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November 2013

TEXTS FOR READING

BREAKFAST AT WORK IS ‘GROWING TREND CALLING FOR MORE INNOVATION’

Recipe for research: consumer testing helps to shape manifacturers’ product, brand and packaging strategy decisions.

Image: MMR

Consumer research has revealed the latest data on the first meal of the day and urges food brands to offer more convenience, portability and easily stored products for the workplace.

This latest research has made it clear that busy lifestyles are having a major impact on the way that people in the United Kingdom eat breakfast.

The food and drink research group MMR Research Worldwide says that one in seven people now eats breakfast outside the home.

MMR’s research, which targeted nearly 500 consumers via a Smartphone app, also found that most of breakfasts enjoyed outside of the home are eaten in the workplace (69 per cent).

Adam Curtis, associate director at MMR, explained the implications for manufacturers, saying: “The ‘breakfast at work’ occasion is becoming hard to ignore, as more workers choose to eat the first meal of their day at their work station.

“This has created an increased demand for breakfast options to be convenient, easily storable and portable. For many manufacturers, breakfast biscuits have provided the answer to these needs.

“We have already seen Weetabix following the likes of Kellogg’s – with Nutri-Grain, and Kraft – with Belvita – with the launch of Weetabix On The Go Breakfast biscuits, and Kellogg’s is continuing to proliferate its range of snacking options with targeted products such as Special K Cracker Crisps and Biscuit Moments. With one in ten consumers already regularly purchasing breakfast biscuit options, this relatively new category is already quickly catching up more established cereal bar options,” said Curtis.

“We see the breakfast-at-work occasion representing a real focus for manufacturers this year, but there is still vast scope to develop this market. We see potential for products to cater for both the breakfast and mid-morning snack windows; a bis-

cuit or bar option which could be nibbled away at until lunchtime, for example.

“Alternatively, manufacturers could look to develop male consumers’ take-up of breakfast products. Women currently consume five times more breakfast biscuit products than men. With biscuit campaigns focusing heavily on weight loss, for example, this is hardly surprising. A breakfast biscuit or cereal bar option which appealed to male occasions and interests could really cut through the market,” added Adam Curtis.

MMR Research Worldwide is a leading research partner for food, drink and household and personal care companies with offices in the UK, United States, Singapore and China.

With expertise in sensory research, product testing, packaging innovation and emotion-based research, MMR provides innovative, creative and scientifically robust research and is a trusted adviser on all product, brand and packaging strategy decisions.

MMR’s clients have access to a variety of unique proprietary research assets including Brandphonics

– an approach to identify what influences consumer choice – and in-house sensory facilities.

One of MMR’s recent developments is a system to identify early rules of success (Eros) for a new product, putting customers at the forefront of ear- ly-stage product development to help shape successful products quickly and “right first time”. MMR has developed Eros as a one-day workshop-style research technique that puts switched-on consumers together with a company’s marketing and research and development (R&D) teams. These groups work closely together through a structured process, reaching a detailed understanding of what a product needs to deliver to appeal strongly to consumers and fit perfectly against a brand’s intended market position.

“We see many companies bringing the consumer in towards the end of the product development process to simply validate a product or to score their ‘most liked’ formulation from a final shortlist,” said Mat Lintern, MMR’s managing director. “This is too late.

“In today’s competitive markets, a successful product is often one that represents the best possible match between the sensory experience of a product and the intended positioning of a brand. It’s about more than liking, and Eros really helps our clients to understand how to design products to leverage emotional connections and create truly differentiated and rewarding propositions.”

MMR has already completed Eros projects for some food, drink and personal care manufacturers. Food and drink brands are realising its potential not only for new product development, but also for product renovation and better category understanding.

MMR is part of the MMR Group that is a privately owned research company employing 130 people. Founded in 1989 by Professor David Thomson, the group is headquartered in Oxfordshire, England.

By Elizabeth Strong