The Sugar Summit - 5 key consumer trends

Over 3,000 UK people aged 8-90 years old took part in our in-depth sugar summit ethnographic and quantitative insight - looking at what people are really thinking and doing about sugar. Below are the key discoveries.

1. The sugar awakening 
In the last 12 months the UK government, medical governing bodies and celebrity chefs have raised concerns about the amount of sugar us Brits are consuming. This has resulted in sugar now being the top ingredient that people take note of on ingredients and 3 out of 5 adults actively making an effort to reduce the amount of sugar in their diet. People have woken up to sugar and not just to fizzy drinks and sweets but to apparent ‘hidden sugars’ in products, with 69% concerned about the amount of sugar in cereal and 40% in bread.

2. State of confusion
The sugar awakening has to led to many consumers questioning labelling on products, being confused about how much sugar they should be consuming in a day and what is deemed ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sugars - if there is such a thing. 2/3’s of people feel brands don’t clearly let consumers know about the amount of sugar in products and are confused by media messages. As one consumer said , ‘messages can be very confusing; 5 a day v’s low salt v’s low sugar v’s no additives – what advice do we take?

3. The counter revolution
The focus on sugar has led to the spotlight also being shone on the alternatives, such as sweeteners. Over the last 5 years we have heard rumblings of distrust of sweeteners, such as Aspartame, from parents. There is a growing group of consumers who would prefer products to contain sugar (64%) rather than sweeteners, as they worry about the ‘unknown’ effects of sweeteners or just prefer the taste of sugar.

4. Taking responsibility 
Many people we talked to felt responsibility for the amount of sugar we eat as a nation should be shared between the manufacturers, regulatory bodies and personal responsibility. 50% felt that people needed to take more ownership of the sugar they and their family’s consume and be active in trying to change their habits for the better.

5. Education and clarity 
The increased awareness, confusion and want to action has led to an overwhelming majority of people (96%) asking for better education on sugar in foods and drinks - for adults as well as kids. They want clearer and simpler labelling and that manufactures should reduce the amount of sugar in products gradually. Many don’t want sugar replaced with even sweeter sweeteners - instead they want the nations palette to adjust to a less sweet diet.

P.S. Overall, most people said it was about achieving a balance. They don't want to be eating ‘sugar’ free birthday cake or munching on a celery stick while watching X Factor. Sugar has it’s place and it’s an enjoyable, fun and feel good time. However, it should be in moderation.

If you would like our full Sugar Summit infographic please contact me at lynne@agentwithin.com and for more about our parent company, Agent please go to www.agentwithin.com 

There is more to being mum

We keep hearing it, experiencing and saying it – but it’s something that’s worth repeating. There’s more to being a mum than being a mum. Behind that title of ‘mum’ is an individual, a person who has her own set of wants and needs. She has to balance that with the needs of her family but her own (often strong) preferences play into her decision-making.

We’ve just carried out some research with our MumPanel of 10,000 mums across the UK and this is what is at the top of their mind at the moment (and some of their thoughts aren’t quite as mumsy as you’d think…).

• The election is a hot topic at the moment. We don’t tend to find mums discussing it in the playground but it’s definitely something they think about – both on a personal level and also how it might affect their family. 88% of mums said they’re going to vote in the general election but even at this late stage 45% haven’t decided who they’re going to vote for. That could mean that mums are the most influential group in determining who’s next in line for government.

• Mums have fun and ‘me time’ too. Mums might not have bags of free time but they still manage to fit in their hobbies and interests. When we asked our MumPanel, half play sport regularly (swimming, running, netball and bootcamp). One third said they regularly holidayed without their kids, two-thirds go to comedy shows or theatre, 40% drink alcohol every week and 75% do DIY (not sure that is always fun!).  It’s not just empty nesters that have ‘me time’, so don’t forget mums when you’re marketing recreational and escape products and services.

• Mums and kids share. Mums share products, experiences and wants with their kids.  They might buy breadsticks and yoghurts for the kids but find they like them. And so the next time they’re buying for themselves as well as the kids.  We found two-thirds of mums like the same music as their kids (Frozen sound track, McBusted, Ed Sheeran, Take That and Taylor Swift). Many go willingly (or suggest going) to concerts and shows with their children – enjoying them as much as the kids. Parents and kids share - whether consciously or not - and brands should look for opportunities for innovation and connection in this area.

• There are many dimensions to being mum. Brands need to see the wider influences, needs and values of mums. Why? So they don’t miss important factors when developing products and service. As a brand if you dig into these deeper factors you can create better, empathetic relationships with your audience and meet ALL the needs of ‘being mum’.

All figures from survey of 600 UK mums (completed 14-20th April 2015). 

If you have any mum or family insight, innovation or communication needs call us on 0161 413 4717 or email lynne@mumpanel.co.uk

Mum truths, tips and trends in 2015

Mum truths, tips and trends in 2015

Over the last few years we’ve talked a lot about how brands view mums. They’re often keen to try and stick them into neat little boxes, with the aim of better understanding this profitable market. But what we’ve discovered time and time again is that the opposite is true – if you try and squeeze mums into a limited profile it narrows your perspective to a point where products and communications miss the spot, or worse, damage your brand.

This idea of thinking beyond demographics now has it’s very own bit of jargon - 'post demographic consumerism’ in marketing speak and is set to be a key trend for marketers in 2015 (it was a key trend for us in 2011!).

So if you take one truth from this blog it should be this – stop thinking of mums in terms of simple (or even complex) demographics. It doesn’t work. Instead, try and really understand mums, their families and lives within their world – and what a diverse, busy and noisy place it is. Their lives are always moving on to the next life stage, dealing with the next challenges and trends to keep up with.

And here are a few other tips to help your brand connect with mums in 2015

Tap into mums emotions
If you’re a parent then you’ll probably suffer from the universal parental emotion – guilt. You might also feel a few other emotions, worry, pressure, doubt. As a brand you’re in the perfect position to address these emotions and help parents overcome them. Let mums know it’s ok not to be perfect.

See mums as a whole person
Once you have a baby you don’t stop being a person. We do have interests and hobbies too. And we care about what’s happening in the world. Engaging on more than the ‘mum’ level will help you understand how to reach mums and what they want.

Have your own voice
Look to mums attitudes and current shopping journeys for inspiration. And keep an eye on the less obvious competition.  If you want to keep ahead of the pack and be a trend-setter then you've got to really get under the skin of your consumer and competition. 

For example all the big 4 supermarkets have lost market share. And growth – it’s with the discounters – Aldi & Lidl. So that must be because they are cheap? That’s not the whole story. Waitrose have also grown (and hold more market share than Aldi). We think that’s because Aldi and Waitrose have something in common – a clear proposition, they know who they are, why their customers like them and know how to successfully engage with them. 

If you’d like to talk to us about really understanding your consumers in 2015 get in touch.  In our next blog we will look at some of the emerging mum trends for the year ahead. So, what do you want to know about mums in 2015?

Mum radar

We’re always listening to mums, asking for their opinions and understanding what matters to them at the moment. So here’s an insight into the latest hot topics and what we’re observing in the mum world.

The power of the photograph

If you really want to engage with mums on social media then photos are a great idea. Mums really take notice of friends and family conversations on posts, and of any photos that are included.

Just recently a friend posted a tour of their holiday apartment in Poole. I watched as 10 or so people asked where it was and were interested in booking. That’s pretty powerful stuff if you are trying to sell something.  Think about mum ambassadors who can show off real life videos and photos – we want to see things from a real perspective.

Storytelling

If you can find a way to tell a story in marketing that relates to me and my family then I’m interested. Make it real and you’ll have mums hooked. Forget falseness or something too contrived – keep it authentic for mums and show the benefits of that service or product within the story.

Fads & fancies

Any brand can offer a product, try and engage with me and my children. But if children don’t like the product (or have suddenly gone off it) then I won’t be buying it. This doesn’t mean that mums will never try again – after all children change their minds. So think about how you can stay in mums space and tempt them back with offers.

Being in two places at once

Most of us mums combine going online with out and about - we use online to find ideas for days out or holidays. And we’re often out and about when we are online (that could be anywhere!).  So find ways to link those two worlds together for mums and make it easy for us to go online when we’re out. Engage by helping us.

The mum recommendation is still number one

As our families grow we always want to know about the next stage. We’re always looking for new ideas, to understand the latest trends. So we listen to what mums have to say, both those who have been there and done it but also what they’ve heard on the grapevine. And mums are very good at telling other parents what we like and don’t like.  In the last week I’ve listened to 3 or 4 mum recommendations and acted on them.

If you'd like to know about mum insight drop us a line. 

      

It’s all about the…offers, points, deals, price promises, bargains and vouchers!

Most mums use these words as an everyday part of their shopping vocabulary. They seek them out, talk about them, feel good when they get them. But in our world of discount normality mums can get overwhelmed with all the offers out there – and struggle to identify what is a real bargain.

And what happens if mums miss out on these offers - does it damage how they feel about your brand?
We asked mums about offers and discounts and here's our top five tips we think you need to know.

Mums share offers 88% of mums tell friends and family about offers they spot.  This covers a wide range of discounts, from ones they pick up on holiday to something they come across in a newspaper or online. Mums share in the school playground, on Facebook and when out with friends. 

Mums actively seek out offers (81%) looks for discounts at the supermarket, online, at the local convenience store or at the local discount outlet. Mums are often focussed on finding offers or discounts for a particular brand. 

Mums will wait for discounts Mums will be patient and collect vouchers over weeks to get discounts. 2/3 of mums said they wait to buy certain products or brands during promotional weeks or events. 

Mums still like paper vouchers 59% mums read the local grocery vouchers coming through the door, they'll even look out for vouchers coming through the door. Most mums won't automatically chuck them in the bin.  

Mums, grandparents and kids like charity shops Over half of mums shop in charity shops (and many like school /summer fairs). But it is not just mums, we hear that children seek out their favourite books, games or toys at bargain prices and tell their friends too.

But all is not rosy in discount land. Mums told us that they get confused by overlapping offers and sometimes this leads to them missing out on offers. If they do miss out they are often left with a negative perception of that brand and might take their spending power elsewhere. And, of course, mums will tell others about their experience - good or bad. That means it's vitally important to have a clear but inclusive discount strategy. 

These findings were taken from the Big Mum Opinion online survey conducted by MumPanel if you’d like a full free copy of the full Big Mum Opinion report please email lynne@mumpanel.co.uk

Is sugar killing our children?

It’s a controversial headline but one you’ll have seen splashed across the press in the last few days. 

This week the World Health Organization advised that we should all halve our daily sugar consumption in order to tackle the growing obesity crisis and other health problems such as tooth decay. 

Much of the advice given is sensible – cut down on fizzy drinks and processed meals which contain hidden sugars. But some of it is hugely confusing for parents – fruit juice contains lots of natural sugar. So should we be ditching this in favour of drinks with artificial sweeteners? There’s plenty of evidence that these aren’t particularly good for children either.  What this means is there's a lot of confused consumers out there and that's bad news for brands. 

So we went to our base of 10,000 mums and asked them what they think about sugar…

Overall findings from the survey:

•  Mums are concerned about sugar in their children’s diet but they tend to worry more about hidden sugars in every day products rather than treats and cakes. They know cakes and sweets contain sugar and tend to position them as a treat with their children. They were more concerned about certain ‘healthy’ products that contain too much sugar i.e. cereal, yoghurt or drinks.
• Mums know fizzy drinks contain too much sugar. Many try and limit but are annoyed about the hidden sugars in cordial based drinks that they buy for their children.
• Many mums said they know they should be more conscious of checking sugar content.
• Mums were less worried about natural sugars in fruit. They don’t want to stop their children eating fruit as the health benefits outweigh the downsides of sugar.
• Many mums said that artificial sweeteners (Aspartame mentioned) are just as bad, if not worse.      Many mums choose 'real' sugar products over ones that contain artificial sweeteners. They don’t want products laden with unnatural ingredients.
• Many mums acknowledged that consequence of too much sugar could be damage to their child’s teeth.

% of mums concerned about sugar content when buying the following products for their child:

Fizzy drinks – 83%

Cordial drinks – 70%

Cereal – 64%

Cakes/Biscuits – 55%

Fruit juice (100% natural) – 51%

Yoghurt 45%

Fruit 15%

For brands it’s about taking this information and helping mums find a way past the shocking headlines so they can make informed decisions.

MumPanel top 4 tips:

1. Consider evidence that mums understand – a teaspoon level measure per product shown on products. Distinguish between ‘natural’ sugars and ‘added’ sugars.
2. Fruit is good for you even if it does contain sugar. Let’s help parents understand why the health benefits of fruit outweigh the sugar content.
3. Show parents the whole picture. Let’s help parents educate themselves and inform their children. It is an opportunity for brands to show responsibility and to educate.
4. Many parents would not like products to replace hidden sugar with hidden sweeteners. If brands can make products more natural and contain less ‘added’ sugar that would help.

 What our mums said...

• Some foods are artificially sweetened too much and have far too much variety of different sugars than are really needed
• I am concerned about the things they consume throughout the day not the one off snacks or treat
• We all consume too much and it is so hidden in some products
• Like to think healthier options are lower in sugar. For treats I'm less concerned as they are that - treats
• I try to buy juices that aren't made from concentrate or the type with water, equally I prefer obvious full sugar products than ones full of artificial sweetener
• Do not want to be consuming too many hidden sugars. I think there is too much sugar in foods and it is quite hard to follow a low sugar diet with minimum fuss
• I always look at the sugar levels and the additives. I don't like to buy anything containing aspartame
• I know that fruit has natural sugars in it, and I choose organic as often as possible, so as a natural product haven't got any concerns, and I would expect the fruit juice to be the same. I don't like the way sugar products are advertised and aimed at children. Also I don't like the way they advertise it as sugar free but replace the sugar with artificial products that are more harming than sugar
• Some cereals and soft drinks have far too much sugar in them. Yogurts also have too much sugar. They are not supposed to be sweet!
• I would rather they ate and drank something than nothing
• I was shocked when I recently found out that fruit juice contains more sugar than a fizzy drink. I tend only to buy no sugar cordials now
• My daughter eats a very healthy diets so she can afford to have sweet treats without us counting the sugar contents, although I prefer cereal to be sugar and additive free as it is one of the most important meals of the day and needs to be healthy
• We want to make sure the kids have a healthy and balanced diet, of course we allow treats but we are careful. Plus I don't want them to have rotten teeth either!
• I think people should be educated properly on healthy eating and packaging be made clearer

*Stats and findings taken from MumPanel survey (700 responses) conducted on 5^th March 2014.