Food Blogs Are Important For Our Future

(As I promised, the Brand ManageCamp blog is going to be a virtual smorgasbord of thoughts from some of the top thinkers in marketing today. Just received this terrific post from 2 time Brand ManageCamp speaker Phil Lempert (The Supermarket Guru and NBC's TODAY Show Food Trends Editor. He's also an expert on Retail Technology trends - which is what he will be addressing at BMC2005). Enjoy! - Len)

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FOOD BLOGS ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR FUTURE

Is the fastest growing feature of the Internet the savior of the supermarket? By Phil Lempert - NBC'S TODAY Show Food Trends Editor and Correspondent

Word-of-mouth has long been considered one of a supermarket's most valued assets. The butcher who takes the time to explain how to prepare a certain cut of meat perfectly and the baker who always has a warm cookie ready for the after school treat, have been effective ways to get customers to tell their friends just how great service a particular supermarket offers.

According to a recent Roper Report, Word-of-mouth (WOM) is valued twice as much by shoppers as is traditional media. 92 percent of those surveyed by NOP World say that WOM is the "best source of ideas and information", as compared to just 50% who said the same about advertising.

Over the past 50 years, we've seen an enormous evolution of consumer power. What started out as backyard discussions over clotheslines where our mothers would discuss their opinions about retailers and products, evolved into 24 hour toll-free consumer hotlines, full-time consumer affairs staffs, letters to the editor and at times, even protests and boycotts. Consumers want to be heard. They want to actively communicate their thoughts and preferences; as well as exposing dishonest practices, false claims and bad service.

Twenty years ago food shopping was different. Most consumers were satisfied if their store offered a wide selection of products; had weekly specials and the floors were clean. Since then we have changed the way we work, how we play, how we get our entertainment, and how we shop. Much of that change has to do with computerization and the Internet. 79 percent of shoppers today, according to the Yankelovich Marketing Resistance Survey, 2004, use the internet to research product claims before they buy.

The consumer is now in control - think "command center". Our cell phones and Blackberrys have us wired in real-time to be able to find the latest information on just about any product. The DoCoMo phone in Japan is enabling shoppers to compare pricing between stores, discuss product features and scan the product that is then billed on their phone bill.

The challenge is to use the technology and your relationships with shoppers to your branding benefit.

Enter the "blog".

Blogs are now commonplace, and with high speed Web access close to 40 million lines, and available to over a third of people on the Internet, retailers are using them to create buzz (the new terminology for word-of-mouth) and measure just how new store formats and promotions are being accepted by their customers. And with good reason. Blogs are effective. 89% of shoppers, according to a poll conducted on PlanetFeedback.com say they trust "recommendations from other consumers" completely or somewhat vs. only 43% that trust those on TV ads.

A blog is created about every 2.2 seconds. In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where people (and smart retailers) write on an ongoing basis. The latest postings show up at the top, so your web visitors can read what's new first. Then they can add their own comments directly on the blog, or email you.

Since blogging first came on the scene, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics (think Matt Drudge), shaken up journalism (think Matt Drudge), and enabled at last count, about 35 million people to have their voice heard.

When consumers notice that their voice is being heard, they respond with a stronger tie to the retailer (or brand) and become more involved. They blog more, shop more, buy more, and spread the word. Shoppers, who know they are being heard and listened to, talk more - and that's exactly what supermarket retailers need. To have their most loyal shoppers spread the word about just how good their store is.

But that's just one benefit.

The other, which I would argue is even more critical, is to learn from what people are saying. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Last month on SupermarketGuru.com we ran a front page story on the FDA's expected announcement on allowing food from cloned animals to enter the food supply. In less than 4 days we received over 125 postings to our reader blog. The consumer comments were diverse, some were articulate and some emotional. But all represent consumers who want their opinions heard. Blogs are an opportunity for supermarket retailers to reach out to their shoppers and build relationships and sales by doing the exact same thing that the corner store shopkeeper did 100 years ago - listening to what the shopper has to say.