Snacking is big business. As Americans move away from three square meals to a “graze the day” style of eating, savvy food manufacturers and food service operators are transforming food products and menu items to meet changing needs. As food and nutrition communications experts, MSLGROUP's Food and Beverage Specialty Unit in North America undertook a deeper exploration into the always-on conversation revolving around the snack trend. Read our insights to help your brand jump in on food trends.
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Snacking Conversations in the United States
A white paper from MSLGROUP North America’s Food and Beverage Specialty Unit
November 2012
A Look at How Traditional and Social Media Cover Better-For-You Snacking, as Americans Graze the Day
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Table of ConTenTs
Preface: Why Study Snacking Conversations?
Snapshot: Perpetual Snacking
Findings
Themes and Brand Mentions Overview Snapshot: Brand Mentions
Themes and Their Subgroups At-A-Glance
The Themes In-Depth Theme 1: Snacks and Families Theme 2: Snacks and Flavor Theme 3: Snacks and Healthy Theme 4: Snacks and Men Theme 5: Snacks and Minis Theme 6: Snacks and Restaurants Theme 7: Snacks and Texture Theme 8: Snacks and Women
Appendices
About MSLGROUP North America
About the Authors
Research Methodologies
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PrefaCe
Why Study Snacking Conversations?
Snacking is big business. As Americans move away from three square meals to a “graze the day” style of eating, savvy food manufacturers and foodservice operators are transforming food products and menu items to meet changing needs. Consider the following:
•Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine recently launched six snack SKUs, three flavors of spring rolls and three vegetable dips with pita
•General Mills, maker of snacks such as Chex Mix and Bugles, expanded further into the category in February 2012 with its purchase of tortilla and sweet potato chip maker Food Should Taste Good
•Food trend experts offered Perpetual Snacking as a top prediction for 2012, as noted in this MSL Conversations blog post (see sidebar on page 3)
As food and nutrition communications experts, the MSLGROUP North America Food and Beverage Specialty Unit team undertook a deeper exploration into the always-on conversation revolving around the snack trend:
•Which products and messages receive the most media attention?
•How does the story take shape in the blogosphere?
•To what degree does nutrition matter?
•Which areas are saturated and which have room to grow?
We uncovered a robust conversation, largely centered on healthy snacking strategies (with one noticeable exception, the men’s segment) and a wide variance of opportunities for brands based on the category within the world of snacks. Overall, we see a large amount of attention within the traditional and social media spheres on better-for-you snacking, i.e., snack products that marry nutrition with the great taste that consumers demand.
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fInDInGsThemes and Brand Mentions Overview
Eight Main ThemesThe following themes emerged in our analysis of trade and consumer publications as well as blogs, from January 2011-January 2012 (see appendix for methodology):
“Snacks” and …
•Families*
•Flavor*
•Healthy
•Men
*Themes that included brand mentions.
Brand MentionsThe search queries resulted in brand mentions for the following themes: families, fl avor, minis, texture and women. Other themes may have had brand mentions in subgroups, which are noted in the following pages.
How to Read the Report •Word Cloud: Graphic of popular keyword search results within
each theme. The word cloud results are organized in ascending order with larger words meaning the terms are popular topics within the keyword search.
•Main Themes: Each theme begins with the top takeaway within the theme, and is sourced from keyword search results using “Snacks” and the specifi c theme – i.e., Flavor, Minis, Women.
•Brand Mentions: Consumer brands discussed in each theme.
•Subgroups: Gathered through keyword searches using “Snacks” and a specifi c term – i.e., Crackers, Sweet, Dairy. The subgroups listed are the most discussed topics, and are grouped with relevant main themes.
•Products/Ingredients/Benefi ts Mentioned: Product, ingredient or benefi t examples discussed in each subgroup.
•Minis (portion size)*
•Restaurant
•Texture*
•Women*
Among the eight main themes, the fi ve bolded themes above contained the most branded product coverage. This offers some potential direction to communicators in positioning their pitches.
A communicator representing a healthy snack for families with children may more likely place a brand mention in the family space (e.g., parenting magazines, mom blogs), while getting a generic mention of benefi cial attributes found in their products in the health space.
Nutrition media may be more inclined to focus on healthy ingredients like antioxidant-rich blueberries or heart-healthy soy, while parenting media may be more likely to drill down to specifi c product recommendations by name.
Brand Mentions
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flaVor
Bars
Low Calorie Sweets
Sweet Fresh
Family snacking conversations are the most pragmatic – quick tips that work for feeding healthy kids fast.
The healthy snack space revolves around weight; even splurge stories are about the healthiest indulgences that don’t break the scale.
Superfoods offer a brief respite: instead of what you can’t have, they’re what you can enjoy.
In the flavor space, the caché of fresh, simple ingredients comes into play, as fresh fruit flavors shine.
Quick Scan
fInDInGsThemes and Their Subgroups At-A-Glance
What do media also tend to mention in conversations about snacking and families, snacking and healthy, or snacking and flavor?
faMIlIes
CrackersWhole Grain Alternatives
Students
Shapes
Pretzels Hummus
Homemade
Dairy-Free
Dairy
HealTHY
CaloriesWhole Grain Alternatives
Weight Loss
Value
Sweet
Superfoods
Splurge
Nutrition
Dieting
Low Calorie Sweets
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Men’s snacking conversations tune out health despite men’s interest in fitness and dads’ increased grocery shopping, while women calorie-count (even popcorn is a dieting strategy) —an opportunity for innovative communicators to shift both to a healthy middle-ground.
Americans’ love of mini treats (such as Cake Pops) and restaurant-quality meals at home enter the snack fray.
Attention to texture is part of the pleasure of eating. If we skimp on calories, especially, we need that crisp crunch that satisfies.
Quick Scan
Men
Bars
Pub Snacks Pretzels
TeXTUre
Bars
Popcorn
Pretzels Chips
MInIs(no subgroups) resTaUranTArtisan Foods Minis
WoMen
Calories
Superfoods Popcorn
ChipsWeight Loss
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fInDInGsThemes and Their Subgroups At-A-Glance
What do media also tend to mention in conversations about snacking and men, snacking and minis, snacking and restaurants, or snacking and women?
fInDInGsTheme 1: Snacks and Families
Families are looking for simple and nutritious snacking options to take on-the-go, and parenting media will make product recommendations to connect busy moms to healthy snack solutions.
• GoGo squeeZ
• LOLIBAR
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
Crackers Opt for whole grain crackers Combine with cheese and/or fruit
Dairy-freeOptions that are both dairy-free and gluten-free
NuGo Free Bars, NAVITAS NATURALS POWER SNACK, GoGo squeeZ
Homemade options for kids that are simple, affordable, healthy
Trail mix, vegetables, fruit and peanut butter, yogurt, baby carrots
Homemade
Healthy alternative for kids Serve with pita chips, dipHummus
*PretzelsComfort snack that everyone loves; low in fat and cholesterol, healthier salty treat, on-the-go option
Party/game-day mix
shapesUnconventional shapes that offer both fun and nutrition for children
Cookies, crackers, chips, fruit snacks, gummies
Healthy options for students on-the-goFruit, trail mix, low fat popcorn, granola bars, beef jerky
students
Select healthy whole grain optionsBrown rice, quinoa, crackers, English muffi ns, popcorn, pita or tortilla chips, pretzels
*Whole Grain alternatives
snack & family subgroups
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
as an example of how to put these insights into practice, we recently advised a fresh produce organization on ways to attract moms of young children. one distinguishing feature of the product is that it’s high in vitamin e.
Relevant Findings
Looking at the cross section of the keywords snacks and families, one of the major subgroups of articles is on Homemade, specifically home-prepared options for kids that are simple, affordable and healthy. Examples include trail mix, produce and peanut butter, yogurt and baby carrots. Little fingers love to dip small hand-held fruits into a sauce or whole-grain pitas into a veggie dip.
Looking at keywords snacks and Healthy, the subgroup superfoods includes coverage of healthy options that provide functional benefits for beauty, health and nutrition. Examples include blueberries and soybeans. Turning to the splurge subgroup, coverage talks about indulging without gaining weight by swapping out bad options for good ones, and positive choices include foods that are high in “good fats” like cashews and almonds.
Recommended Communications Actions
Putting this together, our messaging advice is to communicate that Mom can feel good about serving a healthy food to the whole family and know that the vitamin E is also great for her skin, important when exposed to the summer sun.
Regarding communications channels, social media is particularly important for reaching this segment. As we found in our proprietary study, Clicks and Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture (conducted by The Hartman Group in partnership with MSLGROUP North America), 59% of moms with kids under age 13 consult recipes and/or food preparation tips online, compared to 48% of women without children. And, 57% of moms use social media to connect with close friends or family during mealtimes when they eat alone.
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fInDInGsTheme 2: Snacks and Flavor
Consumers look for snacks with rich fl avors and natural fl avors on grocery store shelves. The media is making a connection between texture and fl avor for the overall experience of enjoying a snack.
• KIND Bars
• popchips jalapeno potato chips
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
*barsHealthy options without losing fl avor
Kashi, NATURE’S PATH, low sugar granola bars, CLIF BAR
freshNutritious and tasty snacks that provide natural fl avor
Fresh fruits
*low Calorie sweets
Healthy options that allow you to enjoy your favorite snacks in healthier ways
Sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free Jell-O, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, DANNON Light & Fit, NABISCO 100 calorie packs
Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
The use of fresh fruit as a fl avor cue has different implications for our fresh and packaged food clients. The snacking analysis led to the following observations:
Recommended Actions for Fresh Produce Representatives
For suppliers of fresh fruit to retailers and foodservice operators, this is a huge opportunity to show how the fruit improves consumers’ perception of recipes or menu items while solving a nutrition challenge. For example, a home cook or restaurant chef could reduce sodium content with a squirt of fresh lemon juice or marinade lean meat in a fruit glaze.
We’ve identifi ed the “Global Foods Mash-Up” in our fl avor trends analysis work, so don’t be afraid of fusion. For the mainstream U.S. audience, an exciting and intense burst of fl avor is more important than slavish adherence to culinary traditions. How might you pair Thai chile or Mexican chipotle with the fresh fruit fl avor cue, from chile-lime snack nuts to happy hour mojitos?
Recommended Actions for CPG Brand Managers
Marketers of packaged foods can call out the real fruit included in their products, as well as nuts, seeds or other ingredients that add pleasurable texture. Consumers still want the convenience of cereal bars and low-calorie snacks, but they don’t want cardboard. So, they look to fruit as a sign of healthy sweetness (without added sugars) and texture descriptors as proof that the packaged product will have satisfying crunch.
While processed foods’ marketers are certainly challenged by the vogue for simple, unprocessed food, it’s important to note that these fruit fl avor cues applied to the full gamut of food products, not just the “natural” end of the spectrum.
While processed foods’ marketers are certainly challenged by the vogue for simple, unprocessed food, it’s important to note that these fruit fl avor cues applied to the full gamut of food products, not just the “natural” end of the spectrum.
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fInDInGsTheme 3: Snacks and Healthy
Consumers seek healthy options made with high-quality, all-natural ingredients. Media are more likely to champion winning ingredients here than make brand mentions.
• None
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
CrackersPortion control snack packs, low-calorie options
DietingSnacking is good for you when you are trying to lose weight
Healthy options that taste good and are satisfying
*low Calorie sweets
Healthy options that allow you to enjoy your favorite snacks in healthier ways
Sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free Jell-O, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, DANNON Light & Fit, NABISCO 100 calorie packs
Easy-to-read front-of-package labelingnutrition
Splurge without gaining weight by swapping out bad options for good options
CLIF BAR, popchips, cashews, almonds, natural chips and popcorn, low fat health bars, organic fruit, organic smoothies
splurge
*superfoodsHealthy options that provide functional benefi ts for beauty, health, nutrition
Blueberries, soybeans, NAVITAS NATURALS POWER SNACK
Better-for-you brandsValue (specifi c to nutrition)
Healthy low-calorie options*Weight loss
snack & Healthy subgroups
Brown rice, quinoa, crackers, English muffi ns, popcorn, pita or tortilla chips, pretzels
*Whole Grain alternatives
Select healthy whole grain options
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
Putting these insights to work in our Digital Kitchen, the Director of our Culinary and nutrition Center develops product prototypes to show food companies how our clients’ ingredients (in this case, nuts) seamlessly fi t or extend product lines.
Relevant Findings
Healthy snacking conversations are emphatically not about deprivation. Reporters and bloggers share tips on how to be healthy while you snack vs. how to give up snacking. There is a sense in the U.S. food culture thatit is inadvisable to go too many hours without a snack even while actively trying to lose weight.
Recommended Actions
The nut supplier can help manufacturers envision shared success working with their ingredient by formulating healthy snack prototypes that tap superfoods and whole-grain trends, while keeping portion sizes reasonable. Ideas include a dark chocolate truffl e with blueberries and hazelnuts, or a baked hazelnut lavash bread to accompany healthy spreads.
More Ideas on Communicating Healthy Snacking Messages…
•We are integrating healthy snacking messages into work ranging from Daisy Cottage Cheese to appetizers like meatballs and fruit-and-bread kebabs that deliver crucial whole grains via Roman Meal breads. In the case of Daisy, we targeted health professionals through pairings messaging (i.e., “Add Daisy cottage cheese to fruits and veggies you already recommend for a protein-rich snack”).
•We’ve worked with a weight management brand to create a widget aimed at providing consumers healthier options to their snack cravings throughout the day.
We are integrating healthy snacking messages into work ranging from Daisy Cottage Cheese to appetizers like meatballs and fruit-and-bread kebabs that deliver crucial whole grains via Roman Meal breads. In the case of Daisy, we targeted health professionals through pairings messaging (i.e., “Add Daisy cottage cheese to fruits and veggies you already recommend
aimed at providing consumers healthier options to their snack cravings
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fInDInGsTheme 4: Snacks and Men
Men want snacks that power them through the day and benefi t their overall health, while media coverage beyond energy bars revolves around a traditional realm of pretzels and pub snacks.
• None
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
*bars Healthy options without losing fl avorKashi, NATURE’S PATH, low-sugar granola bars, CLIF BAR
*Pretzels Comfort snack that everyone lovesLow in fat and cholesterol, healthier salty treat, on-the-go option, simple party/game day mix
Pub snacksProtein-heavy mini meals and snacks
Chicken sandwiches and wraps, sliders or mini burgers, chicken wings
snack & Men subgroups
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
Innovative brand managers can position men’s snacking beyond the two bookends of energy bars and pretzels. Here are a few quick tips.
Relevant Finding: Overemphasis on Grab-and-Go
Men’s snacking coverage focuses on grab-and-go products. This isn’t the space in which many editors plus up snacks with homemade elements – at least, not yet.
Recommended Action
Perhaps athletes making workout smoothies would appreciate guy-oriented ideas for home snacking too.
Relevant Finding: Make it Meaty
Meat fi gures into healthy snacking in the men’s space, since health is short-hand here for enhanced performance. Chicken, lean beef and other meats signal a protein-powered snack that benefi ts the body more than crunching a few chips – it’s more like the energy boost of a mini meal.
Recommended Action
A tortilla brand could garner men’s attention by posting a meal suggestion for easy chicken wraps for the 4pm lag on Facebook and Twitter.
Relevant Finding: Happy Hour
Happy Hour is prime-time for snacking.
Recommended Action
Insert beer and spirits in snacking messages for men, too.
Relevant Finding: Speak to Dads
Bear in mind that men increasingly don’t just shop and prepare snacks for themselves. More than 60% of Millennial dads in our Clicks and Cravings study report that they do the majority of their household’s grocery shopping, and over half say they prepare most of the kids’ food.
Recommended Action
Innovators can build a snacking conversation aimed at dads (under age 35)in the kitchen.
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fInDInGsTheme 5: Snacks and Minis
Consumers are looking for small snacks, which are seen as indulgent but affordable and able to assist with portion control.
• Baskin-Robbins Cake Bites
• Burger King Minis
• Dairy Queen Mini Blizzard
• Jimmy D’s Breakfast Minis Turkey Sausage on a Mini Croissant
• Pillsbury Sweet Moments
• Starbucks Petites
Brand Mentions
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It makes perfect sense that our frozen food client is launching international snacks as healthful minis, from Mediterranean pita bites to asian spring rolls. Here’s why:
Relevant Finding: Whimsy
The intersection of snacks and Minis sees the most branded placements overall. This is a category where editors and bloggers actively make product recommendations for portion size and bite-size snacking.
Recommended Action
Messaging should refl ect that minis are casual and whimsical, and sharing is part of the fun.
Relevant Finding: Portion Control
The calorie-limiting health benefi t of minis is probably obvious to most marketers, as minis represent a better-for-you option than their full-sized counterpart.
Recommended Action
As consumers reconcile their “graze the day” lifestyle with the fact that calories do add up, show them that minis provide a sense of portion control that’s right-sized to sedentary lifestyles of offi ce workers.
Relevant Finding: Global Adventure
As consumers branch out into international fl avors from Japanese to Peruvian to Korean, minis couch the new experience in a bite-sized package that’s not intimidating. As an entry point into the Global Foods Mash-Up, minis don’t cost as much as committing to a whole entrée.
Recommended Action
Marketers can play up the sense of adventure minis allow. Kimchi meatball sliders offer a great introduction to a new world of fl avor in just a few dollars and two bites.
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fInDInGsTheme 6: Snacks and Restaurants
Restaurants are adding more local and handmade menu options, both on-premise artisan snacks and at retail through licensing agreements (often, minis).
• None
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
artisan foodsHigh-quality, limited-production, locally-produced and handmade or upscale foods at a reasonable price
Spirits, ice cream, locally-sourced meat and seafood, locally-grown produce, locally-produced wine and beer
*MinisPortion-controlled snacks that are indulgent and affordable
Burger King Minis, Starbucks Petites, Baskin-Robbins Cake Bites, Dairy Queen Mini Blizzard
snack & restaurant subgroups
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
snack product development isn’t just good business sense for CPGs. Here’s what we’re advising clients operating in the foodservice arena:
Relevant Findings
Food Product Design magazine reports on a Technomic study showing that restaurants now claim 22% of consumers’ snacking occasions, up from 17% in 2010. The increase comes amidst a perfect storm of consumers reducing the size of their plate to reduce the size of their bill, decreasing portion size in the wake of posted calorie counts and fi lling the gap at happy hour now that dinner comes at later, unfi xed times.
The article also notes that 62% of consumers report that the snacks they purchase away-from-home are impulse purchases. Is a trio of sliders signifi cantly more snack-like than its full-sized burger cousin? If the gray line looks blurry between light dinners and snacks between meals, it’s about to get blurrier as 37% of consumers indicate they are broadening their defi nition of snacks to include more types of foods, beverages and restaurant fare.
Clicks and Cravings data offers insights into when consumers are most likely to share restaurant experiences and food photos via social media. Consumers are more likely to share descriptions of restaurant visits (39%) vs. meals/snacks made at home (32%), and just under one-third (31%) will post a photo of food enjoyed whether at home or in a restaurant. Artisan and locally-sourced restaurant snacks may be particularly ripe for social media sharing.
Recommended Actions
Don’t be shy in positioning a small plate as a snack. In fact, recognizing that customers want mini portions of menu items as snacks or light meals,one of our restaurant clients added minis to their menu including options such as Zucchini Cakes and Buffalo Chicken stating that “taste is mightier than size.”
As Millennials outspend Boomers, the key will be to afford consumers from the “I’ll have it my way” generation the ability to customize with a range of snack fl avors and sizes (from a one-bite cake pop with coffee to a late-night chipotle rib sandwich with a cocktail), and no need to conform to an established meal time.
Encourage and reward loyal customers who share their comments and post photos of their experience ordering snack items on your menu.
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fInDInGsTheme 7: Snacks and Texture
Consumers crave a variety of textures when choosing snacks. Their view of a snack’s texture (especially crunch) affects their perception of its overall taste.
• Crunchtables
• Turbana Plantain Chips
• YoCrunch Parfaits and Yogurts
Brand Mentions
food Type area of Interest Ingredient Mentions
*barsHealthy options without losing fl avor
Kashi, NATURE’S PATH, low-sugar granola bars, CLIF BAR
*Chips Low-calorie healthy options Baked chips
*Popcorn Low-calorie, fl avorful, healthy Sweet and salty varieties
Comfort snack that everyone loves; low in fat and cholesterol, healthier salty treat, on-the-go option
Party/game-day mix*Pretzels
snack & Texture subgroups
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
The crisp break of a breadstick, the airy puff of a popover and, most of all, the crunch of just about everything from spring rolls to kettlecorn to mini tacos – if you’ve got texture, let consumers know.
Recommendation for Business-to-Consumer Communications
Craft communications with the textural details that prove to consumers a product’s going to be as pleasurable as advertised, especially when you’ve promised that something healthy is going to taste good too. As a nation, we’ve taken snap, crackle, pop to heart.
Recommendation for Business-to-Business Communications
B2B communicators also benefi t from leading with texture when promoting the functionality of their ingredients to food manufacturers. For example, new snack starches provide a crispy coating to extruded snacks and help fruits, seeds and seasonings adhere to baked goods, all without artifi cial additives.
For the nation’s soybean growers, a major client of MSLGROUP North America, we led the food industry launch of new soybean oils with excellent health attributes from zero grams of trans fat to reduced saturated fat. But, we recognized that those nutrition facts only matter if the purchaser in food manufacturing winds up with end-products that appeal to consumers. So, we showcase the stellar length of time that the oil holds up in the commercial fryer and the crisp, crunchy snack foods it delivers with no off-fl avors or aromas.
So, we showcase the stellar length of time that the oil holds up in the commercial fryer and the crisp, crunchy snack foods it delivers with no
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fInDInGsTheme 8: Snacks and Women
Women are interested in snacks that will help them lose weight and imbue them with beauty, health and nutrition. Not surprisingly, many snacks marketed to women implement portion control to help women balance calorie intake and snacking habits. One area of respite for women from calorie counts is the Superfood arena.
Low-calorie, fl avorful, healthy Sweet and salty options*Popcorn
Healthy options that provide functional benefi ts for beauty, health and nutrition
Blueberries, soybeans, NAVITAS NATURALS POWER SNACK
*superfoods
*Weight loss Healthy low-calorie options
snack & Women subgroups
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Notes: A “*” symbol is placed next to subgroups that appear in multiple themes. Theme and subgroup summaries throughout the report are citations pulled from publications and social media outlets during the snacking audit.
love the snack, hate the calories. Women’s complicated relationship with food comes to a fore in snacking, but food communicators should know that superfoods offer a respite.
Relevant Findings
While the obesity crisis requires attention be paid to calorie reduction and increased fi tness, the Diet Police are particularly prominent in women’s media. Low-calorie, portion-controlled snacks are advised prescriptively. It makes sense since snacking represents discretionary calories rather than basic needs. (Secondarily, snack remedies get ink for fi ghting women’s health/beauty issues such as preventing wrinkles and other signs of aging.)
Recommended Actions
Marketers of portion-controlled snacks would be remiss if they did not pitch women’s media and bloggers on calorie count, but this is competitive space and they may fi nd other aspects of their product have a unique story to tell.
Soy, pumpkin, kiwifruit, berries, salmon, nuts: If your product contains a superfood, tell women about it. Our kiwifruit client realized success touting nutrient density for Mom herself – making every bite count, with a fruit loaded in vitamins C and E, potassium and fi ber – while assuring her that fi nicky kids would enjoy the healthy, portable snack too.
As we’ve seen in other categories where superfoods pop up, calories decrease in importance when superfoods enter the conversation, since the focus is on adding the good vs. cutting out the bad. This is an opportunity for marketers to align their brand with a positive way for women to treat themselves.
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aPPenDIX
About MSLGROUP North America
The Food and Beverage Specialty at MSLGROUP North America optimizes deep food, nutrition and beverage expertise with clients across the agency network. The unit is directed by Steve Bryant and is supported by agency veteran Caryn Carmer, who provides operational support and leads business based there.
With a client roster that includes Nestlé, Bloomin’ Brands, Coca-Cola, Sunkist Growers, United Soybean Board and Heineken and resources that include a full culinary facility, specialized research programs, on-staff registered dietitians and industry experts, MSLGROUP North America is a category leader with an eight-fi gure book of business. Together, the business is driven by nearly 100 people.
The specialty spans the entire food and beverage category from food marketing to communications for food commodities, packaged foods, foodservice, restaurant, healthcare, nutrition and pet foods. The agency offers services to support all the key category consumption drivers from taste to nutrition, design, culture, recommendation and reputation.
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for More Information:
Steve BryantDirector, Food & Beverage, MSLGROUP North America
research MethodologiesMSLGROUP North America Food and Beverage Specialty Unit conducted the research using trade and consumer publications as well as blogs to identify snacking conversations in the United States. Publication timing ranged from January 2011 – January 2012.
1. Analyzed snacking discussions in consumer and food industry trade publications
2. Determined the most popular topics taking place within snacking
3. Conducted an in-depth media analysis, using Sysomos, to verify popular snacking topics; Sysomos is a web-based platform providing real-time social media monitoring and analytics
4. Identified eight main themes within snacking discussions, and summarized each theme
5. Shared specific brand mentions for each theme
6. Placed subgroups under the eight main themes based on keyword commonalities; subgroups were connected, as needed, with multiple main themes if keyword results were applicable to various themes (noted with a *)
7. Provided descriptions for subgroups
8. Shared product, ingredient and benefit examples for each subgroup
