A consumer-centric approach drives fresh produce marketing success

FMCG has long dominated the consumer snacking space offering year-round product consistency, high-budget marketing campaigns and a consumer-centric approach to product development. But with the rise of health and wellness trends across Asia and greater digitalisation increasing consumer insights, fresh produce brands are primed to take their share of the market.

This was the positive message shared in the opening session of the Asiafruit Knowledge Centre programme, which included a consumer snapshot presented by Forward Insight’s Carlo Magni, followed by a panel discussion on effective approaches to fresh produce marketing with Jiunn Shih of Driscoll’s, Cassie Howard from Sunkist Growers and Dole China’s Leo Li.

“Fundamentally, what we have to acknowledge is that fresh produce and CPG and FMCG, are different industries,” said Shih. “There are things that we can learn from FMCG, but we are highly perishable.”

Howard also pointed to this challenge, saying that because produce items aren’t always in store all year round, marketers are often asking consumers to make an active change in their shopping basket to purchase fresh produce.

Despite the differences, the panel said there were still lessons to be learned from FMCG brands, particularly in centring the consumer.

“What we have to learn from FMCG is that the battle that we are on in terms of marketing is not just about shelf space, it is also a battle for mind space,” Shih said. “In that sense, it doesn’t matter whether you are fruit or whether you are potato chips or whether you are soft drinks.”

According to Magni, this is where the opportunity lies for fresh produce marketing.

“The biggest difference is that FMCG has been really structured in the way they understand users and consumers and traditionally, produce hasn’t done that very well,” he said. “So that’s the transition, that’s where we need to change.”

Consumer connection

One of the key trends that was highlighted in the discussion was the rise in consumer’s seeking out emotional connection with brands.

“[Consumers] don’t only buy fruit for the product value, the freshness, the quality,” he said. “They also buy the fruit driven by the emotional value,” said Li.

“I think we’re in a good space because if we think about all of the food categories in a supermarket, produce is one of these most experiential categories there is,” Shih said. “Consumers naturally already want to see, smell, touch. We are highly experiential.”

Li said experience-led marketing in Asia was rising to meet this consumer value.

“For example, even though [consumers] can buy durian online, they would rather go to an offline store and let the store staff open the durian for them,” he said.

The experience is likened to opening a blank box (surprise toy), where the consumer is waiting to find out if there will be four or five arils inside.

Dole, alongside a rising number of fresh produce brands, has incorporated IP partnerships in a bid to connect to broader audiences.

“For example, we did a Minions IP with Sweetio bananas to attract more family users,” Li said. “Because banana is a very common fruit, we wanted to remind them to eat them every day, in every occasion.”

The partnership included Minions activities and experiences that consumers interacted with in person and shared online, driving further engagement.

Sunkist, too, has incorporated in-person experiences into its marketing strategy for Asia.

“We did an event last year in Hong Kong where consumers [could] come and interact with our brand in person,” Howard explained.

At the event Sunkist provided a playful blind box collection of statement citrus cases with interchangeable collectible charms, designed for mixing, matching and showing off users’ personal style.

“It was a way [to build] an emotional connection to the brand and to the product that we were offering,” Howard said.

Digital drive

While the appetite for in-person experiences has risen, this has not nullified the need for digitalisation.

“Asia has a really digitally native consumer base, especially younger consumers,” Shih said. “It is very creator-led. It is highly visual. So, we have to adapt the way that we engage.”

Online campaigns can still incorporate this emotional connection by utilising influencers and KOL’s, live-streaming, or narrative-led creative.

“In some of our markets, digital is really where [our consumers] are, and that’s where they want to learn about you, and that’s how they want to interact with you,” Howard explains.

Healthy habits

Perhaps the trend best suited to fresh produce brands, however, is the focus on health and wellness.

“COVID changed a lot of things,” said Magni. “It created anxiety to start with but from a health and wellness point of view, it created focus. People started to think about their body, their health, and people are looking for solutions in everyday foods.”

This is the area the panel sees has the most potential for fresh produce brands to meet.

“We’re not outspending FMCG to do that job. We can’t,” Shih said.

“But we do have advantages in reclaiming what the essence of what fresh produce is all about, which is offering something that is real, something that is generally good for people.

They talk about vitality. They talk about naturalness. They talk about nutrition. We are all of that, but in a much healthier and much purer form.”

This article appears int he upcoming edition of Asiafruit Magazine. For more coverage of Asia Fruit Logistica sibscribe here.