MJR Brand Manager Bradley Fitzhenry delivered the keynote presentation at the Midwest Produce Expo on August 20th, 2013 in Chicago, Il. He goes deep into the mind and behaviors of the fresh produce consumer and how retailers, brands and producers can make the most of the opportunity that social media provides. Did you know that 32% of us use social media while eating?

1. Keynote Session
BRADLEY FITZHENRY
Brand Manager, MJR Creative Group
@mjrcg | bradley@mjrcg.com | mjrcg.com
Tue, August 20, 13

2. Thank you!
Tue, August 20, 13

3. How Social Media Is Transforming
Fresh Produce Marketing
Tue, August 20, 13

4. Americans are online and we are active social media users
71% of all U.S. adults are online.
72% of online adults are social networking site users.
Joanna Brenner, Pew Internet Project, Pew Research Center, August 5, 2013
“Over 128 million Americans log into the web version Facebook every
day.
That's more than 40% of all Americans.”
Carolyn Everson, Vice President of global marketing solutions, Facebook, August 14, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

5. The fastest-growing age demographic in America is also the
fastest growing demo on Social Media: Seniors
“Those ages 65 and older have roughly tripled their presence
on social networking sites in the last four years—
from 13% in the spring of 2009 to 43% now.”
Joanna Brenner, Pew Internet Project, Pew Research Center, August 5, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

6. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project May 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

7. The smart phone is America’s link to social media
(and the internet).
Tue, August 20, 13

8. Majority of U.S. consumers now use a smartphone
U.S. smartphone penetration is now 61%.
Penetration among ages 25–34 is 78%,
while 75% of 18–24 year-olds have smartphones.
Adults over 55 have the lowest penetration (42%),
but that doubled over the last year.
Nielsen, June 6, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

9. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project May 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

10. Americans increasingly use their smartphones
to access social media
In 2013, 71% of adult consumers use their
mobile device to access social media.
In 2012 that number was 60%.
Nielsen, June 6, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

11. Image of the technophobe farmer is a myth
62% of American farmers owned a smartphone in 2012,
a 600% increase over just two years prior.
Float Mobile Learning, July 16, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

12. Majority of Facebook visits are from mobile
Facebook has 751 million mobile active users,
an increase of 54% over prior year.
More users worldwide accessed the site from
a mobile device than from the Web.
Facebook, First Quarter 2013 Results, May 1, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

13. Eh, social media adoption and
smartphone use... who cares?
Tue, August 20, 13

14. It’s just a bunch of people talking about,
and taking pictures of their food.”
Tue, August 20, 13

15. “It’s just a bunch of people talking about,
and taking pictures of their food.”
They’re right!
Tue, August 20, 13

16. The combination of social media and the smartphone
has created a new consumer relationship with food.
Tue, August 20, 13

17. Smartphones bring these thing together:
• Cameras
• Mobility
• An Internet connection
Tue, August 20, 13

18. The connections of social media with food culture
54% of consumers use social media
to discover new foods: the same number uses
social media to share food experiences.
49% of consumers learn about food
via social networking, and 40% say they learn
about food via websites, blogs or apps.
Hartman Group and Publicis Consultants, Clicks & Cravings, The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture; February, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

19. But we are also practical:
52% of Facebook users will “Like” a food or drink brand
to get a coupon or discount.
Hartman Group and Publicis Consultants, Clicks & Cravings, The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture; February, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

20. The US consumer relationship with food retailers and producers
69% of consumers want to know
where their food comes from.
Jason McGrath, The US Consumer Relationship with Food and Expectations from Farm to Fork; Edelman/StrategyOne, July, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

21. “The American public is going back to its hunter-gatherer roots,
but now the bows and stone knives are blog posts and tweets.”
Christopher Heine, Food Chain, Ad Week, August, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

22. The US consumer relationship with food retailers and producers
91% of consumers feel it is important that supermarkets
have specific initiatives focused on health, wellness,
and nutrition for people consuming their products
90% of consumers have the same expectations
from produce farmers.
Jason McGrath, The US Consumer Relationship with Food and Expectations from Farm to Fork; Edelman/StrategyOne, July, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

23. Social media is the digital replacement
for the family meal.
Tue, August 20, 13

24. The Social Kitchen Table
45% of Americans eat their meals alone,
but 39% of of them visit social networks while eating.
43% have consulted an online recipe on
a mobile device while cooking.
20% use social networks while cooking – with a mobile device.
19% of consumers use social media while they eat out at
restaurants – with their smartphone.
Hartman Group and Publicis Consultants, Clicks & Cravings, The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture; February, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

25. The rise of the amateur food photographer
25% of consumers are using social media to photograph
and upload pictures of their food on a routine basis.
22% like to document their own cooking.
16% take pictures of their food at restaurants.
Hartman Group and Publicis Consultants, Clicks & Cravings, The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture; February, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

26. Online in the store
40% of consumers have called someone in their household to ask
about items they needed while shopping.
29% said they texted someone in their household to
ask about needed items while shopping.
16% used a smartphone to find or consult a recipe.
13% used a smartphone app to search for an online coupon.
Hartman Group and Publicis Consultants, Clicks & Cravings, The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture; February, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

27. A perfect storm is brewing around food and social networks
that is increasingly facilitated by mobile.
Tue, August 20, 13

28. You think you know where this is going.
Tue, August 20, 13

29. Producers need to socially brand themselves
to stay relevant to retailers.
Tue, August 20, 13

30. Social at Retail
66% of all grocery retailers have an active
social media strategy in place.
Stagnito Publications, Media Market Research, 2012
62% of all grocery retailers plan to significantly increase
their investment in social media over the next 5 years.
Valassis, Supermarket Media Usage Study, July 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

31. Social at Retail
Only 17% of grocery retailers expect to
still be using print media in 2017.
Stagnito Publications, Media Market Research, 2012
Tue, August 20, 13

32. Without a viable presence on social platforms,
your value as vendor will be dramatically compromised.
Tue, August 20, 13

33. Social media is now an important and increasingly
sophisticated marketing channel.
Jordan the intern posting pictures of cat videos
isn’t going to cut it.
Tue, August 20, 13

34. Example:
Walmart
#WMTfresh
National social media campaign
32 million Facebook fans, 50 vendor partners
Tue, August 20, 13

35. Example:
Whole Foods
Hyper Local
Produce Supplier Spotlight
5,432 Facebook fans
Tue, August 20, 13

36. Providing value beyond social brand connections:
Social business intelligence.
Tue, August 20, 13

37. Category, product and consumer insight paths
• Direct consumer feedback and insight
• Social business intelligence
Tue, August 20, 13

38. Example:
Consumer Frustration
Pear ripening
Tue, August 20, 13

39. Retailers are active in social media
but most need to step up their game.
Tue, August 20, 13

40. Traditional supermarkets losing market share
“Traditional Supermarket sales will not
keep pace with inflation over the next five years,
and they will continue to lose market share as consumers
choose to shop other formats for grocery needs.”
Willard Bishop, First Quarter 2013 Results, May 1, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

41. Whole Foods Social Strategy
• Priority on local content
• Local store freedom
• Loose integration across platforms, primarily link exchanges
• Twitter is used as a customer service tool
• Facebook and blogs focus around consumer education topics
• Heavy use of Pinterest, Flickr and Instagram for images
• Every store has a community manager
Tue, August 20, 13

42. Flashback Stat
91% of consumers feel it is important that supermarkets
have specific initiatives focused on
health, wellness, and nutrition.
Tue, August 20, 13

43. Content powers social media effectiveness
Tue, August 20, 13

44. Facebook content
Posts with photos have 120% higher engagement than text-only.
Sharing photo albums boosts that to 180%.
Posts with videos outperform text-only posts by 200%.
Posts with videos have 4x higher engagement when viewed on mobile.
Kissmetrics/Hubspot, June 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

45. Twitter content
Posts with links are shared 50% more often.
Posts with links to YouTube video are shared 75% more often.
Posts with videos viewed on mobile outperform
other linked media by nearly 100%.
Kissmetrics/Hubspot, June 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

46. Positioning for the future: Grocery eCommerce
Tue, August 20, 13

47. Grocery eCommerce is poised for fast growth
Food e-tailing is expected to grow faster than all other grocery
categories through 2017, outpacing discount clubs like Sam’s.
U.S. online sales of food and beverage products are expected to
grow to $15.4 billion in 2013.
Willard Bishop, Future of Food Retailing, June, 2013
Tue, August 20, 13

48. Amazon Fresh
Tue, August 20, 13

49. Relay Foods
Tue, August 20, 13

50. Evolution of the CSA
Tue, August 20, 13

51. Evolution of the CSA
Tue, August 20, 13

52. Curated Food Box Delivery
Tue, August 20, 13

53. The opportunity.
Tue, August 20, 13

54. Opportunity for Retailers
Look to the innovative and rich online experiences that the pure-play
grocery eCommerce offerings provide.
Continue your commitment to social media, its where your customers are
talking about food experiences and experience is where loyalty begins.
Develop a content strategy that reflects what consumers are looking for
and what devices they are using to get it.
Bring your produce suppliers into the consumer conversation.
Tue, August 20, 13

55. Opportunity for Producers
Do not wait any longer to start building your brand with consumers,
both to stay relevant to traditional brick-and-mortar grocery,
and for eCommerce relevancy.
Approach social media as a serious marketing and brand-building
channel. Do not underestimate its importance to retailers.
Ask to partner with retailers on social media promotions. Social
partnering has huge reward potential to grow your brand.
Take advantage of the data: survey consumers, ask questions of fans,
conduct data analysis to increase your value to retailers.
Create content that reflects your organization, its values, and the needs
of consumers to capture a meaningful connection to their food;
Content is what fuels social media success.
Tue, August 20, 13

56. Thank you!
BRADLEY FITZHENRY
Brand Manager, MJR Creative Group
@mjrcg | bradley@mjrcg.com | mjrcg.com
Tue, August 20, 13