SBR 44: WHAT THIS MARKETER LEARNT AT LUNCH!

Gut health is the main course.

Be it snacks, cereals, yogurt, kombucha or kefir, gut health was firmly on the menu.

Bio and me and  Biotiful have been waving that flag for a while and certainly speak very directly to the 42% of UK adults who say they are proactively taking steps to improve gut health.*

However, having worked on many health food brands. I can tell you for nothing. The person in the sanitised environment of a focus group telling you sincerely that they are changing what they buy to address a health issue, is not the same animal as the tired, ravenous and harassed person who shows up to the on-the go fixture or local deli at lunch time. Which is why it’s great to see a whole crop of brands reaching out on the more emotive and driving ‘on the go’ needs for mood and taste lift but using health benefits to create permissibility!

We loved Boundless – a gut healthy snack that in no way felt like a compromise. It was vibrant, fun and tasty too. We had to double check it actually had health credentials it tasted so good.

KOMBUCHA & KEFIR MARKETING STRATEGY THOUGHTS.

The Kombucha and Kefir massive hit Lunch! in force this year.  What a great fit for on-the-go, maybe this crew will finally give the energy drinks that have dominated shelf gains and growth for the last few years a run for their money.   They offer the  full, lifting, mouthfeel of a fizzy drink that people often crave in on-the-go moments but are actually good for you and an easy way to gut health.  We LOVED Fibe and Fix - super eye-catching and energetic,  lending the cues of craft beers, energy and fizzy drinks. Also Equinox linking into feelings of calm, wellbeing and balance also often sought in this occasion. One thing is for sure, a quick swing by my local Morrisons to go counter and Tesco Express confirmed, there is only space for one, maybe two kombuchas in that  fixture and I suspect in any café too. And there were a LOT of kombuchas and similar functional drinks at Lunch. The ones that win will really need to understand and speak to the mindsets in the emotional context of on the go. Maybe we will do a separate blog on that…

THE HFSS CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING FOR SOME BRANDS.

Speaking of emotional eating, shall we talk about sweeties?  HFSS has opened up the prime space of impulse fixtures to nimble, independent brands who have been able to quickly bring forth innovative, low sugar alternatives while the confectionary behemoths are slow to move. The likes of Candy Kittens (although no sign of them at Lunch this year) and Neat Sweets feel set up to appeal to adults with sophisticated and paired back packs …but won’t someone think of the children?!

Thankfully  Zombie and Wild Things have.  Finally, some brands that have understood for parents to be able to actually get their kids to eat healthy sweets they do need to be a little, you know, sweet in taste…but not in nature.  Sweets are after all the first food purchase most kids get to choose for themselves, first chance to rebel against their parent’s taste and style and try to find their own.

Most of us at Big Black Door Towers are running the daily gauntlet of trying to get our various kids under 10 to eat something slightly healthy and in a post-Prime era, Zombie is nailing it. My kids had an actual physical fight (and they are not usually violent girls) over the fruit leatherz sample when they were offered pick of any of my (extensive) Lunch! samples stash. My 6 year old declared ‘it is very original’ and they both now have the Zombie key rings as their one school bag key ring. One to watch – especially for the tricky tween crowd. Wild Things felt more geared to that under seven market who may be (quite frankly) terrified by Zombie but still want something with some attitude.

A branding masterclass from grind

Another main highlight of the show was the absolute masterclass from Grind on distinctive brand ID and packaging. Truly stunning retail range, cleverly playing with familiar category cues to make you look twice, just the shake up supermarket coffee aisles need. 

Some super interesting Asian inspired brands – taking the fragrant and complex tastes of Asia into lighter formats  more suitable to lunch and lighter meals, exactly what we have heard consumers asking for in research. Loved Desiliscious – a modern, adult twist on Indian sweets with beautiful complex flavours. Tuk In street food bringing some colour and the extraordinary Amala Chai.

CBD and protein products on show with brands like Trip and Eleat but in smaller numbers than seen previously. Plant based and vegan seemed less prominent too -  a lot of the products had that as a claim but no longer as the headline claim – perhaps reflecting a shift away from veganism.   GWI data recently revealed those who identified as vegan dropped 215% in the last 2 years and sales of chilled meat alternatives fell 17% between 22-23 with many retailers cutting space in these areas.**

A lot of canned water – nothing quite as ‘fresh’ as Liquid Death, a tough gig to follow for water brands seeking a reason to be picked in the most freely available of commodities. 

Overall, another great show! We left inspired and with our bellies full and happy!

Sources:

*https://www.foodanddrinktechnology.com/news/47589/consumers-more-concerned-over-gut-health-than-ever/

**Women’s Health magazine, Sep 24

***https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/03/14/Gut-health-Why-this-consumer-trend-is-here-to-stay