AlabamaGroceryJan2017Final

EVERYONE LIKES A Good Story

By Patty Johnson Global Food & Drink Analyst Mintel

HOW STORYTELLING CONNECTS CONSUMERS WITH RETAILERS AND BRANDS

S ince ancient times, storytelling traditions have provided the foundation for human communication and connection. Stories about our foods and the people who produce them connect us emotionally to the brands, manufacturers and retailers we choose. Relationships with products are becoming more portable, seamless and honest. Consumers are increasingly being romanced by the stories that products are telling about their origin, ingredients or inspiration. Memorable stories enable consumers to fill in the knowledge gaps they may have about how products are produced, sourced and sold – detailing a product’s journey from the farm to the table. Embracing and highlighting stories about diversity can also forge emotional connections with consumers. For example, advertising and marketing messages featuring models and actors who accurately represent the consumer base will do a better job of reaching more individuals.

Brands and businesses can take note and benefit from continuing to develop diversity in communication efforts. As the notion of diversity becomes one that marketers and companies are embracing and using more often when showing visual representations of consumers, the very definition of diversity seems to widen. For example, the Female Farmer Project is a photography series by Audra Mulkern that aims to give a more authentic face to the U.S. farming community. The project began as a “farm-to-table documentation” aimed at countering the “white men in overalls and straw hats” farmer cliché by showing who is actually behind people's produce (hint: it’s often women). This is bound to speak to consumers, especially because many people are sensitive to whether or not models and actors in ads look like them or look “authentic.”

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