Creating a new FMCG product in an already mature category is a bold task, but Prolife Foods didn’t let that stop them.
Last year, Prolife Foods worked with its brand Mother Earth to bring new product Nutty Sensations to market.
These were small packs of flavoured snack nuts, the likes of Smokey Spanish Cashews or Maple and Coconut Almonds.
And while this might seem to be a simple product extension story, Prolife describes it as being quite the opposite.
The aim was to create a taste experience destination, but snack nuts is a mature and fiercely competitive category in FMCG – put simply, nuts have been around a very long time.
To create growth in a significant and meaningful way, the solution had to be innovative, the marketing sound and most importantly, had to limit any cannibalisation of existing Mother Earth products – known and trusted for its snack nuts and muesli bars.
An in-depth review across a number of sources revealed the opportunity – innovation isn’t created in the base element (that is, the nuts themselves), but rather, in the flavour experience.
Further insights revealed customers want more flavoured nut choices, and that unique and sentimental flavours were growing in popularity.
Taking time to mine for this data was the secret to success. Nutty Sensations was launched in October 2023, supported by an extensive advertising campaign that included point of sale and in-store sampling.
Because it was targeted specifically at adults, the campaign had to be bold, especially at a cluttered time of year.
These nuts had to be distinguishable from the core range of “everyday nuts”, so the packaging and creative needed plenty of colour and excitement.
It worked – the brand achieved incremental sales without affecting the existing range. The team also grew Mother Earth’s brand share in small pack nuts, and moved its advertising from being positively passive to positively active.
But all of this was far from easy – 12 months turned into 18, and then into 24, before the new product could launch.
While the data set the project up for success, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere without support from all departments across the business – Marketing, New Product Development, Procurement, Sales and Operation Planning, Category and Quality Assurance to name a few.
Mobilising a large organisation was inspiring, requiring extensive project management, regular meetings, long hours and hard conversations.
In the end, teamwork from every single person involved – as well as the bravery to overcome the challenges that came their way – fuelled this product development.
Judges’ comments
“The judges went nuts for this entry. Good results from cracking into a new sub-category. They drew some great cross-category insights to unlock innovation in a mature category and bridge the gap between claimed consumer interest in the category and actual consumer behaviour.
“Achieving absolute incrementality in a mature category is nuts, but they cracked it!”
This was first published in the 2024 September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
