You can imagine our interest when we ran across a story in
The Atlantic profiling organic produce purchased at Walmart (and comparing it
with Whole Foods) in
“The Great
Grocery Smackdown.” A few years ago we offered our insights on
Walmart’s
foray into organic. Evident from past work with Wal-Mart itself on the very
issue, several years ago we knew that the case for organics was something of a
slam dunk - it wasn't a matter of if as much as when and how. In The Atlantic
article, surprised by the quality and selection of organic produce at Walmart,
and impressed by their sustainability efforts the writer observes the following:
“In
an ideal world, people would buy their food directly from the people who
grew or caught it, or grow and catch it themselves. But most people can’t do
that. If there were a Walmart closer to where I live, I would probably shop
there.”
He’s not the only one. While a number of consumers buy
locally grown, made and sourced products for environmental reasons, it is a
relatively small number in comparison to those consumers buying products
beneath the halo of local for a much different reason—namely, higher quality
food experiences.
There is a misconception within the industry and the press
that big brands (i.e., Walmart) can’t be local. The consumer desire for higher
quality food experiences gives big brands the permission to play in the local
arena. This is as much about connecting consumers with the foods they eat and
not navigated with the use of a U.S. Atlas; the distance a product has to
travel from source to store and table is something (again) only a relatively
small (albeit growing) group of consumers are concerned with at the moment.
What makes foods and other products produced “locally”
special are the strong stories and faces behind their production as well as an
intrinsic connection to a specific place. Local products stand a chance of
being fresher and spark memories of pastoral times that predate the ills of
modern living.
As we've noted many times from our research, consumers have
an increased desire to obtain products they deem are genuine or most authentic.
Quality markers such as ingredients and narratives of origin (local) and the
context within which a purchase is made are those factors that have the most
influence on the perception that a product is or is not authentic. As one
consumer told us:
“Authenticity means something is
genuine; it's real, not just for show... Something that is more heartfelt,
something with human spirit in it... authenticity is fairly hard to find.”
So, how can a big brand be local? For starters, by
harnessing the power of narrative, big brands can tell a compelling story of
what makes their product distinct through the use of special ingredients, for example,
which gives it a better quality taste profile. As cited in The Atlantic,
Walmart is doing this with their Heritage Agriculture program.
Brands can also find success marketing products as local
even if they are grown on the other side of the world. In fact, sometimes it
helps for things to be further away. Consumers have very romanticized visions
in their heads of certain regions where products are grown and tend to avoid
picturing anything negative. Big brands are at a starting point when they give
the consumer a story along with a product. It will be relatively easy to build
on the vision that already exists in consumers’ minds.
