Top 10 trends for 2011 includes social networking

Here are a few extracts from the report, courtesy of Food&Drink Towers.

The top 10

1. Mini treating – ‘Mini treating’ doesn’t necessarily equate to small products, instead it relates to small in value. Rather than splashing out on holidays, cars, expensive jewellery, designer make-up and other traditionally premium treats to reward ourselves for our hard work, we’re downsizing to smaller tokens. These are indulgences purchased for friends, families and ourselves. Mini treats include cakes, chocolate, alcohol and other goodies that can brighten our day, even if just for a short time, but won’t break the bank. Brands will tap into this feel-good factor that’s achievable by creating a mini-indulgence experience during the continuing doom and gloom of the Con-Dem cuts.
2. Dispelling the myths – Consumers are becoming much wiser, but there are still mixed messages throughout the food and drink industry. Additives, for example, are continually questioned by consumers: what do they do and why are they used in food production? The good vs bad fats issue continues unabated. Sales of skimmed milk rise at the detriment of sales of whole, despite the latter being proven to contain more nutrients. Why? We want to save a few calories, yet we’re prepared to eat our bodyweight in chocolate cake to cheer us up. Savvy companies will explore innovative ways of communicating the truths behind the food and drink industry, and TV programmes such as Channel 4’s Food will help immensely.
3. Sustainability
4. Sleep (or our lack of it) – As a nation, we’re becoming obsessed with how many hours’ sleep we’ve had, whether our partner snores, what time we went to bed, what time we got up, whether the kids woke up in the night etc. Sleep spas are popping up across the country and sales of light-therapy lamps (also known as dawn simulators) are on the up. We’re doing our best to get a good night’s sleep! Products high in melatonin are proving popular, as they have been scientifically proven to aid sleep. What else is out there to help support people’s sleep patterns and cure our insomnia?
5. Mums and tums
6. Pop-ups
7. Reducing food waste starts at home
8. Too busy to peel a spud?
9. Rising cost of raw materials – who will take the brunt?li>Social networking & interactivity – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn: they’re all free tools which, when used correctly, can be incredibly powerful for food and drink brands. Interacting with the brand, building a consumer–brand relationship, creating a real identity and engaging in direct communication are essential in today’s market. If you don’t have a social networking plan yet, then it’s strongly recommended that one is built into your 2011 plan. There are many interesting and exciting examples of the food and drink industry storming ahead, including augmented reality, which enables customers to scan packs to get recipes, an image of the ‘finished product’ or even see bands playing their latest single. iPhone Apps are also big business and are being introduced by most major brands.

Source: Food&Drink Towers

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