By Fresh Produce Marketing founder Lisa Cork

You know, one of the current untapped opportunities in fresh produce marketing is the opportunity to tap into the male shopper. In Australasia there is a growing percentage of men as shoppers, with the latest stats I've seen putting them at about 33%. That's a pretty important number, and one worth paying attention to.

This group of shoppers are increasingly becoming their own target market in Australia and New Zealand. Take the following two packs as examples.

Pack one is a raw, whole, fresh chicken. Now normally, there is nothing terribly special about a dead chook. However, check out the sticker. Can you read what it says? It states, "The meal man does best." What's interesting is that this slogan is part of an integrated marketing campaign, with some very clever advertising targeting men. You can view the TV ad here.

I think the campaign – and the link to chicken packaging - is really well executed. It taps into the admiration and acknowledgement men like to get when they cook. It takes a simple concept and carries it through a range of media. As my favourite guerilla marketing quote goes, "Sell something to someone and say something", meaning you got to target your market.

The entire campaign works and it will be interesting to see what happens to sales via male purchasers.

The other campaign I love comes out of New Zealand. It is for the Mammoth Supply Company's yogurts, dips and other mainly dairy products targeting men.

I reviewed the yogurt pack via my video blog, so you can click here to watch the short video. What I love about this pack is its congruency. There is no uncertainty, given the packaging copy, that this is yogurt for men.

For example, here are some of the great one liners on pack: "This is man’s yoghurt. And you are a man. So grab a spade or shovel, and dig in", or "This yoghurt was made for men, by men. (Seriously, it was made by a bloke named Brian.)". Then there's their corporate tag line, "Real man food, man." Get the picture? Clear on who the target market is?

What I like about both products is they are niching down – going for a narrow band of shoppers, but aiming for a direct hit. Both products clearly endeavour to meet the unique needs of men, whether showcasing that a chicken is easy to cook well or by providing a product size and range that meets the more significant hunger needs of men. Both of these products deliver.

So what's they take away message for produce, and more importantly for your packaging? Are you segmenting your market and targeting men? If not, why not?

Of course, segmentation is never as easy as sticking a sticker on a big head of broccoli and hoping it will sell. But, I think it’s a darned missed opportunity that no one in New Zealand has cottoned on to this as an idea and at least tried to leverage it.

Today's food trends are all driving towards customisation – serving the unique needs of a small band of shoppers. By moving beyond one-size-fits-all marketing and by targeting men, you might just tap into a market you didn’t know you had.

If you would like your packaging to be working harder but not sure where to start, give me a call or drop me an email. A simple packaging review could be all you need or we can explore options for a complete revamp. Contact: Lisa@freshproducemarketing.com or call 64 9 815 5944.

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