What’s in a name?

Sir, Would consumers really be tempted by a soya slab or a veggie disc? The Grocer’s Daily Bread makes an excellent point about the administrative and logistical nightmare an EU bill preventing terms like burger and steak from being used for vegetarian alternatives would create. It also seems incredible that the EU would consider such a backward step, at the same time the climate emergency demands a drastic drop in meat consumption.

If you want consumers to eat something, you need to make it sound appetising. Familiar words like sausage or burger, with immediate flavour and texture associations, help nudge people into trying new things.

If these rules come into force, brands will need to work harder than ever to find creative, eye-catching names that convince shoppers to give them a go.

Mike Reed, creative director, Reed Words



Vegan clarity is essential

Sir, The ‘dirty vegan’ trend is set to skyrocket in the next few years. As a result, brands must clearly launch products with ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’ in mind - if one product tries catering to both markets, it’ll fall through the cracks - Quorn and Oumph already dominate that space.

This refined marketing proposition allows wider, clear-cut reach. Aldi just launched products clearly speaking to each side: soy sausage rolls for ‘dirty’, quinoa patties being ‘clean’.

But what Oumph did so well was to position its product as more than an alternative. It doesn’t say ‘for vegans’ - it’s for everyone. Given 85% of CPG launches fail, clarity in messaging and positioning is essential.

Alexis Eyre, head of marketing, Five by Five



Data can help high streets

Sir, The sad news that Boots could be closing more than 200 stores showcases just how important it is for high street shops to embrace new technologies aimed at driving footfall into bricks and mortar stores.

Three quarters of shoppers would rather buy locally than online if they know the items they want are available in store, so it is vital shops ensure the products on their shelves can be found in just a couple taps of a nearby customer’s smartphone.

Evidence based on the stores we work with shows that the high street can win back up to £9bn of sales per year from online by embracing real-time local inventory data.

New technologies will allow physical stores to fight back against online retailers by incorporating traditional values of convenience, service and community which consumers know and love.

Nick Brackenbury, co-founder, NearSt

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