There
seems to be a universal understanding in the grocery world that the household
food shopping is done solely by women. Supermarkets and manufacturers are under
this belief as well, as their advertising campaigns have been crafted to
attract women, an perhaps children who can then tell their mom's what they
would like them to purchase. But is this
belief actually correct? Are these
successful multi-million dollar companies actually losing money by continuing
this advertising trend?
One only
needs to look around the supermarket when they do their shopping to know that
answer. Who is it you see in the
checkout line next to you? Who is that
you see taking advantage of that week's Buy One Get One Free selections?
Men. They are all over the store. Selecting produce; ordering from the meat
counter; choosing the cereal. There are
more and more men shopping every day.
They are not just shopping, they are couponing as well. They are also scanning their store card for
additional discounts. There are a significant
amount of single, divorced and widowed men in this country, and they are
visiting supermarkets multiple times a week.
According
to the United States Census Bureau, in a data report released in 2012, there
were 103 million unmarried people in America 18 and older. This group made up
44.1 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. 46.4 percent of these individuals were
men. That equates to almost 48 million Americans who are not being directly
marketing to - that is if you ignore the beer and Beef Jerky commercials.
According
to consumer-research firm GfK MRI and an ESPN report, 31 percent of men nationwide were the primary household grocery
shoppers in 2011, up from 14 percent in 1985. Some
estimates are higher. A nationwide survey of 1,000 fathers conducted by Yahoo
and market research firm DB5 released early this year said 51 percent were the primary grocery shoppers in their household. Of
that group, 60 percent said they were the primary decision-makers regarding
consumer package goods, which includes packaged food.
"We're
seeing more men doing grocery shopping and more young dads cooking with their
kids as a way to bond with them at home," said Phil Lempert, a supermarket
consultant. "It's very different from the whole metrosexual phenomenon of
six, seven, eight years ago, but a much more down-to-earth (approach), not
trying to show off, but trying to be part of the family."
Brad
Harrington, executive director of the Center for Work and Family at Boston
College, said "men on the homefront are where women in the workplace were
30 years ago," in terms of how they are portrayed on television and even
in advertisements — namely, as disengaged or incompetent. "If
we portrayed women like that in the workplace, there would be an outcry,"
he said.
According
to a 2012 survey conducted by Cone Communications new survey, 52 percent of fathers now identify
themselves as the primary grocery shopper in their household, and while not
all moms agree, about 35 percent say that over the past few years, dad has taken
on more of the shopping. "No
doubt male shopping behavior is undergoing major change," says Tod Marks,
Consumer Reports senior editor and resident shopping expert. "Back in
1995, studies have shown that only 10 percent of men identified themselves as
the family's main grocery shopper. That number has been rising steadily."
The survey
included 1,000 parents of kids 17 and under. Other findings showed that 63
percent of dads make a detailed shopping
list and 56 percent collect coupons or
read store circulars. Additionally, dads are more likely
to plan meals for the week ahead of time (52 percent vs. 46 percent of moms),
and even more inclined to research grocery products (24 percent vs. 11 percent
of moms).
But change
appears to be under way. Kraft scored
with men in 2011 by way of its Philadelphia Cooking Creme, which was attributed
in part to displaying it near chicken.
Guys impulsively bought that product, thinking that it was a way to try
a different way of making chicken. Sales volumes of Philly Cooking Creme were 20
percent above expectations in 2011, the company said, after a $35 million
investment in advertising, in-store promotions, coupons and product
demonstrations.
The
success of Philly Cooking Creme and other brands are case studies Kraft is
presenting to the entire company, looking for other products where male-themed
marketing makes sense. Some local
grocery chains are also looking for ways to get into the mix. A spokeswoman for
Jewel said the chain is watching the trend toward more male shoppers but hasn't
made any major changes. A Safeway spokeswoman said they have man-friendly
marketing in the works but declined to provide specifics.
Other
chains have seen a good share of men for some time. Maggie Bahler, executive
marketing coordinator for Whole Foods Market's Midwest region, said the chain's
shoppers are about half men, although the company hasn't been tracking shopping
habits by gender over time.
Men have
different shopping tendencies which are causing food-makers to look at a
different set of opportunities, as men appear to be less hurried in stores and
more prone to impulse purchases than women.
"Though
men are very mission-driven, very grab-and-go, get-it-done, it's not at the
expense of paying a price premium," he said. "They are very driven by
finding best prices before making purchases, and they're not going to jettison
quality either."
Abhi
Hansoti, a 35-year-old management consultant, said that because he does most of
his shopping at two stores, "I know prices at both places and I'll pick
things based on the prices there." Although
Hansoti buys produce from Whole Foods because the quality is better "just
from experience," he goes to Jewel for such items as bread and milk.
Hahn-Griffiths
said men are less likely to ask for help finding an item but more likely to
make a second sweep through the store, in case they've missed something. "It's part of the hunter mindset,"
he said. "When you're a hunter, you're more likely to move from place to
place and recircle areas you might have missed." As a result, men might also be spending more
time in stores than women.
Despite
price sensitivity on shopping-list items, experts say, men are also prone to
impulse buys. Susan Viamari, editor of Times
& Trends at SymphonyIRI Group, explained that they "have a little
brighter outlook on the economy and their finances, and this is going to impact
their purchase behavior and their openness to impulsive purchases, trying new
products, things of that nature."
So.....what
is my point. I find it confusing that
will all this research out there, why is it the that major supermarket chains
for Jacksonville, Publix and Winn-Dixie do not market to the men of the First
Coast. It is true that they are the past
and current sponsors of the Jacksonville Jaguars and they both run
"tailgating" promotions in the fall, but they will not activate
either of these ventures with our radio station that directly markets to
men. Our current advertisers are
exceeding their marketing goals by running their commercials and participating
in promotions on 1010XL. Wouldn't it
make sense that both Publix and Winn-Dixie would do the same? If we have Carroll's Meat Shoppe selling out
on the cuts they are advertising on our station, wouldn't the "Beef
People" of Winn-Dixie succeed as well?
Wouldn't Jaguars sponsor Publix be a perfect participant for our own
tailgating promotion? Again, I find it confusing.
With that
said, as we are about to turn the page to 2014....hey Publix and Winn-Dixie...have
your people call my people. I can give
you a direct line to the Men of Jacksonville and help you increase your
revenues....
There
seems to be a universal understanding in the grocery world that the household
food shopping is done solely by women. Supermarkets and manufacturers are under
this belief as well, as their advertising campaigns have been crafted to
attract women, an perhaps children who can then tell their mom's what they
would like them to purchase. But is this
belief actually correct? Are these
successful multi-million dollar companies actually losing money by continuing
this advertising trend?
One only
needs to look around the supermarket when they do their shopping to know that
answer. Who is it you see in the
checkout line next to you? Who is that
you see taking advantage of that week's Buy One Get One Free selections?
Men. They are all over the store. Selecting produce; ordering from the meat
counter; choosing the cereal. There are
more and more men shopping every day.
They are not just shopping, they are couponing as well. They are also scanning their store card for
additional discounts. There are a significant
amount of single, divorced and widowed men in this country, and they are
visiting supermarkets multiple times a week.
According
to the United States Census Bureau, in a data report released in 2012, there
were 103 million unmarried people in America 18 and older. This group made up
44.1 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. 46.4 percent of these individuals were
men. That equates to almost 48 million Americans who are not being directly
marketing to - that is if you ignore the beer and Beef Jerky commercials.
According
to consumer-research firm GfK MRI and an ESPN report, 31 percent of men nationwide were the primary household grocery
shoppers in 2011, up from 14 percent in 1985. Some
estimates are higher. A nationwide survey of 1,000 fathers conducted by Yahoo
and market research firm DB5 released early this year said 51 percent were the primary grocery shoppers in their household. Of
that group, 60 percent said they were the primary decision-makers regarding
consumer package goods, which includes packaged food.
"We're
seeing more men doing grocery shopping and more young dads cooking with their
kids as a way to bond with them at home," said Phil Lempert, a supermarket
consultant. "It's very different from the whole metrosexual phenomenon of
six, seven, eight years ago, but a much more down-to-earth (approach), not
trying to show off, but trying to be part of the family."
Brad
Harrington, executive director of the Center for Work and Family at Boston
College, said "men on the homefront are where women in the workplace were
30 years ago," in terms of how they are portrayed on television and even
in advertisements — namely, as disengaged or incompetent. "If
we portrayed women like that in the workplace, there would be an outcry,"
he said.
According
to a 2012 survey conducted by Cone Communications new survey, 52 percent of fathers now identify
themselves as the primary grocery shopper in their household, and while not
all moms agree, about 35 percent say that over the past few years, dad has taken
on more of the shopping. "No
doubt male shopping behavior is undergoing major change," says Tod Marks,
Consumer Reports senior editor and resident shopping expert. "Back in
1995, studies have shown that only 10 percent of men identified themselves as
the family's main grocery shopper. That number has been rising steadily."
The survey
included 1,000 parents of kids 17 and under. Other findings showed that 63
percent of dads make a detailed shopping
list and 56 percent collect coupons or
read store circulars. Additionally, dads are more likely
to plan meals for the week ahead of time (52 percent vs. 46 percent of moms),
and even more inclined to research grocery products (24 percent vs. 11 percent
of moms).
But change
appears to be under way. Kraft scored
with men in 2011 by way of its Philadelphia Cooking Creme, which was attributed
in part to displaying it near chicken.
Guys impulsively bought that product, thinking that it was a way to try
a different way of making chicken. Sales volumes of Philly Cooking Creme were 20
percent above expectations in 2011, the company said, after a $35 million
investment in advertising, in-store promotions, coupons and product
demonstrations.
The
success of Philly Cooking Creme and other brands are case studies Kraft is
presenting to the entire company, looking for other products where male-themed
marketing makes sense. Some local
grocery chains are also looking for ways to get into the mix. A spokeswoman for
Jewel said the chain is watching the trend toward more male shoppers but hasn't
made any major changes. A Safeway spokeswoman said they have man-friendly
marketing in the works but declined to provide specifics.
Other
chains have seen a good share of men for some time. Maggie Bahler, executive
marketing coordinator for Whole Foods Market's Midwest region, said the chain's
shoppers are about half men, although the company hasn't been tracking shopping
habits by gender over time.
Men have
different shopping tendencies which are causing food-makers to look at a
different set of opportunities, as men appear to be less hurried in stores and
more prone to impulse purchases than women.
"The
mindset has been that she shops, she really knows every inch of the store, she
is really organized, has a list, is in a huge hurry," Calpino said.
"We talk to a lot of these millennial guys about shopping, and the biggest
headline is they're not as structured, not as hurried, much more experimental,
more adventurous."
Stephen
Hahn-Griffiths, chief strategy officer with Leo Burnett in Chicago, said men
are slightly more inclined to shop around for the best prices than are women.
"Though
men are very mission-driven, very grab-and-go, get-it-done, it's not at the
expense of paying a price premium," he said. "They are very driven by
finding best prices before making purchases, and they're not going to jettison
quality either."
Abhi
Hansoti, a 35-year-old management consultant, said that because he does most of
his shopping at two stores, "I know prices at both places and I'll pick
things based on the prices there." Although
Hansoti buys produce from Whole Foods because the quality is better "just
from experience," he goes to Jewel for such items as bread and milk.
Hahn-Griffiths
said men are less likely to ask for help finding an item but more likely to
make a second sweep through the store, in case they've missed something. "It's part of the hunter mindset,"
he said. "When you're a hunter, you're more likely to move from place to
place and recircle areas you might have missed." As a result, men might also be spending more
time in stores than women.
Despite
price sensitivity on shopping-list items, experts say, men are also prone to
impulse buys. Susan Viamari, editor of Times
& Trends at SymphonyIRI Group, explained that they "have a little
brighter outlook on the economy and their finances, and this is going to impact
their purchase behavior and their openness to impulsive purchases, trying new
products, things of that nature."
So.....what
is my point. I find it confusing that
will all this research out there, why is it the that major supermarket chains
for Jacksonville, Publix and Winn-Dixie do not market to the men of the First
Coast. It is true that they are the past
and current sponsors of the Jacksonville Jaguars and they both run
"tailgating" promotions in the fall, but they will not activate
either of these ventures with our radio station that directly markets to
men. Our current advertisers are
exceeding their marketing goals by running their commercials and participating
in promotions on 1010XL. Wouldn't it
make sense that both Publix and Winn-Dixie would do the same? If we have Carroll's Meat Shoppe selling out
on the cuts they are advertising on our station, wouldn't the "Beef
People" of Winn-Dixie succeed as well?
Wouldn't Jaguars sponsor Publix be a perfect participant for our own
tailgating promotion? Again, I find it confusing.
With that
said, as we are about to turn the page to 2014....hey Publix and Winn-Dixie...have
your people call my people. I can give
you a direct line to the Men of Jacksonville and help you increase your
revenues....
