When your FMCG business focuses on products beyond the essentials of daily life, driving demand and building customer loyalty to your brand in a crowded and competitive market can be challenging.
Ferndale Foods Australia product development manager Jessica Kelly says her company has met that challenge head-on by putting “consumer moments” at the heart of its brands.
“At the heart of what we do, we’re trying to build brands that bring trusted moments to life for our shoppers, especially when you’re not a staple item like bread or milk, as product creators in the convenience segment.
“When they have a positive experience and a story to tell, they will keep coming back and become repeat shoppers for us.”
Kelly was talking with Amie Larter, CEO of Octomedia, the publisher of Inside FMCG, and Angeline Achariya, chair, Asia Pacific at G100 Mission Million – food systems innovation & resilience wing, in the latest edition of the monthly podcast Women Transforming Food. The podcast aims to explore the stories of inspiring women shaping the food industry.
An example of the experiential approach is illustrated best by Ferndale’s Jila mints, which Kelly explains aim to create “moments of confidence” for individuals. “Think about grabbing a packet of Jila mints before a job interview or a date. Mints might seem simple, but they’re about creating that moment for consumers.
“Similarly, our So Soft Marshmallow range is about creating moments of joy. Think about moments by the fire with your family or cooking in the kitchen. Every brand has an important part to play in creating those moments.”
Kelly says the Ferndale team gets joy from hearing shoppers share those moments – such as when it gets feedback from shoppers who have tried a Ferndale marshmallow for the first time and enjoyed a different sensory experience.
“Perhaps they’ve never really been able to enjoy a traditional marshmallow because the dust gets in the way. But with our dustless marshmallows, they get a different experience, so hopefully, that unlocks a new option for them. We are passionate about creating those moments and think that makes lifelong brand partnerships.”
Product quality and safety drive loyalty
Of course, there is more to product development and Ferndale Foods’ DNA than experience. Quality and safety have an equal focus.
“Product quality is the foundation of our hierarchy across the business. Ensuring that food is safe and trusted means we keep them returning as return shoppers.”
Kelly believes consumers are more alert to the health and sustainability impacts of what they add to their trolley – and they vote with their wallets.
“Being a brand that shoppers can trust to deliver on those expectations is important. We see health and sustainability as really dynamic and rapidly evolving expectations. We see a lot of polarisation and change in that space, which is hard to keep up with, and consumers increasingly have personalised expectations of products. Everyone is looking for products that cater to their specific needs and diet.”
Ferndale ensures it delivers. “There’s an expectation we can’t be everything to everyone, and no product will be able to tick every box, so we have a mentality where we try to tick as many boxes as possible. Still, we make sure that in ticking those boxes, consumer experience remains at the centre because sometimes, when you’re trying to tick every single box within a brief, that consumer experience ends up suffering. Longevity isn’t there if the consumer experience is not at the centre.”
Countering TikTok science
Kelly identifies a threat emerging, particularly with an anti-science sort of rhetoric online, which she describes as “TikTok science” – fear-mongering and misinformation from special interest groups and individuals on social media channels that carries real risks for food safety and the availability of products and that is starting to influence governments as well as consumers.
She says the food industry must counter misinformation and “squash fearful messaging” because it spreads faster than positive messaging. Shoppers must not be misled by damaging anti-science messaging that runs counterintuitive to what is generally a well-regulated industry.
“We want shoppers to have reliable information and not fear-mongering information. They are victimising and attacking certain additives, which are long-term, naturally sourced ingredients.
“You can’t victimise people for accessing what’s available to them. It’s safe, and it’s fine. It’s a concern for us in Australia to ensure we don’t let those sorts of things take over as well.”
Thus, education continues to be an essential tool, shaping critical thinking skills and foundational food safety knowledge from the beginning of a person’s life so that they’re less prone to being misled by misinformation that might sway them one way or another.
“Education is the foundation of how we can help people think critically about some of the misinformation that they might be being fed and to challenge test some of those ideas that might be.”
Why products need to evolve
In Kelly’s words, Ferndale is “super passionate” about product development – not just to create new concepts, but constantly looking at the company’s current range and looking for easy to improve them continuously. Building resilience in products that are household names is “critical” to the company’s growth over time.
Ferndale approaches product development across the entire supply chain, from the consumer back to the factory and then from the factory back to the consumer. “We try to be the go-between for those elements of the supply chain.
“It is not always easy, but the product team within our business has an essential role in advocating for putting the product at the centre of what we do and making sure that we’re facilitating the right conversations about both the systems and the thinking models that we need to keep innovating across every segment of the business.”
- Listen to the podcast to hear Kelly talk about her passion for the food industry, how to attract more young people to consider it as a career path, why speed to market is critical for food makers, and how the company’s latest product Team Nutrition evolved from an idea into a market hit.
