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The Cheez-It Choose the Cheese promotion took place during February and March of 2011 by letting consumers choose the next flavor of Cheez-It through online, text messages and in-store, in-person voting. With choices of asiago, colby or Romano, consumers cast the majority of their voting on the Cheez-It Facebook page. In the end, just under 28 million votes were cast, with colby coming out on top by a wide margin.

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The Total Store SuperStudy is a comprehensive study of supermarket performance produced by Willard Bishop Consulting (http://www.bishopconsulting.com) that provides subscribers 80 financial measures and profitability data that spans 250 categories and 230,000 SKUs. The information in the SuperStudy is commonly used by grocers for a number of purposes, including the evaluation of gross-margin gaps, decisions regarding shelf space, examining trade spending and evaluating retailer cost-to-serve.

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Gluten-free products such as Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® Gluten Free have been introduced to the market in response to growing customer demand. Much of this demand has grown out of the general public’s increased awareness of a condition known as celiac disease. According the website of the Celiac Disease Foundation (http://www.celiac.org), one out of 133 people in the United States is afflicted with celiac disease. A common misconception is that celiac disease is a food allergy. It is not. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects how an individual absorbs basic nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Because even small amounts of ingested gluten can cause health problems for those with the disease, the availability of products that are clearly marked as being gluten-free makes it much easier for consumers to be certain they are feeding the right foods to themselves and their family members.

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A lot of numbers have been thrown around about the rise in the number of consumers who are reducing the quantity of meat in their diets. One indicator of the “seriousness” of the meatless movement, however, has been the establishment of “Meatless Monday,” a nonprofit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their goal is “to help you reduce your meat consumption by 15 percent in order to improve your personal health and the health of the planet. By cutting out meat once a week, we can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to reduce climate change.”

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Definitely. In a January 6, 2011, article titled “‘Fresh’ Tops List of 2011 Grocery Trends” on the Progressive Grocer website, the idea that “grocery stores will rely on customer-facing employees to make even more of a difference in customers’ in-store experience” is cited as an approach that can reap benefits for grocery retailers. Everything from educating all employees who may come in contact with the customer in product and category locations to encouraging employees who take an interest in specific departments and cuisines can help improve the customer’s experience.

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You’re right. Blueberries are a big deal these days. According to a 2009 publication by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council titled “Blueberry Trends and Market Challenges,” production increased more than fivefold over the past 40 years from 71 million pounds in 1968 to an estimated 407 million pounds in 2008. At the time, they predicted that global production could reach over 1.5 billion pounds by 2015 and that in North America, production could increase from 400 million to more than 900 million pounds.

What’s behind the rise in popularity? Again, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council weighs in on its website, where they cite the antioxidant properties of substances found in blueberries. Substances called polyphenols, specifically anthocyanins that give blueberries their blue hue, are the major contributors to the antioxidant activity of blueberries.

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There certainly is a connection. The original Crunchy Nut^™ Flakes were launched in the UK in 1980 and have been a huge hit commanding a 7.6 cold cereal category share*. This year, Kellogg is introducing the “colonies” to two new versions of this British success story. The new Crunchy Nut^™ Golden Honey Nut Flakes are golden corn flakes drizzled with natural honey and topped with real peanuts. Crunchy Nut^™ Roasted Nut and Honey Loops are corn and oat loops with real peanuts in every bite and a drizzle of natural honey.

And they’re not the only new product being introduced to the North American market after a successful run in the United Kingdom. Special K^® MultiGrain Oats and Honey made their successful debut in the UK before hitting the shelves here in the states in 2011.

*UK MRD Data CY 2009

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With the rise of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, considerable research has been conducted into how social networking has influenced buying habits. One of the discoveries has been the growth of what is known as “brand advocacy.” We’ve long known about “brand loyalty,” those shoppers who have established long-standing preferences for particular brands. With the advent of digital media, however, these loyal customers are becoming active promoters of their favorite brands and are using social networking to spread the word.

How much impact is this trend having? A recent study by Deloitte titled “A new breed of brand advocates: Social networking redefines consumer engagement” revealed the habits of these types of consumers.

• Brand advocates have a favorite brand.
• Their share of spend on favorite brand/product is more than half of their total category spending.
• Brand advocates spend more on average on the category than the typical consumer.
• Brand advocates engage with the brand more often than the average consumer (e.g., recommending and sharing with other consumers, seeking more information and interacting, providing input to the brand, paying a premium or purchasing more when on sale, and sharing the product).
• Compared to the average consumer surveyed, brand advocates are twice as likely to engage in traditional brand advocacy activities, like recommending verbally.
• Brand advocates are three to four times more likely to recommend online, search for additional information about the company/brand online, or play a game on a brand website.

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According to Shopper Marketing 3.0: Unleashing the Next Wave of Value, a report released by the Grocery Marketing Association, shoppers select 41 percent of the brands they buy before entering the store, and 59 percent make their selection while they’re in the store.

A related finding from the same report sheds additional light on how consumers choose. It shows that the two top factors in brand selection are “long-standing brand preferences” (68 percent) and “unique product characteristics” (56 percent).

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BFY is short for “better for you.” It is a term generally used to describe either a new product or a line extension of an existing product that has been formulated to include ingredients that have known health benefits.

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