This is the first in a series of four blogs linked to Category Vision and how to drive Category (& Brand) growth. If you would like help developing a Category Vision based on the principles we are talking about, please get in touch.
Right, onto the blog…
Every 23 seconds, somewhere in the world, a child dies from pneumonia or diarrhoea.
Let that sink in. One child. Every 23 seconds.
So, in 2010 the hygiene brand, Lifebuoy, set out on a mission. Their mission was to educate people about the importance of handwashing – one of the ways that you can prevent disease from spreading.
Lifebuoy launched the ‘Help a Child Reach 5’ campaign. They aimed to get children to wash their hands 5 times a day. They told them what to do (“5 times a day”) and when to do it (before meals, after going to the toilet etc).
The campaign started in 3 countries. Then spread to 30+ countries. By 2020 they had reached 1 billion people across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It is believed to be the largest behaviour change programme in the world.
The campaign worked. The Royal Society for Public Health estimates there were 25% fewer cases of diarrhoea. 15% fewer cases of acute respiratory infections. 46% fewer eye infections.
It also worked in another important way. It led to significant category growth.
More handwashing led to more use of soap which led to more sales.
Get more people to wash their hands more often. An ultra simple category growth model.
Why are we talking about this? Lots of manufacturers have a Category Vision. Something that is designed to set out how the category can grow.
They load this Vision with information. Everything you need to know about the performance of the category.
They load it with frameworks. Here is our trends framework… we’ve identified 10 key trends. Here is our consumer segmentation…we have 8 segments. Here us our demand space laydown…we have 12 demand spaces.
Then they go into their Growth Drivers. There are many. They profile them in minute detail. They move on to actions. A long shopping list of them. Everything you could possibly do.
The Category Vision gets presented. An hour in and the audience (internal or retailers) are bamboozled. They’ve forgotten what you said 5 minutes ago. Let alone what you said 55 minutes ago.
But a great Category Vision is based around a simple category growth model.
One that sets clear strategic direction for the category. That gets traction internally with the people you need to share and deliver the vision. That gets traction externally with retailers with whom you want to collaborate on growth activities.
So, what makes a great category growth model? Here are a few simple rules…
It is CATEGORY FIRST. It’s about category growth. Growing the pie not the slice. Knowing that if your brand is growing the pie, you will also grow your slice. The Lifebuoy handwashing campaign led to a bigger pie. By leading it, Lifebuoy got a bigger slice.
It is BEHAVIOUR CHANGE LED. It’s anchored in driving consumer behaviour change. Get people to wash their hands more often. Get people to drink more water. Get people to snack healthier. Go back to the fundamentals. More users. More usage. More spend. Most categories have a LOT of headroom for growth.
It is EASY TO UNDERSTAND. Something that anyone internally can easily understand. Something that anyone externally (i.e. retailers) can easily understand. A good test is whether it is easy for someone who is not in the FMCG world to understand. Your mum. Your kids. Your friends. This doesn’t mean dumbing things down. Remember, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
It is EASY TO REMEMBER. Something that doesn’t require the category expert there to share. Something that an account manager could easily share. That a brand manager could easily share. That a retailer could easily remember and get behind. Most retailers are exposed to a lot of Category Visions. You need yours – powered by your category growth model – to be the thing that cuts through.
It sets CLEAR STRATEGIC DIRECTION. Something that gives real focus to your actions. That means you do the things that drive the behaviour change that underpins your category growth model. That allows you to ask a simple question of any potential action. “Will it… get more people to wash their hands?” “Will it…get people to eat more cereal?” If yes, do it. If no, don’t.
So, ask yourself… Do you have a simple category growth model? That can act as your Category North Star.
Because if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Feel free to forward. Have a great weekend. Look out for the next blog linked to driving Category (& Brand) growth in a fortnight.