Consumer shifts require organizations to make better connections

As consumer tastes and habits shift, so, too, must product marketing, if companies wish to keep moving products.

What does that mean for brands that have enjoyed shelf supremacy for decades?

Consider Smucker’s jellies and jams. Go to just about any supermarket in the country and you will find their products very well represented. There are other brands on the shelf, both big names and store brands, but Smucker’s jumps right out at you, both in quantity and consumer familiarity. So, when they want to release a new product, they just slap a “new” image on the label and stick it on the shelf next to multiple other products in their line.

Yet, what if customers are not actually in the store to see those products? What if they’re buying online and picking up in-store? Or, what if they don’t go into the store at all? At that point, it’s not enough to have a brand consumers know; you need one they will love and actively seek out, a brand they will type into a search engine.

That kind of consumer relationship is earned through a much different style of marketing and product placement. It’s no longer adequate to say “Look, we have more space; we must be popular.” You need to be memorable and connective. People must want to go look for you.