I’m beginning some work with a new food client in a super cluttered and mature category. Without sharing any specifics, think of trying to grow a new brand of cereal or yogurt in those busy categories. My conversations have focused on helping them find a hook.
I think of a hook as an incredibly meaningful point of difference that allows you to own some piece of real estate in the mind of your target audience. A hook has a story that is easy to share and say to your friends.
- Our new product is the only cereal not sold in a box because we think the extra cardboard is wasteful and we want to be good stewards of the environment.
- We sell the only cereal made for people who eat cereal with their left hand.
- Our hook is a cereal that is for dinner, so it has savory, not sweet flavors.
Map the Category
The logical place to start is by mapping the significant players and seeing what space they occupy and the image they portray. How is the category segmented by retailers and by consumers? It is a hefty challenge and requires a lot of analysis.
My approach to these exercises is to think about products in other categories and to see if there are a novel and meaningful position that hasn’t happened yet by any of their competitors. Here are a few examples.
- Packaging – like selling wine in a can instead of a liter bottle
- Occasion – like making cereal for dinner or cereal as a liquid
- Form – Yogurt in a tube or spice-infused yogurt
- Target – For a hyper-targeted audience like people who ride motorcycles or the yoga community
- Politico – Made for Democratic liberals or red meat Republicans
- Business model – like Tom’s one-for-one
- Health – Is there a way to bring an unrepresented health benefit like food as a delivery vehicle for pharmaceuticals
Unexpected Places
Finding a meaningful hook is challenging but forces you to look in unexpected ways to organize the category.
I recently read several articles about the benefit of turmeric and its most active compound curcumin. 
Recent scientific studies strongly point toward health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
So, when I stumbled upon a cereal where turmeric was the hook, I bit.
And I loved the taste and found a new edition to my breakfast regimen. Some talented marketing person at Nature’s Path noticed the increased awareness of this spice in recipes and literature online. And, saw some white space on their map of the cereal category.
Marketing Lessons
From time to time, it helps to map out the category and your competitors to see how they think about the products they introduce. If the competition is in one segment, maybe it is time to look somewhere new and different for innovation.
Are you spending any time thinking about your hook?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com The conversation is free, and we can explore working together.
Photo by Patrick at https://www.flickr.com/photos/patripics/
