“People want to know what is on sale, and they want Doritos.”
That’s the advice and message my beloved marketing mentor, Seth Godin, delivered straight to my face last week in front of a live audience during an event titled Business Gets Personal.
It hurt. But he is right, and I know it. And you know it too.
It was an overall unforgettable day hearing from renowned marketing practitioners Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchek and Dave Ramsey on one stage at this rare event. The icing on the cake for an attendee like me was that I was invited, in advance, on stage to receive direct feedback from the pros relative to our industry’s quest to reach more consumers and to increase consumption of fresh produce.
Doritos. Really?
As I wrestled with his stark statement (when what I was really hoping for was some sure-fire Seth “how to” advice), a revelation about our general quest “to increase consumption” started to take shape.
Unequivocally, if there is any topic we are consistently thinking about and working on as an industry it is increasing consumption. It has been our quest since I entered the space almost 20 years ago, and it still is today. The thing about consumption 20 years ago versus today is that it is flat or well below the recommended levels according to PBH.
We could spend days discussing why consumption is flat, but the truth is that while our products are becoming more popular and “mainstream,” we are far from reaching our potential.
Which begs the question…is increasing consumption an achievable goal? Can we increase consumption of fresh produce? If so, how will we measure success? Sure, there is a tremendous amount of research available that provides benchmarks and progress based on specific criteria. (I highly recommend this one by PBH). But, at the company and brand level, is this a measurable, realistic goal?
If consumers want Doritos, how can we increase consumption of fresh produce?
I don’t think we can, at least not in a measurable or meaningful way.
But, what can we do?
I believe we can influence and increase demand for our products.
Why demand?
Demand is about a person’s desire and willingness to find, seek and choose your products.
Demand starts online with a recipe search, a Facebook like or a memorable experience with a product you sell. Demand also exists when there is access. Are the products that we grow readily available to consumers where they shop and eat…in most places?
Demand can be measured. Demand precedes consumption. Demand for fresh produce is what we can control and what we accomplish (the result) is increased consumption of fresh produce.
In other words, consumption of fresh produce alone doesn’t tell us much as individual brands. As marketers, we have to first drive demand and then increased consumption will result.
Our mission as marketers should then be to increase demand for fresh produce by inspiring consumers to prefer fresh produce, when given the opportunity, over the bag of Doritos.
In short, let’s work to drive demand; consumption will follow.
Think about what we can realistically measure and achieve as we walk the show floor next weekend at Fresh Summit. If we are going to be relevant in the food marketing space, we are going to need to think, market and measure differently.
