Branding Berries

September 13th, 2016 by

 

I read this week that Driscoll’s is embarking on a campaign to be the “berry-est” of the berry companies. They want to be the berry “go-to” the way Chiquita is for bananas.

According to an article in the NY Times, Driscoll’s, the family-owned berry “juggernaut” — is hoping a new marketing campaign will make berry lovers understand and care that their berries are unique.

For those of you who don’t know, Driscoll’s strawberries are bred for a uniform shape and Driscoll’s raspberries are pinker and shinier, made to meet desires expressed by consumers.

In the industry, it is a given that consumers tend to think of fruit and vegetables as commodities, one cucumber interchangeable with another, unless we’re talking about organics.

Driscoll’s is hoping that once consumers know why its berries are distinctive, they will demand them by name.

“If Driscoll’s can establish that, it will have real value in its brand,” said Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. “But it’s going to take some real investment and time.”

So – how is Driscoll’s planning to accomplish this serious branding effort?

According to the Times, Driscoll’s plans to build awareness methodically, by starting with digital outreach. The company’s website, which in the past largely offered recipes , has been changed to explain more about Driscoll’s berries and what makes them different.

Professor Calkins said a traditional national advertising campaign, including TV advertising, would cost $10 million to $20 million. Since margins on produce are razor-thin, most companies elect to spend the few dollars they have for marketing to woo buyers for supermarket chains rather than consumers.

So – where is the Direct Mail in their marketing strategy targeting the actual buyers of berry products? From a branding perspective, direct mail is the way to go.

Some sharp direct mail outreach to the right buyers will give Driscoll’s the edge they won’t get by putting all their berries in a digital basket.

 

raspberries
Look good, don’t they?

 

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