Opening the Oreos.
Nabisco and other big brands are biting the bullet and investing in
consumer-friendly packaging. After years of using packages that generate
gripes, how much should new, consumer-friendly packaging . . .
Is 70 the new 50?
The answer to that question is a qualified yes that depends on just
how old you really are, how you feel, and how your parents aged. People
who think that their parents aged well feel they are . . .
Bottled water bye-bye?
Bottled water is getting belted for its environmental cost and
general wastefulness. This is a category created by marketing and
packaging technology. Millions of consumers use it in dozens . . .
Happy talk.(Brief article)
Consumers who think they have found ways of making an environmental
difference are happy about what they are doing or planning to do. A news
story about the eco-friendly ambiance of New York City's . . .
Re-bannering blues.
It's no wonder that some shoppers feel slighted when stores
and brands change their banners. Lucky was Lucky until it was
Albertsons, and now it will try to be Lucky again. AT&T became
Cingular and . . .
Ratatouille messages.(Brief article)
Good movies may be hard to find in the summer, and there's
nothing like a cartoon to keep the kids quiet on a hot or rainy day, but
I was still surprised at the number of kids in the audience . . .
Old world/new world.(Brief article)
Convenience stores have been moving away from beer and cigarettes
and toward the Fresh & Easy concept for several years. No longer
blue collar, they have a much broader demographic appeal than they . . .
Making shopping convenient.
We asked the same shoppers which of the things on the list below
would make food shopping more convenient. The strong response to
"basic items up front" would be very interesting if most
shoppers . . .
Making ends meet.
Making ends meet was a concern to more than 60% of our shoppers.
This concern has been echoed by many, including Lee Scott of Wal-Mart,
who acknowledges that more shoppers are financially stressed . . .
Quality/safety stew.
Concerns about food are especially convoluted right now. Almost all
(99%) of our shoppers say they are concerned about food quality, and
quality concerns have become inseparable from concerns about . . .
Northern lifestyle.(Brief article)
Traveling in Alaska is being constantly reminded of the power of
nature and the allure of sustainability to Generation Y. Young people
come to Alaska from all over North America to question our . . .
Starbucks' pricing.
I took notes on an intriguing conversation about Starbucks'
pricing overheard at a coffee cart set up next to a hotel lobby. The
Starbucks cart was operated by Aramark. The cart did a brisk . . .
"Health advisory".(food safety and gastric
diseases)
"Recently both the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and
Health Canada have advised us of an increase in gastrointestinal illness
in Continental United States and British Columbia. As a . . .
Rachael Ray's impact.
Rachael Ray is empowering some shoppers to cook with more freedom
and have more fun than they have had in some time. Watching her
facilitates a certain amount of abandon in mixing flavors and . . .
Bait and switch.(advertising strategies)(Brief article)
We hope we're just hearing more about it, and that "bait
and switch" advertising isn't making a comeback. Some shoppers
believe they are seeing it everywhere. One told us that "shoppers
have . . .
Mixed messages.
Out in the stores, store brand prices aren't always lower and
store brand packages aren't always equal. In recent store visits,
Wegmans conventionally grown salads were 50 cents a bag more . . .
Private label awards.
I also participated in two days of judging 116 private label food
and beverage products submitted to The Private Label Manufacturers
Association for their now-annual awards program. In addition . . .
Big survey, big findings.(Brief article)
What we've heard from our shoppers in recent months about
store brands versus nationals led me to question what was happening in
the larger world from which our shopper panel is drawn. Our . . .
Store brands growing up.
Store brands are getting livelier, tastier, and much better
looking. More shoppers in more demographics are accepting and buying
them, more retailers are putting more resources into them, and . . .
Martha Stewart at Costco.
The announcement that Martha Stewart was going to have a line of
Kirkland/Martha Stewart Signature prepared foods raised some eyebrows
but makes sense to us and to consumers who like her. Most have . . .
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