The keys to success in the marketing of berries

26/10/2015

Per capita consumption of berries in the United States has shown exponential growth figures in the last decade, with increases of 411% in the case of blueberries and 475% in the case of raspberries between 2000 and 2012, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture of that country, even though that of all fruits has risen only 1% in the same period.

While the consumption of these fruits in the US - by far the main destination for Chilean berry exports - is part of the eating habits, unlike the Asians, where they are still less known, the data show an increasing worldwide trend, which is attributed to the greater availability of fruits throughout the year and the search for healthy, nutritious and antioxidant-rich foods.

Marketing campaigns have focused on these aspects, by disseminating scientific studies that demonstrate the properties of berries and, in recent years, with sponsorship of sports competitions, support for health campaigns and the development of easy-to-carry packages. to niches such as snacks for children, which seeks not only to increase sales as a short-term goal, but also to differentiate and have better sales opportunities in supermarkets.

Although the most recognized promotion strategies - such as incorporating cartoon images into packaging or sponsoring high-level sports competitions - require high budgets, industry specialists say that smaller exporters can also join and develop their own campaigns, although having very clear which is the public to which they point.

"For resources, they have to think about something more limited, on a different scale than the big companies, but we have seen very ingenious ideas in packaging, formats and in giving importance to specific characteristics of the place where the fruit is produced", comments Juan Ignacio Allende, corporate commercial manager of Hortifrut, who markets their fruit abroad under the Naturipe brand.

The key is to capture the tendencies and interests of the final consumers and to get in tune with them, without losing sight of the fact that the quality and innocuousness of the fruit are the basic conditions to be successful.

"Chile differs because it is one of the few countries that, in the case of berries, has the 34.10 resolution, which allows for complete traceability of the product, which provides food security in the export process and, therefore, a plus to the competition in the target markets ", highlights the head of the Sub-Department of Agriculture and Food of ProChile, Andrés Díaz.

Sell a concept

"We try to direct our entire marketing strategy to the final consumer and give it an added value, because we are not selling blueberries, strawberries or blackberries, but a concept, which is healthy living. Everyone can sell fruit, but we sell something else, which is the concept of superfruits ".

The words come from Nader Musleh, the executive director of the Division of Berries of California Giant, an American company that is known for its striking strategies to promote them, which points to the key to marketing: selling a concept.

With that focus, Californians seek not only to position the idea that they are good foods for the health of those who eat them, but also that those who buy those of their brand will be supporting other causes that go in line with healthy living. In fact, this year their strawberries were sponsors of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in England, and are the main sponsors of a cycling competition team in the United States.

In addition to that, they have a foundation that supports causes such as preventing childhood obesity and reducing hunger in the world, as well as incorporating a pink ribbon in their containers during October to spread the breast cancer prevention campaign.

Although local companies are incorporating this type of initiatives in an incipient way, they recognize that they are well valued by consumers. "Supporting a cause is a very good thing. We have thought about it and it is part of our discussion, although budgets have to be focused where one thinks it will have the greatest effects. For now we have two or three things of that style and I think they will grow ", indicates Juan Ignacio Allende.

Andrés Díaz states that it is also attractive to diversify the Chilean offer with the concept of products that have a local identity, such as the maqui, which in July of this year has doubled its exports with respect to 2014, with US $ 2,1 million. "It is a native berry, which has burst forcefully in domestic shipments because it is very versatile and is exported in formats such as fresh, frozen, dehydrated and as juice", he explains, adding that the main current markets are Japan, Italy and Germany.

Educate from the kitchen

At the end of March of this year, the winner of the Dutch version of Master Chef, Bart van Berkel, was in charge of preparing different recipes to promote the Chilean blueberries in the welcome reception of the Global Berry Congress, in an activity organized by the Committee of Blueberries that responds to one of the most successful formulas that the industry has found to spread blueberries, due to the growing interest of consumers to cook at home and use gourmet products.

It is an alternative that several companies have taken and that seeks to educate about the versatility of uses that these fruits can have, in sweet and salty preparations. "One of the messages that have tried to convey in the campaigns is that it is a rich and easy to consume product, for that it is common to contact well-known chefs in different countries to cook the berries"explains Juan Ignacio Allende.

Another aspect that stands out is the good result that brings the consumers can have a direct experience with the fruit through tasting, especially in markets where blueberries, for example, are less known. "In countries of Europe that have a lower penetration than England, we have made a promotion with the most important supermarket in each country for a couple of weeks at the points of sale, and that has caused the increase in demand in that period and then has been powerful "adds Allende.

The director of marketing of Asoex for Europe and Asia, Charif Christian Carvajal, agrees that it is a very effective action. "The promotions in the points of sale have an immediate effect in increasing the sales of the product in the different chains of the retail with which we work"He says.

The creation of cookbooks available to download for free on the websites of companies is also well evaluated as a strategy and is present in different companies, especially in the United States, which some boost by uploading recipes to social networks and with draws of household appliances to prepare them, like ice cream machines.

Partner with characters

One of the most attractive niches to promote healthy foods are children, for the interest in reducing obesity indicators and encouraging them to bring nutritious snacks to school.

Taking this trend, several companies have incorporated characters from movies and cartoons to make more attractive the packaging of berries, which meet the characteristics that parents seek and that have adapted to easy to carry and eat formats, with lines "ready to eat ", in which the fruit is already washed.

In 2012, Naturipe -of Hortifrut- launched throughout the United States the line "Berry Quick Snacks", with the images of the Mickey mouse and other Disney characters on the label, although they are currently using Sesame Street characters.

In California Giant have bet on the success generated by fashion movies. This year they were sponsors of the second part of Hamburger Rain, where one of the characters is a strawberry they adopted for their labels, something they value as positive, but not necessarily to raise sales.

"Sometimes they motivate the sales, but the help goes more to have a differentiation. It is more the retail that takes it as something different and that maybe does not increase the number of units that we can sell, but it does make them more attractive ", says Nader Musleh.

The objectives must be set before designing the marketing campaign, since organizations like ProChile or the Blueberry Committee have other goals, such as increasing sales and closing new businesses. "We also bet on generating greater recognition of Chile as a reliable food supplier, which we are strengthening with the new Foods From Chile campaign", says Andrés Díaz.

Charif Christian Carvajal adds that they are also looking for a greater arrival in countries where there is low consumption of berries, such as Sweden, Norway, South Korea or China, and to prospect new marketing opportunities in emerging markets, such as France, Ireland and Taiwan, although he insists on that exporters should not settle for sectoral campaigns.

"It is important that they also invest in promotion, because what we do is complementary and we do not promote individual producers, but the sector, the product category and the country of origin", he emphasizes.

Source: Revista del Campo