The Fresh Produce Brandworks - Embracing change for good.
The battle over getting branded produce onto UK supermarket shelves has been going on for decades, but what if there was a way to revolutionise the whole system to increase profitability and market share?
I am a great believer that lasting change is made up of a series of small steps implemented over time and with consistency. I believe that this simple approach will solve the many crises we face in society, because it is often misuse of the small parts that gets overlooked.
The Fresh Produce Brandworks is a new initiative from Brandbloom that seeks to:
Campaign for the appropriate placement of brands within retail
Educate the sector about what branding is and is not
Create robust and beautiful brands that will sell
Challenge market practices and processes to create lasting change
Provide governance and guidance for brand consistency and success
Promote consistency of quality and brand experience over consistency of supply
Write and film thought pieces on branding in fresh produce and how you can take full advantage of it to generate more sales and enhance your reputation
Observe the market and to listen
Advocate equity and fairness for all
Put the environment and good ethics at the forefront of trade
Be the leading experts in fresh produce branding and consumer behaviour
Embrace change for good
Why have we decided to create The Fresh Produce Brandworks?
The fresh branding battle is deadlocked.
Supermarkets won’t have fresh produce brands on shelf other than their own label, with a few exceptions. The exceptions have limited brand visibility (such as a label on fruit hidden within packaging, or a branded box hidden within a shelving unit), but nonetheless the approach is inconsistent and confusing.
In turn, marketing companies won’t fund awareness campaigns without the incentive of a brand being on the shelf. Money to promote fresh produce is available and going to other markets because of this impasse.
A few of the brands that we do see in stores:
Fyffes
Chiquita
Jaffa
Tenderstem
Pink Lady
Steve’s Leaves
Florette
Albert Bartlett
Zespri
Jazz
Metis
What are the problems that are currently faced at a retail level?
Own label vs. private label
For many years supermarkets have used their own label as a benchmark of quality for their store, because it acts as the key differentiator between them and their competitors. Fresh produce seems to be the hero of this concept, and one of the only sections that appears to range branded products as an alternative to own label rather than own label as an alternative to the brands that you might find in packaged goods. If you look at the crisps aisle, for example, you might often find supermarket own label products in a secondary or lower position than the private label offering.
Fake brands
More recently they have further confused the issue by creating ‘fake brands’ to go alongside their own brand. Where there was once a ‘value’ range, a ‘mid-tier’ range and a ‘best’ range, some of these names have been replaced with the name of a farm that does not exist, or something that sounds like a local greengrocer. It is possible that this has been done for reasons of social mobility, so that those purchasing ‘value’ do not feel patronised. Ironically, if you look at customer behaviour you will see that many people actually shop across tiers (and supermarkets) to prioritise good quality and ingredients where it matters to them and to spend less in other areas.
But what do these sub-brands mean? If they are not real farms and businesses, are they credible? What do they stand for? Does anyone buy them feeling that they are aligned with certain values? This is not good branding.
Varietal naming as brands
Suppliers and supermarkets create further confusion by creating new varietal names as ‘brands’ that consumers don’t understand. Sometimes this is a disguise for a market exclusive, as a trademarked variety is a way to give a retailer something that no one else has. Only, often others do have it, just under a different name.
Over the years we have conducted extensive market research amongst consumers that has highlighted consistently that consumers do not understand (or indeed notice) varietal naming in almost all cases.
This is also not to be confused with branding. Giving something a name is not the same as creating a brand. These varieties have no identity, either visually or viscerally.
Label ‘noise’
Even more confusion is created with additional labels that indicate ‘best in season’ or health benefits. This is a good pointer for the shopper, until it is not true. How many times have you bought “Perfectly ripe” or “Best in season” produce only to find that it is not perfectly ripe at all, or of poor quality? An inconsistent experience can turn a consumer off a whole category, regardless of how good the rest of the year is.
On top of this, unnecessary messaging such as “sweet and juicy” litters our packaging. I don’t have a problem with describing how something will taste or why it is special, but to tell me a strawberry is “juicy” is not a point of difference. If it wasn’t, I would have questions.
‘First to Market’ over investment
We live in a culture that is obsessed with being ‘first to market’ or having a ‘market exclusive’, but won’t put the financial investment behind it to support the numbers needed to make continuous new product development viable.
Order numbers are not high enough to offer one retailer a market exclusive or a first to market and so the same product ends up slipping under the radar to other retailers under a different name.
Growers need to keep developing new varieties to keep retailers interested. Retailers need to keep selling new things to keep consumers engaged. Nobody wants to pay.
Supermarkets want a good margin and a low cost to the consumer, to compete with other retailers. Suppliers don’t want to pay to support marketing because they are already responsible for high development costs, waste, etc. Retailers want to innovate and update packaging, but suppliers can’t afford to keep installing new machinery. Growers can’t afford to keep developing new varieties (which can take years) if they don’t have the orders to back them up. So we are stuck in a cycle where change is forced, but someone always loses out, and everyone feels it is them.
Invisible Produce
Packaging and merchandising for fresh produce needs an enormous overhaul. It is uninspiring, visibility is poor, and it does not ‘sell’ the products. I have always struggled with the idea that we design fresh produce packaging with all the key graphics on the top fascia, the range it in short shelving where only the sides are visible. In shelving where tops are visible, packaging is diminished by scruffy boxes, plastic crates, ‘bin bag’-style liners, and overhead lighting that reflects off flow-wrap and heat-sealed toppers so that they create a glare.
Most fresh produce packaging is clear, or beige. The idea is often that the product should be the hero, but unless it is loose, it is not displayed to its best advantage. If we are going to continue to package produce then it must be done well, and merchandised beautifully to support it.
Branding done better
I recently visited Harvey Brown’s in the Isle of Wight. All over the island you can buy branded Isle of Wight Tomatoes, which are well branded. In this store, produce was merchandised beautifully.
Clear branding, thought given to display, and imagery behind to support product
Product always looks attractive, branded boxes
Attractive produce
A few questions
Would branded produce actually work?
The downside of branding is that as soon as you mess up, the whole brand can go down like a sinking ship. You can’t simply hide behind a new variety that is better.
However, if you look at consumer behaviour across the board it is no secret that good brands sell and make huge amounts of money. And this is where we have to make a distinction. If we just start branding at random and creating the odd logo for things, it will not work. A proper branding exercise is required, where the values of the business and its practices are fully in alignment. If this is the case then undoubtedly, it will work.
What must a brand do to be reputable?
Provide a consistently good experience, always. It really is that simple. A good brand makes the customer feel part of it with a system of shared values, reliability, attractive and memorable design, strong messaging, care, and ethics.
Branding works where there is brand integrity, and where consistency of experience is easy to replicate. It is difficult to guarantee this with fresh products so we need to work harder.
Is consistency of supply or consistency of quality more important?
We seem to care more about supply gaps than quality, which of course is a financial decision. One day we will learn that this is a short-term strategy. You can’t taste every single piece of fruit, or every vegetable. This makes quality control difficult.
Are world conditions a blocker to consistency?
In short, yes. The cost of producing all year round is prohibitive to some products. Some European growers are being paid by the government not to run their greenhouses in Winter, so there is little incentive to grow. Imports and exports are becoming more complex, as well as the considerable environmental impacts that have to be evaluated in the process.
Is it better for produce to have grown naturally in the sun but have been transported, or to have grown artificially with light and heat but with fewer air miles?
Is there a clash between the values of a brand, and the values of the company displaying and selling your brand?
Buyers move around too often, under the guise of not showing favouritism to incumbent suppliers. This is a real curse for consistency. As new buyers with differing values take the helm, numerous and frequent changes occur. This costs money in the supply chain and also confuses the consumer immeasurably. The brand directive must come from the top. M&S (for example), must instil an ‘M&S’ way of doing things from the top down to avoid a buyer operating with the strategy of a different retailer in an environment with very particular priorities. Often the thread of internal branding does not run through all departments and touchpoints, which is why it is so important for large companies to invest in internal branding exercises to bring everyone into alignment with the company values, language and methods of operation. A lack of universal strategy means that even within one department people operate in very different ways.
What needs to happen?
Stop the obsession with ‘new’ and focus on ‘great’.
Use branding properly
If you create a brand, be ready to live up to what that brand needs to represent, even if it costs you sales volumes, otherwise it will cost you your reputation, and the brand.
Do not compromise on brand quality
Do not compromise on brand values
Implement consistency across tiers, don’t ‘blag it’
Strip out unnecessary messaging.
Support your products with excellent packaging, merchandising, communication and marketing.
Collaborate
How can we help you?
Join The Fresh Produce Brandworks to help us campaign for better practices
Work with us to create a great brand for your company or product
Invite us to speak at your conference or event
Use our consultancy services to create change within your organisation when it comes to brand practices
Invite us to run a branding workshop with your company
Let us conduct market research for you to build a compelling case for your brand
Let us design your pitches and presentations to retail
Let us design your trade show presence
