Instore - July 2018 - 14

specialty insights

Kid
connection
"Eventually they'll be parents, too," she says. "So it's really important to
connect with families - the parents who want to provide clean, healthy
food, and their kids who grow up expecting that kind of option."
Organic Valley recently put that idea into practice with the launch of
its new 100% grass-fed organic yogurt for kids. In addition, "Stringles,"
Organic Valley's single-serve string cheese; American singles; and the
company's kids' milk boxes have all been important to the company's
success, France says.
And more new products aimed at kids are definitely on the horizon
for Organic Valley. "Whenever convenience is a factor, that will be
appealing to busy parents, often with kids in the car," France says. "And
everyone now wants the high quality and clean label of organic in a
ready-to-eat or ready-to-drink format, hopefully available at the gas
station or the corner bodega. So we absolutely want to be wherever our
consumers are shopping, wherever they hope to find us."
For Naperville, Illinois-based Eby-Brown, the largest privately-owned
convenience store distributor in the U.S., marketing efforts aimed at
kids were originally focused mainly on pastries, confections and beverages, says Andy Batt, vice president of business and brand development for the company's Wakefield Sandwich Co. division.

Soon enough, Schwartz-Johnson began noticing the kid-related buzz
surrounding the packs on Creminelli's social media-based campaigns.
Many of the social media influencers who were asked to give the products a test run, then blog about or photograph them, are parents who
shared not only their enthusiasm but their kids'. "We didn't give them
specific guidance, but a ton of the content is about kids eating them,"
Schwartz-Johnson says.

It's since expanded to include more healthful items (reduced sugar,
gluten-free and natural and organic, in particular) and more grab 'n
go items, including Hillshire Small Plates, Cheesewich, P3 and Oscar
Mayer Lunchables products. On the bakery side, Hostess and Mrs.
Freshley's are two strong brands that appeal to kids.
"Some of these are targeting kids while others happen to appeal to kids
and adults," Batt says.
Some convenience stores provide meal deal options that would be
good fits for kids' school lunches, Batt says. "Some stores will offer a
complete meal bundle that includes a sandwich, chips and a beverage
for a special price."

Items in the line, which could definitely grow, Schwartz-Johnson says,
include:
x Casalingo with Aged Gouda and Cherries;
x Felino with Manchengo and Crackers;
x Finnochiona with Provolone and Crackers;
x Prosciutto with Mozzarella and Grissini (breadsticks); and
x Sopressata with Monterey Jack and Crackers

Limited-time offers and new items can be crucial to grabbing the
attention of kids and their parents, Batt says. For promotions, Star Wars
and Minions are two of the brand tie-ins that have borne fruit with
the younger demographic. The key with catering to kids and their
ever-changing tastes, he says, is to keep coming up with new ideas.
"Innovation is constant."

The consumers of the future
Today's kids, France says, are tomorrow's advocates for organic
foods, making it crucial to include them in overall marketing efforts.
14 * JULY 2018 * instore

While Eby-Brown doesn't separate and measure sales of kids' items
separately from the categories and segments the products fall into, it's
clear, Batt says, that "there are several success stories within these kids'
segments. Kids represent our future core consumers. Having relevance
now can have huge benefits in the future."

Kids don't know that Creminelli is a premier brand, but they do have an
instinct for good flavor, and they'll ask for it again and again, SchwartzJohnson says. "The degree to which kids discern quality foods from
normal-quality foods astounds me."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Instore - July 2018