In 1968, Bangladesh was hit by a big cholera outbreak.
It was killing tens of thousands of people.
The main symptom of cholera is diarrhoea. Diarrhoea causes dehydration. The usual treatment for dehydration in 1968 was an intravenous drip to replace lost fluids. But in rural villages they didn’t have access to intravenous drips. So, most people were dying.
A young American doctor, David Nalin, was working in Bangladesh. He wondered if there was another way.
The body needed to retain fluid. Nalin knew sugar helps absorb salt. Salt helps absorb water. He had the basis of a formula. Through trial and error, his team worked out the proportions needed. Half a teaspoon of salt, to six teaspoons of sugar, to a litre of clean water.
But they had a problem. A teaspoon didn’t mean much in the villages. They needed a language everyone could understand.
So they made it clear. A pinch of salt to a fistful of sugar to a jug of boiled water. Even if villagers didn’t know a teaspoon, they knew a pinch and a fistful.
The formula began saving lots of lives in remote villages.
It’s now called Oral Rehydration Therapy.
UNICEF said that no other medical breakthrough in the 20th century prevented so many deaths over such a short period of time at so little cost.
Why are we talking about this? Winning in FMCG means winning with shoppers. To win with shoppers, categories and brands need a few big strengths.
We call them Shopper SUPERPOWERS.
There are 5 of them. We talked about the third one – simplicity – last week.
The fourth one is CLARITY. Being the obvious choice.
It’s about being specific. Telling shoppers what your product is.
To you, it might be crystal clear. But to shoppers, it often isn’t. It’s important for established products. Coke Zero had to change to Coke Zero Sugar. It’s even more important for new products & segments. Think Hard Seltzers, “Alcohol, meet sparkling water.” For emerging segments. Think of the clarity “0.0%” gives in the low & no alcohol segment. For new propositions. Think Huel “this is a meal not a protein shake.”
Shoppers need to know what you’re asking them to buy. So tell them.
It’s about being directive. Telling shoppers how and when to use your product.
Give shoppers the “how.” Think rice – put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Think laundry scent boosters – just add to your wash. Think Aperol – the three steps to a perfect spritz. Give shoppers a “when.” If you’re an ingredient, it could be about using in X dish. If you’re a snack, it could be about using at X time of day. If you’re a skincare product, it could be about using after every shower.
Shoppers need to know the how AND the when. So tell them.
It’s about being distinctive. Giving shoppers a clear and compelling reason to buy.
This means saying something important. Something that matters to shoppers, not just to you. Performance in cleaning. Taste in food. Refreshment in drinks. It means saying something different. Something that only you can say. Think Innocent, “We never add sugar. Never have, never will.” Or saying it in a way that only you can say it. Think Tango, “give your tongue a spank.”
Don’t give shoppers lots of reasons. Give them one. The single most important thing.
It’s about framing choices effectively. Nudging shoppers to make the choice you want.
Stack the deck in your favour. If you’re an established brand competing with an emerging brand, you might frame the choice on heritage or popularity. If you’re a premium brand competing with a lower priced brand, you might frame it on value not price. Lasts longer. Think Gillette. Better so you can use less. Think Pampers.
Know how you want the choice to be framed. Then frame it that way.
To win with shoppers you need to be CLEAR.
Tell them what to do and why they should do it.
You’ll find many of them will.
Feel free to forward. Have a great weekend. Speak to you next week.