In 2015, we learned that millennials are quickly becoming the most influential group of fresh produce consumers. As a result, many fresh produce marketers shifted their strategies to target this audience. While we feel that millennials are still a key audience for produce marketers to consider, we also believe there are several smaller/niche audiences who cannot be ignored if your goal is to create awareness and engagement surrounding your brand.
- Vegans – While only accounting for 6% of the population, this is one of the most active foodie audiences on social media. Data also suggests that more and more people are jumping on the “vegan bandwagon” in at least a partial role by committing to 1 or more vegan meals per week. According to Food Navigator, vegan and vegetarian content was mentioned 4.3 million times in 90 days, compared to mega-CPG brand Coca Cola, which earned 4.1 million references. Also, Vegfest predicts that 55% of the population will incorporate a mainly Vegan diet by 2020, based on growing trends to eat less animal bi-product throughout the week. So, while we may only see 6% full commitment to veganism, it’s going to be important to create content and opportunities to talk to this community knowing that far more than 6% are engaging about this diet comprised of your products.
- Gen Z – We know that this group of 10 to 20 year olds has significant buying influence and are much more conscious about healthy food options than their parents. As reported by Nielsen, Gen Z relies heavily on e-commerce and digital content and support is essential to connect with their buying behaviors. Mobile apps, mobile-friendly sites, digital coupons, and other digital content will support this group’s need for digital tools in the grocery store, while also enabling them to purchase food (including fresh!) online. Home delivery services continue to rise, so the opportunity for fresh produce brands to partner with companies like Blue Apron and Fresh Direct will help connect with this audience.
- Bloggers & Influencers – We’ve written about the value of blogger relationships before, and the opportunity to create mutually beneficial, long-lasting partnerships with this audience isn’t a new concept and it continues to grow. With an investment in more sophisticated reporting techniques, you gain the ability to utilize permission-based marketing on influencer sites to nurture their readers (that already want to know about food!) into becoming a fan of your brand. But first, as a marketer you have to provide bloggers & influencers with content opportunities that will lead them to want to work with you. We can’t afford to ignore this group of influential foodies this year.
- RDs –Registered dieticians continue to emerge as the go-to spokespeople and guest writers for national media. This means that we need to nurture them as we would our own consumers, yet this audience is often put on the marketing back-burner. While dieticians work with their own clients to suggest healthy lifestyles, they’re also consumers themselves. The difference is these consumers have significant influence at the retail level and within the media. Fresh produce companies that take the time to build relationships with RDs are more likely to be top-of-mind when an RD is asked to contribute to a BuzzFeed article or make a suggestion for their in-store demo.
So what do these 4 audiences have in common? They are ACTIVELY seeking your products already. These audiences are more engaged with fresh produce and want to hear from brands that are willing to support their needs for content. As we finalize 2016 content plans, we expect that the brands who commit not only to their primary target audience, but also to active sub-target audiences, will see a positive shift from purchasers to brand enthusiasts.
Have a comment or question about the impact of these or other audiences for your brand? Tweet us at @thecoreblog and @bethatkinsonpr!
