Let’s start with defining what brand means. CPG businesses have been building temples to brand strategy for decades. The brand is supposed to be the emotional bridge and equity vessel that supports a premium price and drives preference at the shelf.
Fortune Magazine’s special report “The war on big food,” cited an astonishing fact: the top 25 food and beverage companies have lost a collective $18 billion in market share since 2009. Repeat: $18 BILLION in 6 years.
Inside supermarkets the evidence is there for all to see as smaller more nimble niche players like Annie’s (now owned by General Mills) and Boulder Brands’ Evol frozen entrees secure more and more in-store real estate.
Facts are this: at no other time in the history of modern marketing and business strategy have we seen such a pervasive shift – up. To be sure the Walmarts of the world continue and Dollar Stores are everywhere, but it can be said we are witnessing a call for quality, for real, for authenticity and improved experience that is steamrolling through the consuming marketplace with the speed of the latest viral video.