When a new client reached out to me several months ago, they told me that they had the world’s best tasting jam made with organic fruits and no added sugar.
When the samples arrived, I immediately toasted some bread and tasted the product. It was delicious, but it was one of five jars in my refrigerator making the same claim.
- Organic
- No Sugar
- World’s best tasting jam
When we Skyped to discuss their needs, they told me that everyone loved their jam, but they couldn’t get it to sell off the shelf. When they did extensive (and expensive) sampling at stores, they could move a few jars, but it was as if the jam was – well, jammed. They needed marketing advice because they knew they were in a jam.
Spreading the News
Their jam had no story. They were telling me about features, not benefits. But even more important, there wasn’t anything remarkable about this product that I would love to share with my friends or family. I love that quote from Seth Godin, if you want people to remark about your product, be remarkable.
Without a story, the product would sit on the shelf because of a lack of word of mouth marketing.
I explained that the story needed to be both different and had to be meaningful to some group.
A jam sold in the freezer case is different, but who cares? Is there a group of consumers who are passionate about food sold frozen? I don’t think so.
You can’t just be different – it has to matter and be meaningful for some tribe or community you serve.
We also discussed Death Wish Coffee, a brand that staked a claim as the world’s strong coffee – something that matters to a core group of coffee aficionados. People who want a big jumpstart each day to follow their passion, love Death Wish.
As I examined their product, I noticed that it packaged in a similar stock jar as about fifteen others sold at a local Whole Foods. Seven of those jars claimed organic, and five said they had no added sugar.
To spread the news about a product, it needs a story. Without a story that matters to some group of people, products get stuck in neutral.
Here are a few suggestions we discussed to reposition their product offering:
- What if the jam came in individually wrapped sheets like Kraft American Cheese singles? It would be a sheet of jam not something in a jar. Think Keurig cups for jam.
- What if the product came in a tube like toothpaste, so it was the only jam of its kind – toast and squeeze it on.
- What if we make the preserves in a facility that employed autistic and mentally challenged young adults to help employ them and give them meaningful work. (maybe team up with a non-profit who works with this community)
- What if we make their product in a limited edition with different artwork on each handcrafted label? The numbered edition would be like lithographic prints that are numbered and exclusive. Jam by artists.
- What if we partnered with a group of jazz artists to make Jazz Jam? Each jar comes with a free download of music from a jam session. I know, bad pun but you get the idea. This jam is for music lovers who love to jam.
- What if the fruit preserve came packaged in elegant glass packaging like expensive perfume so that it signaled high-end value? The glass container becomes a keepsake, and like expensive spirits, memorable and distinct.
Sweet Dreams
After some discussions, my clients realized that they were selling sameness – not fruit preserves. They didn’t have a story, and although the product was delicious, it wasn’t enough. Today we are exploring a few paths so that we can create a distinctive story, made to serve a narrow audience.
The lesson: To get anything to move, it needs fuel or energy. A story can be that gasoline that ignites word of mouth. When products lack that momentum, no one shares your story and it can quickly grow stale.
How are you creating a story that propels your product forward? Are you making a product and looking for customers? Or are you aware of a community you want to serve, and then making a product just for them?
A jarring notion, right?
I have more than forty years of experience marketing food products. Need help? Let’s talk. 919 720 0995 or email me at jeffslater@themarketingsage.com
Photo: https://unsplash.com/search/jam?photo=c69HK1HKHYs by Jonathan Pielmayer
