it through to shelf at a big U.S. CPG company. Pity it seems to be a lesson that's unlearnable.

3 Tips for Creating Deeper Connections with Consumers

I read a terrific post recently at Media Post's Marketing Daily Blog. Sarah Mahoney identifies product labels as an often missed marketing opportunity. Mahoney points to findings by the Hartman Group, a leading "green" research company. I've had the opportunity to work with the Hartman Group and their research and the finding that the opportunity to better use product labels to tell stories about sustainable products is spot on. However this insight can be used as the basis of for connecting with consumers not just for organic/sustainable products and not just on product labels. By integrating three story telling techniques across your marketing mix you can better connect with consumers and build your brand.

1. Tell a compelling story: Don't just give facts. Share your mission, describe your brand essence, make your brand promise, offer a history of how your brand or product came to be or what you are using it to do to create more good in the world.

2. Put a human face on your story: And I don't mean cheesy stock photography. Relate someone to the brand promise, to the product story or to the consumers buying the product. Are you selling peas picked fresh at the farm and flash frozen? How about showing a picture of the farmer who takes great pride in ensuring that those peas are the freshest and best tasting peas?

3. Share your consumer's journey: Hartmann Group research makes a good point:

Finally, she says the company's research shows that for all the media attention that has been given to greenwashing, consumers are less concerned: "They understand that they're taking small steps toward sustainability, and they seem to understand that companies are, as well."

Hardcore perfectionists in any area will either not buy your product or service or will always find something to quible about. Let's say you're taking efforts to make your coffee more sustainable. The most committed will argue over the finer points of fair trade, shade grown, organic and whether or not if you're in the continental U.S. you should even be selling coffee which requires burning of fossil fuels to transport because it is not a crop that is grown locally.

Most consumers who read your story will be happy to know you are on the same journey as are they. You don't need to be perfect. Relatable is great.

An example of a company who takes all three steps with their product is Jones Pure Cane Soda.

1. Compelling story: Their brand promise is simple and authentic. Their story (label copy) tells us this by noting that they make: "Good old soda made with pure cane sugar. No hidden meanings, no billion dollar ad campaigns, and no high fructose corn syrup."

2. Human faces: Well, mostly - sometimes they have pets or trees and such. Jones solicits pictures from consumers to feature on their labels. How much more relatable can they be?

3. Shared journey: They ask you to recycle the bottles. Not bring your own containers. It's not organic. No talk of fair trade sugar. But simple steps towards sustainability like most consumers. Recycle. And as they say: "Run with the little guy... create some change."

Review of the Blackberry Pearl

I was reminded this evening that blog posts are forever and you never know when someone will come across an old one through the magic of the Google and the internets and find some information that is useful.  When I was trying to decide what new phone to buy I kept hoping I would find a blog post that would answer my main question about the functionality of the phones I was looking at but I could never find it.  Ultimately I took a leap of faith and as it turns out my Blackberry Pearl does what I need it to do.  But after that I promised myself I would post a review so hopefully someone in my shoes in the future could find an answer.

So the key thing I need a new smart phone to do is allow me to easily get my email while I travel without lugging my laptop.  I can't afford to jaunt off on vacation for two weeks and ignore my email the whole time but nor do I want to deal with the weight and the concern of carrying my laptop while island hopping in Hawaii.

My friend Elisa Camahort was less than thrilled with her Treo and had constant problems (and is happier with her new iPhone).  Another friend, Lynne d. Johnson is very knowledgeable, tech savvy and I consider her a guru, raved about her previous Sidekick and T-Mobile service.  Problem though is she lives in New York City where T-Mobile service is much better than here in the Bay Area (T-Mobile's site has a cool function where you can check the strength of coverage down to street level).  But I need the phone to work where I travel and I travel often to New York so that was one answer to my dilemma.  The email functionality however made me hesitate at pulling the trigger on a Blackberry.  I scoured online forums and checked with both Verizon and T-Mobile stores but nobody could tell me if I could easily set it up to work with email through my own domain and not through an enterprise server.

As it turns out it was extremely simple to set my email up and it works flawlessly.  T-Mobile's service which I chose because their data plan is most cost effective has been good.  Coverage isn't as extensive in my experience as Verizon but it hasn't posed any significant problems so far.

I've gotten used to the double letter keys.  I can't type as fast as on a Blackberry with a full keyboard (I've had them at previous corporate jobs so I knew I liked them but didn't know if they'd work well outside the enterprise) but fast enough and well enough that I used it as a stand in for my computer when mine died and I didn't have one for a couple of weeks.

I think I still like the wheel on the side better than the pearl but the pearl is just fine (well, except for the annoying habit of causing frequent purse dialing and emailing - I've had to learn to turn it off or lock the keyboard which is a pain to unlock).  The main thing I have found annoying so far is that when you add a number to the address book it places it by default to a work number.  All the numbers I've added to my mobile address book are mobile numbers.  Why would you build an address book of work numbers rather than mobile numbers in your mobile phone especially in a phone pitched more as a fashion accessory than as a serious tool for road warriors? 

Which brings me to my marketing complaint... why would you target non corporate users with this phone and then not make it abundantly clear that no enterprise server is required to get email and not set the  address book default to mobile numbers? 

But these complaints are relatively small.  As a way to check my email and surf the net without having to carry my laptop, the Blackberry Pearl works beautifully.  If I were buying today I'd probably get the new Curve which has a full keyboard but otherwise is very similar to the Pearl.