Let’s start by talking about bees.
We’ve talked about them before, but they are so important we’re talking about them again.
Bees are pollinators. Pollinators are animals that move pollen from one flower to another. In doing so, they enable plants to make seeds and reproduce.
Bees pollinate around 70 of the top 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world. Bees are responsible for $30 billion a year in crops.
If bees weren’t around, we might lose all the plants that they pollinate. Then all of the animals that eat those plants. And so on up the food chain. We’d struggle to feed a global population of over 8 billion.
Bees are the most important pollinators in the world. Which makes them the most important living being on our planet.
Why are we talking about this again? Bees spend a lot of their time collecting pollen. They take it from one plant. Transfer it to another plant. The plants reproduce.
In the FMCG world, most ideas are like pollen. They already exist somewhere. They exist across different retailers. Across different categories. Across different brands.
We need to be the bees. Collecting these ideas. Taking them from one category. Then adapting and reproducing them in our category.
But the thing is, we’re not very good at it. We often have a closed mindset.
A “my category is different” mindset. “Nice idea… but it would never work in our category.”
A “we’ve tried that before” mindset. “We did something like that… in a couple of stores a few years ago and it didn’t work.”
A “not invented here” mindset. “Great idea… but we should create our own one. From scratch.”
Instead we need to have an open mindset. “Nice idea… that could work in our category.” “We did something like that before… but it could work if we did it differently.” “Not my idea… but if it works, let’s take it and apply it.”
So, how can you become more like bees? Collecting ideas and cross pollinating them?
We think there is a simple 3 step approach:
Step 1. Assess. Identify what you are trying to do and who already does it well.
Step 2. Adapt. Take that idea and adapt it in the most relevant way for your category or brand.
Step 3. Apply. Execute it consistently and at scale.
For instance, you might want to make your category navigation simpler and more intuitive. You could look at Herbs & Spices. No decision tree is telling them to merchandise by alphabet. But that’s the simplest and most intuitive way of doing it. So, Herbs & Spices has an A-Z system.
Maybe it’s time to close the decision tree rulebook. Take a step back. Think about the simplest and most intuitive way of merchandising your category. Try it. It might just work.
Or you might be worrying about how best to communicate in a value (e.g. Discounter) environment. You could look at Heinz. They’re not being drawn into a price messaging game. They are doubling down on quality and brand equity. Messaging like “it has to be Heinz,” “The Nation’s Favourite,” “the irresistible taste of Heinz.” Things that they can say that other (cheaper) products can’t.
Just because someone is shopping in a Discounter doesn’t mean they will buy the cheapest product. Give them a compelling reason to buy you and they probably will.
Or you might want to extend your category into new usage occasions. You could look at Lurpak. They are not sticking to the traditional occasion (spread it on bread & toast). They are constantly prompting shoppers with different usage occasions – baking, cooking, as an ingredient. Showing all the different ways that butter can be used. Multiplying the opportunities for the category.
Traditional products don’t have to be used in traditional ways. Often you don’t need to give shoppers new products, you just need to give them new usage ideas.
So…. Assess. Find the pollen. Adapt. Bring it back to your category in a relevant way. Apply. Reproduce at scale.
Be the bees of the FMCG world.
We have a tool that can help you & your teams do this. It’s the Insight Traction Knowledge Bank.
It has lots of examples of great shopper activity – over 1,000 images from stores. It has the full back catalogue of our blogs – all 330+ of them. It has the best of our presentations about winning with shoppers. It is easy to use and is updated with new content every quarter.
If you think this could be useful for your company or would like more information please email naomi@insight-traction.com and we will be in touch.
Feel free to forward. Have a great weekend. Speak to you in a fortnight.