PiNG! Connecting with Your Consumer - Flipbook - Page 128
PiNG!
CHAPTER 5
PiNG!
CHAPTER 5
Extending Your Impact
across Categories
Categories function as individual stores within each
retailer. Each category meets very different facets of
consumer needs and every brand uses different elements to meet those category needs. Within each
category, there is a common thread that runs through
all brands. Snacks, for instance, sell fun, while feminine care sells protection, comfort and discretion.
Because every category is different, each one has
elements from which you can learn and that can be
applied to the category in which your brand competes.
Each category creates a different look and feel to appeal to its consumers, but there is much to learn from
understanding the core way in which the many brands
in a category connect with their consumer. Additionally, most categories typically divide the needs met by
the products into several sub-segments that appeal
to different consumers. For example, in beverages
there are three primary sub-segments: basic hydration, nutrition and pure taste. All of the brands in beverages, at their most basic levels, fit into at least one
of these sub-segments. Beyond the sub-segments,
though, there is an infinite number of ways to market
each brand. Coke positions itself as the epitome of
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Americana, while Pepsi markets itself as the beverage of the Youth Nation.
Years of experience have given GIO Global Intelligence a thorough understanding of consumer packaged goods in a wide range of categories. We have
examined the drivers that motivate consumers in
each category. We have conducted in-depth analyses of competitive brands in each category to understand how they set themselves apart (successfully or
unsuccessfully) from other brands in the same category. We use our shelf set photographs and brand
architecture reports to assess brand dynamics in
each category and to understand how brands interface with competitors on a global basis. We bring
global knowledge to the table, so that you can look
at your brand’s success in its category beyond its
home market.
There can literally be thousands of brands within a
given category. Successful brands PiNG their consumers with cues that focus on meaningful differences so that consumers can cut through the clutter.
In this chapter, we’ll look at the common PiNG points
from a number of consumer categories.
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