VOG, from soccer to product range strategy
Add Fresh Fruit Portal to GoogleThe point of sale is where the match is played, and it is here that the ideal squad is built together with customers to win over the fans, that is, the consumers. Here, VOG – Home of apples feels at home, working alongside its partners to jointly shape the future of the apple category. This is the vision that the Consortium brought to Fruit Attraction – the international fruit and vegetable trade fair held in Madrid from 6 to 8 October – marking a new milestone in its approach to communication and product range management. At the Spanish event and the function organized at the Bernabéu, the Consortium further explored the scope of its football-inspired concept, linking the narrative even more closely to the retail playing field.
Image by VOG
The Consortium is thus strengthening the communication strategy presented at the start of the year to guide the dialogue with its commercial partners, demonstrating its practical value and potential on the field. This approach continues to evolve today, building specifically on the market segments identified by the research* conducted in collaboration with YouGov in 2025: a detailed analysis designed to draw up a precise profile of the consumer and reveal how each individual experiences a unique, personalized relationship with the product. Consumers remain at the heart of the strategy: they are the category’s true ‘fans’, who must be engaged, won over and satisfied with a product range tailored to their needs.
VOG's five apple consumers and what they reveal
The research reveals five distinct consumer profiles: promotion-conscious consumers, who buy apples mainly based on the availability of special offers; tradition-conscious consumers, who regard the apple as a classic, simple food that is an essential part of family life, while favouring traditional apples and long-established brands; sustainability-conscious consumers, who associate apples with a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle, choosing local, seasonal and responsibly farmed produce, and favouring organic apples; quality-conscious consumers, who prioritise the taste experience and consistent quality, and buy apples with a strong brand identity built up over time; and finally, trend-conscious consumers, who see apples primarily as a practical snack between meals, are open to new ways of enjoying them, and therefore seek innovative products that attract attention, win over new consumers and open up new consumption opportunities for the category.
Image by VOG
It is through this in-depth knowledge of the market that VOG transforms data into tactical, tailored decisions for the retail sector. As well as ensuring the right product range for every customer profile, the Consortium provides the retail sector with sound information and concrete insights on how to structure and optimize category management strategies, offering large-scale retailers a practical action plan.
After all, as the study also revealed, the apple is one of the most versatile fruits: it suits a variety of consumption occasions, from a snack to a dessert to share, right through to its use in cooking, in cakes, salads, yogurt, juices and smoothies. Well-known and familiar, it nevertheless manages to surprise thanks to new varieties, colors, and flavor profiles; it is available all year round, easy to eat, and brings strong visibility to the department. This richness is fully expressed at the point of sale through a wide and well-structured range, supported by effective presentation and communication that guides consumers with different needs and interests.
Image by VOG
“After presenting our strategy at Fruit Attraction, we put it into practice at the iconic Bernabéu stadium,” comments Hannes Tauber, Marketing Manager at VOG. “With this metaphor, we aim to provide our business partners with an immediate framework for tackling the complexity of the market. It works because it speaks everyone’s language: it transforms data on buyer personas into practical shelf-placement decisions and allows each retailer to ‘train’ their team with us, building their ideal squad. When we manage to put the right apple in the right place, guiding the consumer around the point of sale and highlighting the unique character of each product, we win the game together with our customers. And it is precisely this shared vision that is the only real tactic for growing the category in the long term.”
* Research conducted by YouGov for VOG in October 2025 through online interviews with a sample of 16,000 adult respondents across 11 European markets.
*All images courtesy of VOG.
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