The Sweetest Time of the
Year: September is National Honey Month
By
Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford
http://apis.shorturl.com
Veteran
marketers know that as fall ushers in cooler weather, honey sales usually pick
up. This is one reason that September is
National Honey Month. That’s not the say
there isn’t competition. It also happens
to be National Chicken Month among a surprising list of others, such as
National Rice Month, National Mushroom Month, National Piano Month, and
improbably, National Pediculosis Prevention
Month. As syndicated humorist Dave Barry
would say, “I am not making this up.”1
The
World Wide Web has an actual site called “National Honey Month.”2 Here’s
what the author Louise says, “
Recent
conclusions by studies commissioned by the the
National Honey Board reinforce Louise’s comments. Her remarks
especially confirm that consumer awareness of honey is limited, but sampling
sparks strong interest and creativity for expanding honey use and
purchase. In addition, users need
awareness, recipe/use suggestions, and product availability to encourage
purchase of varieties. There is no
better time to put into place these recommendations that National Honey Month.
The
first study by Jeffery B. Ross of Marketing Research3 is entitled: “Honey Attitude & Usage Study – 2002” was published
October 5, 2002. The second, by
Snell Associates, “Qualitative Exploration of Honey Among
Consumer Segments,” was released the following month. The market place segments identified are
African American, Hispanic and Caucasian.
Conclusions
from both studies are summarized in the National Honey Board’s publication,
“Making Honey Stick With Consumers,” March 2003.4 Billed as the first in a series of marketing
tools prepared for honey industry professionals, the publication urges
marketers to consider the basics: “To market honey, you need to make a
connection to consumers who want to buy it.
The connection in most cases is through retail stores. Therefore, it’s important to stay fresh on
consumer and retail trends.” The results
and conclusions are appropriate to review, especially for National Honey Month.
Major
implications from a survey of more than 800 people, the publication says,
reveal that four out of five households currently have honey in their
cupboards, and they use it a little more often than once a week, primarily on
toast, biscuits, muffins, cornbread. It is also used as an ingredient in recipes
and for sweetening tea. Nielsen data
suggest that only 27 percent of households have purchased honey during 2001,
meaning that perhaps as many as one-half of “current users” have honey in their
homes purchased over a year ago. The
publication concludes: “This information
shifts our marketing focus from introducing honey to new consumers to extending
usage by existing consumers.”
Recommendation
#1: IN-STORE SAMPLING OPPORTUNITIES CAN
BRING HONEY BACK TO TOP-OF-MIND WITH ALL CONSUMERS AND BREATHE SOME ACTIVITY/EXCITEMENT
INTO THE CATEGORY.
Specific
audience segments included in these studies are current users, past purchasers
and non-purchasers. These are broken
down into ethnicity, activities, sweeteners in the
home, education and household income.
Current users were a little bit older (48-years-old), compared to past
purchasers (45-years-old) and non-purchasers (42-years-old). Current users include all ethnic groups,
whereas predominantly Caucasians constituted past and non-purchasers. All groups were found to be active in BBQ and
grilling, physical exercise, fitness/exercise and travel, but watching sports
on TV was more predominant in non-purchasers.
Current users had honey and maple syrup in the home along with granulated
(white and brown) sugars possessed by all groups. But neither maple syrup nor honey were found
in appreciable amount in the homes of past- and non-purchasers. Current users had higher incomes and more
education than the other two groups.
General
observations of the above groups produced the following:
Recommendation#2: PROMOTE HONEY IN BBQ/GRILLING SAUCES WITH
APPROPRIATE PARTNERS THROUGH IN-STORE DEMONSTRATIONS AND DISPLAYS.
Recommendation#3: GENERATE MORE PRESENCE ON THE WEB THAT WILL
MOTIVATE RETIAL PURCHASE.
Recommendation
#4: CONSIDER NEW PACKAGING WITH NO-MESS
SPOUT OR OTHER INNOVATION.
Recommendation
#5: CONSIDER INTRODUCING NEW HONEY
VARIETIES THAT ARE LESS SWEET OR HAVE DIFFERENT FLAVOR PROFILES.
Based
on key issues found from the attitude and usage study, focus groups were
established for Caucasians, English-speaking Hispanics, Spanish-speaking
Hispanics, and African American males.
In general these groups viewed honey as a commodity that was 100%
natural. They had few concerns about
purity. Honey use stems largely from
family tradition. The sweet’s only
drawbacks are its inherent messiness or stickiness and the tendency to
crystallize for which many don’t have a remedy.
Finally, consumers are interested in learning more about honey use via
recipes, especially its health, cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. Thus,
Recommendation #6: IT IS VALUABLE TO EXPLAIN THE POSITIVE
QUALITIES OF HONEY TO GENERATE LOYALTY.
Recommendation
#7: THE QUALITY OF THE HONEY SUPPLY MUST
BE SAFEGUARDED.
Recommendation
#8: BESIDES PACKAGING INNOVATIONS, HAVE ON-PACK INSTRUCTIONS ON LIQUEFYING CRYSTALLIZED HONEY.
Recommendation#9: PROMOTE THROUGH RECIPES AS WELL AS
NON-TRADITIONAL USES. CONSIDER
PLACINGHONY DISPLAYS DURING THE COLD AND FLU SEASON WITH RELEVANT PARTNERS AS
SOOTHERS FOR SORE THROATS, OR PLACE HONEY IN THE COSMETIC/MOISTURIZER AISLE
WITH OTHER KEY INGREDIENT PARTNERS.
For
African American men, honey use is traditionally based, generally arising from
Southern or soul food cooking. Its use
for sore throats is common and adults use it in hot toddies.
Recommendation
#10: FOR STORES WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN
CLIENTELE, CONSIDER PROMOTING WITH RECIPES THAT FEATURE SOTHERN COOKING
TRADITIONS SUCH AS CORN BREAD AND BBQ SAUCES.
ALSO CONSIDER DISPLAYING HONEY WITH RELEVANT PARTNERS SUCH AS TEA DURING
COLD AND FLU SEASON.
Perhaps
the most loyal honey market consists of Hispanics, especially those who retain
their Spanish language and culture.
Price is not a barrier. More
significant to this market is honey in the comb, which is considered a
treat. English-speaking Hispanic women
share the same basic beliefs, but they are tempered by
Recommendation
#11: FOR STORES THAT CATER TO A HIGHER
PERCENTAGE OF SPANISH-SPEAKING HISPANIC CONSUMERS, CONSIDER PROMOTING HONEYCOMB
IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEXICAN FOOD RECIPES AND HOLIDAY TRADITIONS. PROVIDE SPECIFIC IDEAS USING SIMPLE
MEXICAN-STYLE STAPLES SUCH AS TORTILLAS.
Caucasian
women are more concerned with using honey as a food than medicine and are
looking for packaging options to make their life easier:
Recommendation
#12: GREATER OUTREACH TO CHEFS AND
SERIOUS COOKS COULD GO A LONG WAY IN EXTENDING THE PREFERENCE FOR HONEY.
Recommendation
#13: PACKAGING INNOVATIONS, IN-STORE
PRODUCT DEMONSTRATIONS, AND ESPECIALLY EASY RECIPES WILL INCREASE PURCHASE
INTENT.
Interviews
with retailers showed that those selling more honey said it was because of
increased demand, new customers and more time dedicated to in-store activities.
Recommendation
#14: Even
a color change on the label can create new appeal on the shelf.
Recommendation
#15: Investigate
new no-mess enclosures and other packaging design innovations.
Recommendation
#16: THINK ABOUT HONEY ON DISPLAY IN THE
BEAUTY AND OTHER SECTIONS OF A GROCERY STORE OR IN THE PRODUCE SECTION WHERE HERBS ARE SOLD WITH
RECIPES FOR INFUSED HONEY.
Finally
the publication concludes that there are five consumer trends that must be
considered to drive honey sale growth: convenience, health and wellness,
Hispanic focus, food is everywhere, and online
spending.
Recommendation
#17: DEVELOP EASY NEW USES FOR HONEY
THAT WILL ENHANCE RECIPES AND MEAL PREPARATIONS WITHOUT EXPENDING MORE TIME OR
ENERGY. FOCUS ON THE CONVENIENCE ASPECT
OF HONEY IN EVERY DAY LIFE.
Recommendation
#18: MAKE SURE TO CONTINUE TO SHOWCASE
HONEY’S GREAT ATTRIBUTES. RECIPES AND
EVEN ENERGY-BOOST DRINK RECIPES WOULD BE PERFECT TO BRING HOME THE POINT.
Recommendation
#19: THE HISPANIC BASE IS ONE OF THE
MOST LOYAL CUSTOMER BASES. CONSIDER
IMPLEMENTING DISPLAYS FOR THAT SEGMENT.
Recommendation
#20: THINK ABOUT DISTRIBUTION OF HONEY
IN NON-TRADITIONAL CHANNELS LIKE SPORTING GOODS STORES, CONVENIENCE OUTLETS AND
EVEN COSMETICS COUNTERS.
Recommendation
#21: ON-LINE VISIBILITY IS CRITICAL FOR
CAPTURING THE YOUNGER AUDIENCES AND KEEPING THE PRODUCT CURRENT AND
RELEVANT. WORK TO GET ON WEB SITES AND
CREATE LINKS TO OTHER HONEY PAGES.
The
National Honey Board has taken the last piece of advice to heart. It will no doubt have a blizzard of publicity
ready for this year’s celebration of National Honey Month on one of its two
celebrated World Wide Web sites.5
Beekeepers
can also use their own creativity. Like
beekeeping practices, there are many ways to celebrate National Honey Month as
there are advocates. School visits come
to mind as do honey moon promotions. A
recent innovation is to send an electronic greeting card. Right now you can mail a National Honey Month
electronic card for free to aficionados and others.6 I recently sent one to this magazine’s
editor; it became the inspiration for the title of this column.
References: