Monterey, California - It’s time to make your mark. Like cattle branding, branding produce is a way to burn an impression -- in your customers’ minds.
“Consumers form impressions of what is valuable every day. You must deliver trust to get loyalty,” said Libby Trader, president of The Persephone Group, Minnetrista, Minnesota, during a session called “Branding: Does it Make a Difference?” at the Retail Produce Solutions Conference on June 2 - 4 in Monterey.
Great brands are effective because they communicate distinct values, differentiate a firm from the competition, make an emotional connection, are easily recognized, and are relevant to consumers, Trader said. Strong brand loyalty comes when you can tap into both the rational and emotional sides of people, she said.
Building a brand means targeting those people who know your brand as well as those brands recognized world-wide. Brands are particularly important because consumers spend less time shopping for groceries than they used to, said Jeff Brown, director of sales and marketing for Welch’s, Concord, Massachusetts. “Sixty percent of people don’t have time to investigate new brands.”
Seventy-four percent of people say a brand name tells them about the quality of the product, and 64 percent says brands make it easier and quicker to buy products, he said.
Branding is important among different demographic groups, Brown said. Hispanics are extremely brand-loyal, especially if they are trying to assimilate into mainstream society, he said. African-Americans and Asian-Americans are also brand-loyal. This is because brands are seen as a status symbol, and they offer assurances of quality, he said.
