With 2017 fast approaching, it's time for food manufacturers and marketers to look at their branding and marketing initiatives, and make plans. Here's a checklist to help you get started: 1. Branding:  If you're considering a rebranding or brand refresh effort, planning to introduce new brands or product lines, or extensions to any existing product lines [...]

No one wants to pay more for the development of their website than they absolutely have to. There are numerous ads and promotions from website template sellers, DIY website services, and cut-rate "web designers" from all over the globe who claim that they can develop great looking sites at unbelievably low costs. Before you pull out your credit card [...]

Tradeshow season winds down in the fall, but savvy food marketers are already evaluating how this season went and making plans for next year. Why? Because it takes time to cover all the marketing bases and really be prepared for showtime. To help get the most ROI from tradeshow exhibit and travel costs, here are some exhibitor [...]

For many food and beverage marketers, this is a familiar dilemma. With so many budget demands to bring a product to market . . . distribution channels, promotions, advertising, both traditional and online, social media . . . one of the most effective marketing tools often becomes an afterthought. Packaging. Packaging places brands directly into the hands of [...]

Food producers and marketers are faced with updating product nutrition facts panels and ingredient lists to be compliant with recent FDA regulation changes. While revising packaging may be viewed as burdensome by food producers, there are also opportunities to address consumer concerns about what is in the food they are eating. First, let's look at consumer interest [...]

Consumers are demanding much more product transparency, forcing food brands and producers to re-think how and where they provide the information consumers crave. The recently released "2016 Label Insight Food Revolution Study" took an in-depth look at how consumers view their food purchase decisions and what kind of information they expect brands to provide. Here [...]

In the not so distant past, writing and pitching press releases was the de rigueur when food brands wanted to make announcements about themselves. The "gatekeepers" were the reporters and editors of media who were approached and pitched to by PR firms. Social and mobile media have completely changed the landscape and now food brands themselves are the gatekeepers of [...]

In most food product categories, the field is very crowded and the competition is fierce. Consumers often don't perceive differences between brands in any given food product category unless a brand has made a concerted effort to connect with consumers and differentiate itself. Product quality and performance are key differentiators, and the first in-store opportunity brands have [...]

Consumers appear to be more concerned and less trusting of the U.S. food supply. A recent survey conducted by a Wall Street food industry analyst reveals the following about growing current consumer sentiment regarding food safety and nutrition: A majority of surveyed consumers, 55%, indicated they are becoming more distrustful of the food industry, an increase from 48% in [...]

Food and beverage marketers are always looking for strategic opportunities to grow their brands. One, sometimes overlooked, place to start is with product packaging. Following the food "packaging trail", from design, to the retail environment, to consumers' homes, and to product use, there are many touch points and opportunities for consumer interaction with brands and products. Here are 9 strategic brand [...]