Healthy Food Marketing: What makes a brand truly irresistible?

Chop’t, Aleve, So Delicious, RiteAid, Happy Baby/Happy Tot, Larabars, Polar, Nutella, Baskin Robbins, Goldfish, Snapple.What do these brands have in common?High consumer knowledge and the highest I-Factor^® scores in their category.I love figuring out what makes a brand irresistible. It’s not just cool (which it is), it’s crucial. It’s information a brand absolutely needs to survive and grow in this crazy digital age. And it’s why we created I-Factor^®. I-Factor^® is a revolutionary brand-building tool that digs into the three dimensions of the unique relationship consumers have with brands right now. We’ve done 60 proprietary studies and no matter what categories we are looking at, the same thing keeps surfacing.

Love (Crave) is not enough to make a brand Irresistible today.

If brands want today’s consumers to spend more and share more (and who doesn’t) they need to do something very important, let consumers really get to know them.The brands with the highest I-Factor^® scores are the ones with the highest score in the Comprehend dimension. That means brands that consumers are most connected to, are brands they have an intimate knowledge of.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know I-Factor^® is based on 3 things:

• Do consumers COMPREHEND (understand) the brand?
• Do consumers CRAVE (love and addiction) the brand?
• Is there CRAZE (wear it/ share it) around the brand?

We kind of assumed that brands with the highest CRAVE (love) scores would be most Irresistible, but that’s not the case. Love is not enough.If you really think about it, it makes sense in this age of transparency.

Knowledge is on trend.

To sustain a relationship, consumers are really looking for compelling brand stories to help get to know a brand on a deeper, more personal level. So COMPREHEND scores rely on a consumer’s deep understanding of a brand. We are in a time where transparency builds trust. Consumers want to know what’s actually in the products they buy, if the brand is open and honest and how the products are really made.

So exactly why are these brands winning? Let’s take a look.

For our snack bar study, we looked at Kashi, Kind, Larabar and Nutrigrain. Larabar had the highest overall I-Factor^® score AND the highest Comprehend score. Their tagline “Food made from Food” and their packaging gives consumers a clear insight into exactly who they are and what they stand for: clean ingredients made from real food. Very simple and very effective.Nutella is another great example. Consumers - especially millennial moms - know who Nutella is and exactly what to expect from it. Their COMPREHEND score is high and they win their category with the highest I-Factor^® score. This brand was built on authenticity and it still works.

So what does this mean for your brand?

Comprehend is critical. Brands that want to be successful need to let consumers under the tent. It makes sense doesn’t it? If we want consumers to share, we need to give them content that’s shareable, content that adds value.

Do you know how Irresistible you are?

Is there a more compelling brand story that you could be telling?Let’s see what kind of magic we can unlock for your brand. Let’s talk!