Objective: The Fifth ‘P’ in the Sustainable Food & Beverage Marketing Mix | Sustainable Brands

Let’s start with some promising news: 100 percent of sellers respond to
Quantis 2024 Food Report Survey they have seen positive changes for consumers around sustainability. More than half maintain that their customers prefer sustainable products and are willing to spend more to get them – therefore, there is a huge opportunity for food and beverage brands and retailers to connect people with the products they desire.

But cultivating the next generation of conservation-minded consumers requires a foundation. Retailers have an important role to play, from product conception to distribution.

E. Jerome McCarthy‘s classic breakdown of the marketing mix, the 4 Pis – product,
price, location and promotion – provide a good form of analysis where food and beverage sales teams can put more emphasis on the conversation. We also recommend adding a fifth P, purposeproviding a base from which they can achieve greatness. Let’s see how these 5 Ps can be used.

Purpose

A brand’s statement of purpose
it explains what the company stands for and how they will behave in order to achieve their goals. It drives not only individual sales but corporate expansion – brands that prioritize the importance of the environment in marketing more than both. money growth
and
reputation.

Defining (or reiterating) a brand’s purpose is an important opportunity to put strength into the foundation of a food and beverage company. Whether you do this work in-house or through an outside agency, the input and approval of the marketing team is important.

Brand purpose must come from a place of deep truth, distilling the company’s reason for existence into a short line. To find the right structure for sustainability, go into what is important to the business itself: For example, a beverage company dedicated to clean water or snack uses. upcycled ingredients.

Marketers can help evaluate both what is important to the company’s leadership and what customers value. This interaction provides a complex and meaningful level of focus to the mission statement. Where is the clean water? Regional lakes and rivers where crops are grown. What kind of upcycled ingredients? Protein left over from grain production. Connecting your brand’s purpose to specific situations and events can help the customer build the right case for purchase and loyalty.

Product

During product R&D, marketers can share insights into customer needs and behaviors that go beyond the scope of surveys. This is useful information from a primary source that can push ecodesign and inspire new recipes.

Increasingly, major brands are pursuing consumer menu hacks – finding ways their customers are ordering off-menu to satisfy their cravings. Even marketers at small organizations can see trends on social media.

Ask yourself how the customer’s behavior is aligning with promoting aspects of your brand’s mission. Are home cooks mixing flavors into your yogurt? Share this information with the R&D team to consider new product options. If vegan customers like your burrito with two beans, it might be a sign to add one plant proteins. Natural human desires come into play when people adjust products to suit their tastes.

Product and educational process is another concept of customer engagement. Sustainable food is a simple concept to grasp briefly, but understanding why the right changes make a difference can guide consumer decisions. Content marketing and brand engagement in public discourse can position your company as a leader with a dedicated interest in sustainability.

The emergence of new ingredients such as lab-grown meats
etc other proteins
it provides another opportunity to build a market through education. For example, above
64 percent of US consumers they are not used to farmed meat – which provides a great opportunity to inform and attract new audiences.

Price

Many factors affect prices, but the consumer’s willingness to spend is the ultimate delimiter. Marketers, by carefully observing customer behavior over time, often have a realistic idea of ​​what a customer is willing to pay and how much extra they will accept. A clear understanding of price elasticity can help identify not only changes in products, but changes in marketing plans as new messages become more important.

The data shows that consumers may be willing to pay for the payment, even if retailers realize that they will not always follow through on the purchase process. Increasing acceptance and demand is a sign that sustainability has moved from a premium benefit to a common expectation. Brands need to be careful not to cheapen themselves by promoting products that are always premium rather than popular; we can no longer see continuity as a luxury. This presents a serious problem there inflation it is high. Educating customers about
resilience
and long-term access to affordable products can help make the cost worth it.

As mentioned earlier, a strong brand purpose rooted in security helps build trust in the brand – which accelerates the adoption of new products. This emphasizes how important the initial work is to facilitate subsequent campaigns. Once your brand has a history and reputation to work with, qualities such as promotion and corporate responsibility come naturally.

Location

Put touches on product development and marketing. In the case of food and drink, marketing teams can promote factors such as origin, social and environmental responsibility in the region, and sustainable production.

Introducing new products, especially those with new ingredients or preparations, depends on consumer curiosity and courage. Although consumers may think that commercially produced foods are safe to eat, there are no such guarantees of satisfaction or value.

In-person sampling is an obvious way to encourage customers to try a new product. Product placement in the media can make new products familiar and familiar. But it’s also important to put the product into practice – interacting with customers when they’re looking for recipes, looking for ways to use an ingredient or thinking about taking it.

In-store placement also plays a major role in customer acquisition. Placing solid food and beverages at the end of aisles and at the point of sale makes it easy for customers to find them there. Putting alternative investment strategies aside from conventional ones, animal products become more visible and drive the stock price. It also makes it easier for vegetarians — omnivores who tend to choose plant-based foods — to choose plant-based options. Clear signals are also important to introduce new products and interesting applications: Try our spicy seasoned tempeh in your next stir fry!

The modern version of “location” must also address the exact location where customers are looking for products – therefore, today’s concept of location must include a comprehensive SEO strategy. If online retailers can’t find your product, they can’t try it. Pay attention to changes in promotional terminology and adjust keywords accordingly. Exaggerated and inconsistent definitions of words such as “green” have opened them up to consumer speculation and reduced their value. Words like “Use methods ” and “What How is it made?” can ensure that your campaign – and therefore your product – is in the right place to be found.

Promotion

Promotion is the core of any marketing strategy and there are so many ways to do it right that it’s easy to name a few. Don’t do that in marketing promotion.

• Don’t do that making assumptions about clarity. Both greenwashing and greenhushing can damage brand name and sales. Understand what your audience wants to hear don’t do that keep quiet. 58 percent of business under-promoting their conservation activities
  and the risk of missing the mark with customers and investors.

• Don’t do that lead with stability. A food product should attract customers in taste, texture and value before they are in the focus set.

• Don’t do that rely on traditional niche marketing to promote sales. Valued by a diverse group of people – free yourself from restrictive assumptions about who is buying. Sellers can mainstream sustainability
  by crossing what used to be sacred. Fast food can be vegan. Animal proteins can be cruelty-free. Mushrooms can build muscle and cocoa can work together.

Food marketing has always been unique in its own way – where hope, science and passion are combined into an emotional mix. Harness these tools and tell a bold story that dares to believe in a better way. There’s a lot for marketers to get into, and consumers are ready to hear it.

The need for development efforts has been outside of the development department, opening up more opportunities for marketers to get involved and push forward. The 5 Ps shown here are just a few areas you can incorporate promotion into your marketing mix. Use this as a starting point to encourage holistic thinking and collaboration your company wants to be a leader in the food and beverage sector.

For more tips and advice on food and drink promotion, download Quantis’ 2024 Food Report: A Recipe for Change.