Like it or not, we’re living in an age where many consumers are growing weary of big businesses.
Distrust stems from an absence of one-on-one interactions with larger corporations, as well as a lack of transparency and the uncovering of various scandals and controversies. While not all big players in the food and beverage industry have gained a less-than-favorable reputation, it’s still the responsibility of all companies to earn the trust of their customers and build loyalty through ethical practices. General Mills is one company testing out new strategies to better connect with their audience – many of these tactics mimicking those of entrepreneurial small businesses.
In lieu of traditional advertising and promotional practices, General Mills has been experimenting with some rather unusual marketing techniques to introduce new products to consumers. Members of the company’s marketing teams are immersing themselves in retail locations, setting up “lemonade stands” and approaching shoppers with samples of uncommon new items.
We see this tactic often used when companies are trying out a new type of packaging. Coffee is one product that more and more consumers are purchasing from local roasters rather than the big, household names most are used to. As a result, companies in this industry are experimenting with new types of coffee bean bags for sale, choosing custom printed coffee packaging over paper coffee bags with a label. Demoing these products face-to-face with customers has proved to be mutually beneficial.
Packaging has long been used as a tool to launch new products, and now it plays a significant role in informing customers about the clean, natural, and organic properties that make up a food or beverage.
Since there has been so much backlash against “Big Food” in recent years, large, established brands are working to make transparency a priority. An important way to communicate this to consumers is through your packaging – coffee brands have been some of the first to adopt flexible, environmentally friendly stand up coffee bags that boldly displays information about the grounds, where the beans were harvested, and what fair trade or other ethical practices went into the cultivation and creation of that particular product.
This appeals to customers who are against artificial additives and seek out products with locally sourced ingredients, as well as those who look to the companies they purchase from to provide educational materials and resources for the betterment of consumers' health and wellbeing.
In the age of crowdfunding, it’s become even easier for small brands to accumulate enough capital and resources to begin their entrepreneurial ventures. As a result, they can quickly become nimble enough to successfully compete with the “big boys” in their industries. Whether the business is small or large, brands that make a commitment to evolving the look and feel of their product, and interacting with customers directly, will forge ahead of the rest.
From startups to mid-market companies and even classic brands, we’re seeing many companies switching from stock packaging to custom printed in response to changing consumer desires and in-person interactions with shoppers. Your packaging has the ability to put your product on the map and establish it as a steady competitor with larger brands by adopting some of these smart and simple small-business strategies.
Packaging is one of the easiest ways to retool a product and market an item to a new customer base. Brands can mimic successful businesses in the java industry and elsewhere by taking a look at the evolution of paper coffee bags to kraft paper coffee bags and custom printed coffee packaging. This, paired with in-person, in-store demos offering free samples and education to shoppers helps form relationships between producers and consumers, which builds brand loyalty and commitment to a particular product.
General Mills is just one of many large businesses making consumers a priority and developing new products, adopting new forms of packaging, and listening to feedback to stay competitive while communicating a newfound spirit of entrepreneurship.
(Image Sources: Candypolooza, Yelp)
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