Food Elitists or Food Realists: Do Your Natural Products Employees Speak their Language?

Posted by Ginni Garner on Sep 25 2012

Food Elitists or Food Realists: Do Your Natural Products Employees Speak their Language?To create winning natural products brands, it’s critical to identify who your target customers are and what motivates their purchasing decisions. Correct brand positioning also requires recruiting management and employees who understand and can communicate effectively with the target consumer.

A fascinating new report entitled “A Country Divided by Palate and Passion: How America Eats”dissects food choices, attitudes and the cultural divide that the authors say separates Americans into two broad categories: food elitists and food realists. It describes the attributes that define where a food brand sits in the changing American food scene.

Food Elitists

This group of consumers is generally more highly educated and more affluent. They represent only 16% of all households, but are significant for marketers of natural products because of their affinity for food as a luxury lifestyle choice. These are the “foodies” who populate the TV food channel audience, subscribe to food publications, spend hours online searching recipes and ingredients, and devote leisure time to expensive food-directed vacations and gatherings. Food elites are motivated by authenticity and health and open to trying unusual and ethnic ingredients.  According to the report, they are, “more interested in ingredients than ever before, including purity, freshness, simplicity and ethics in cooking.” They define health and wellness as essential to a good life. They seek out locally sourced food, natural rather than artificial ingredients, and enjoy social foodism. They want organic products when possible because food elitists equate “organic” with ”quality” and “healthy.”

Clearly, food elites represent a prime target for many if not most natural products marketers. If these consumers are your company’s target, then it’s imperative for your key sales, marketing, executive and R&D staff to understand who the food elites are, what motivates them and what language appeals to them. Messaging to this typically-higher socioeconomic group might include more complex language and claims related to health. As the report notes, “Understanding purchase motivation provides a powerful strategic framework that luxury brand marketers need to deploy in developing effective communications. Food luxury brands are no exception.”

Food Realists

While the food elites might be your most obvious target, keep in mind the fact that they represent only 16% of all American households. The other 84%, and thus a huge market, are defined as food realists. As their name implies, these consumers have a more functional view of food and prioritize value and convenience. “Simplification, conservation and self-reliance are three key strategies that drive their food choices,” notes the study. Food realists prefer familiar taste profiles and seek traditional and conventional food products. They value family meals and don’t perceive food as a luxury lifestyle experience.

While food realists will price shop and are unlikely to try exotic foods with unfamiliar ingredients, their sheer size and interest in simple and convenient choices can meld with certain categories within the natural products market. Employee communications to food realists need to focus on an authentic American experience, family recipes and traditional roots.

 The report contains lots more valuable information for natural products companies to consider when building a brand and communication strategy.  Too, think about executive recruitment in the context of these two groups of food consumers. Make sure your employees can ‘speak the language’ of the food elitist or the food realist. How can we help you with your executive recruitment needs? 

natural health recruiting

Topics: executive recruiter, natural products jobs, food executives

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