Holiday Marketing Opportunities for Easter & Spring

Holiday Marketing Opportunities for Easter & Spring

American consumers need something to look forward to; Spring and Easter could be a turning point

The Easter holiday is more than just a one-time event on April 4th; it’s an entire season, including the Spring season and celebrating warmer weather. This will be our second Easter and Spring under the cloud of the pandemic, but rest assured, Americans are keen to celebrate in a big way as we are literally looking for any excuse to distract ourselves from our daily stress.

Even in a pandemic with varying levels of restrictions here in the USA, below are a few of the “mini events” brands can still build shopper marketing around leading up to Easter on April 4th.

HOW MANY ‘MINI EVENTS’ (OR BUYING OPPORTUNITIES) CAN YOU THINK OF FOR THE SPRING + EASTER SEASON?

• Spruce up for Spring - Many Americans like to welcome Spring (whenever it begins to actually feel like Spring) by sprucing up the outside and insides of their homes with spring decorations and seasonal flowers. Grocery stores and garden centers are keen to promote and sell flowers, like tulips and peonies. In addition to pretty, Spring flowers, many Americans like to dress up their home entrance with season-appropriate welcome mats and garden decor.

• Outdoor picnics - Getting outside for sunshine and fresh air is one of the best things we can do for ourselves during these cooped up, pandemic days. Once the weather is warm enough to play outside, you better believe we’ll all be out there taking nature walks, exercising, playing at playgrounds and having picnics. While we expect to be masked up and socially distanced for quite some time, Americans are hopeful that come Spring things can possibly loosen up a little bit. After over a year of staying home and virtual everything, we are all craving physical, in-person experiences with others. Here’s hoping that vaccine can get to a lot more people come Spring.

• Easter dress - For households with children, normally buying an Easter outfit is on the agenda for some Americans. The difference is this year, there’s basically no where to go if you get all dressed up. Still, some people will go for it. For little ladies and big ones too, this can especially be a big deal. Parents often use this time as a good excuse to get professional photos made of the kids or the entire family. I personally like to have matching dresses for my daughter and I, and I’ve already got my photographer lined up for Spring family photos.

• Dying Easter eggs - To decorate for Easter and Spring, a lot of households will hard boil eggs and dye them different Spring colors. There are egg-dying kits to buy, or some people may opt for natural, plant-based dyes. After the eggs are properly colored and dried, they make pretty decor items for the household.

• Easter baskets - Easter baskets filled with treats are a traditional Easter gift, especially for children. While the focus tends to be on confectionary products, like Peeps (sugar covered marshmallows in the shape of baby chickens,) Easter eggs with prizes inside, chocolate Easter bunnies, and Easter-themed candy, a lot of gifts will extend to toys, clothes, games, etc. Adults can certainly be given Easter baskets too.

• Treat bags to welcome Spring & Easter - Since many community events (like neighborhood or church Easter egg hunts) will still be off the table, some American neighborhoods (especially suburban areas) are likely to bring joy by dropping off treat bags at the front doors of their friends and neighbors’ homes. Some of the people I’ve conducted research with recently tell me that they are planning to drop off goodies to friends and neighbors (in particular, parents/grandparents, elderly neighbors, neighborhood families with children — basically everyone who would use a good cheering up) to welcome Spring on the first day of Spring and also again for Easter.

• The big grocery shop - Even for our smaller celebrations this year, Americans will be heading to their grocery store (or ordering online) to do a big Easter shop. This is when they’ll pick up their Easter ham or lamb, ingredients for any baking, drinks and probably some flowers too.

• Easter day - Americans’ celebrations for Easter day can vary. Church-going folks may rise extra early for a sunrise church service (likely to be outside.) Typically most Easter meals tend to focus around lunch or dinner — mostly at home this year, or perhaps outdoor seating at restaurants for those in non-restricted areas. Some mainstays for the day include specific food traditions and for children, an Easter egg hunt. Traditional food on Easter can include: ham, leg of lamb, deviled eggs, baked goods, etc.

• Orthodox Easter - Don’t forget, there are actually two Easters. Orthodox Christians will celebrate Orthodox Easter almost a full month later, on May 2nd. Orthodox Easter can look like a repeat of the regular Easter, but with a few notable differences — mainly, serving a whole lamb. For example, my husband’s Greek family has a tradition of slaughtering a lamb at a local farm and roasting the whole lamb on our spit grill in the back yard in time for our big, Greek Easter party. Sadly, no big party for us this year, but we will likely still roast an entire lamb, but just for our own household, freezing the leftovers.

Easter bunny cake

Koulourakia, traditional Easter cookies from Greek culture

Holiday Planning Help

Is Spring or Easter a major selling season for your brand? How is your company planning to connect with consumers during the Spring & Easter season? Do you know what your consumers are most looking forward to for Spring, or what their needs will be?

Contact me to discuss how your brand or retailer can leverage the next season (Spring) or holiday (Easter) in your consumer marketing. We can conduct virtual research now with our panel of American consumers to test ideas & ask questions about their plans for Spring, or we can explore planning or implementing a holiday/seasonal marketing campaign for your brand.

Lisa Mabe Founder & CEO, Green Purse

Contact Lisa



What Millennial Women are Buying this Fall

WHAT MILLENNIAL WOMEN ARE BUYING THIS FALL

American women looking to indulge in seasonal treats, home goods & entertainment

Many of your American millennial aged female consumers are excited about the new autumn season, and rightly so as even though we are in the middle of a pandemic, there is still plenty to look forward to and enjoy. This unique season brings with it beautiful weather, seasonal produce and ingredients, scents and tastes all uniquely owned by fall. In anticipation of winter being especially dreary, consumers tell us that they consider fall as their last bit of outdoor fun before we all tuck indoors for winter.

We asked Green Purse PR’s panel of Millennial women (including many mothers) what they’re looking forward to about fall, as well as what they have been buying, or plan to buy, in order to keep themselves and their families happy, healthy and properly entertained during their continued time at home, due to the pandemic. Listed below are some of what they shared with us.

Pumpkins spice lattes are always a big hit during fall.

How American millennial women plan to soak up the fall season

• “We’re trying to be outside as much as we can. You could not pay me to do any indoor activities with my kids right now, so we’re into things like farm visits, pumpkin patches, nature trails. So far we’ve decorated our front door with mums and pumpkins, I’ve bought several art and decorating kits for the kids and I’ve gotten more seasonal decorations to try to make it more special for the kids.”

• “My online shopping orders go something like this — chocolate, wine, yoga pants, sports bra, more chocolate and more wine.”

• “I love doing bonfires, the smell of BBQ and roasting marshmallows. My husband ordered a new firepit. I’m in the process of researching and buying some stargazing equipment - binoculars and a telescope as fall is really good time to see things in the night sky.”

• “I’m still loading up on beverages - everything from tea, coffee, wine and beer to kids’ juice boxes and sparkling waters.”

• “You still cannot hardly find any cleaning products in stores, so I’m constantly on a hunt for those and like a squirrel, I’m starting to hunt and gather toiletries, freezer foods and other household supplies so we won’t have to run out to the store as much.”

• “I’m pretty exhausted of constantly having to think of new and exciting things to do to school and entertain my children. I’ll probably look into buying some digital subscriptions soon as we’ll be in the house more - things like Disney+ and more online education supplements, like Scholastic.”

• “Games and educational toys. I want to make a game area in my house and have them on a shelf so the children can get them easily. So far I’ve got some children’s matching & sorting games, Jenga and Lincoln Logs.

• “We normally buy organic food at Whole Foods, but I’ve already stocked up on some junk food as special treats - graham crackers to make smores, candy (Halloween candy, of course) and mixes to make brownies and cupcakes. I love the smell of sweets baking in the oven; we’ll probably bake some treats once a week for the next few months.

• “If it smells or tastes like pumpkin spice, I need it. I’ve gotten some pumpkin candles, pumpkin flavored yogurts, pumpkin beer. You name it, I’ve got it.”

• “I’ll be loading up on bath supplies - wine, bath bombs, bath salts, and more wine. I plan to be in the tub most evenings.”

• “I absolutely love fall! I need to invest in a huge pile of firewood soon because I’ll start making fireplaces every night. My cold weather routine is make a fire, put on a good movie or show and make some yummy food & drinks.”

• “We are going to make our house so cozy that we’ll never want to leave. We just had our kitchen and living room completely gutted and renovated this summer. We now have plenty more space for our work and homeschool, and a brand new, bright and cheery place to cook and hang out. Currently, I’m decorating — getting things like art, new couch, cozy blankets, fireplace and mantle decorations.”

• “Now that it’s getting cooler, I’m starting to do my at-home workouts indoors, instead of on my patio. I’ve carved out a little workout nook in my living room by a window for my yoga mat and weights.”

• “We’ve just bought a new house, so I’ll be buying a bunch of new furniture, rugs and window treatments. I feel like we’re having to buy everything all over again and it’s fun as we’ll soon be in hibernation mode this winter.”

• “Because it’s pretty miserable right now, I’m trying to keep myself happy by buying some little treats - rewarding myself with good food (steaks, wine, chocolate, desserts,) skincare (masks, lotions,) lots of books & ordering movies online. I’ve ordered some pretty things for the house (art, candles and I’m getting fresh flowers more often.)

• “It’s been a real struggle to keep the house clean these past six months. I’m planning to order a small, cordless vacuum online soon as I’m tired of killing my back with the big vacuum on areas, like the stairs.”

• “This is so not environmentally-friendly of me, but I’ve recently bought a bunch of paper plates and cups. I’m so so sick of doing dishes (like 2 or 3 loads per day.) I feel like raking the real dishes into the sink and breaking them all! On days when I just can’t deal with everything, I’m opting for paper plates that we can throw away so I don’t have to do more dishes.”

• “Our house loves fall drinks - we are going to make a lot of pumpkin spice coffee drinks & alcohol drinks. The kids love hot chocolate. We’ve got to keep things fun and special to keep happy and motivated.”

• “I did buy a bunch more vitamins and supplements a few months ago, but I’ll need to do that again before winter so keep keep the flu and coronavirus away. Lots of vitamin C and immunity boosting products.”

• “I’m soaking up the sun as much as possible, while I can. I’ve been going out to restaurants (outside seating,) vineyards, farms - anywhere outside where I can sit and read a book and sip on something delicious. Speaking of books, I’ve definitely been going through some books lately. I follow goodreads.com and buy several each month, more than I’ve ever read in my life.”

• “This fall is going to be all about cooking for me. During summer, I got a decent amount of takeout and made summer salads and the like that are light, quick and easy. Now for fall, I want to try doing more baking — making harder recipes that take time and more effort. I’m looking to buy a nice mixer, upgrade my coffee maker and buying some new, pretty dishes.”

• “We’ve not had to buy as many clothes for the kids, but I have been buying more pajama sets for them recently. I’ve also bought some new workout clothes and some lingerie.”
  

How is your brand talking with consumers during the pandemic autumn days?

As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic here in the USA, Green Purse PR is committed to helping our research clients stay informed by serving up the most valuable and current consumer insights.

We've got a constant pulse on the changing behaviors of American consumers, particularly, health-conscious women and mothers. We are currently conducting virtual shopper research to better understand how consumers are shopping in categories like: food & beverage, household goods (like cleaning products & personal care,) entertainment, online education and children’s toys.

Submit an information request for answers to your specific questions about your consumers and we can explore conducting custom research for your brand. Learn more and contact us here →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/virtual-shopper-research. 

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Halloween is Not Cancelled

Making the Most of the Fall + Halloween Shopping Season Amid the Pandemic

Autumn is almost here and Halloween is our next major holiday. I know a certain segment of our population here in the USA is keen to cancel just about everything, but rest assure many consumers will still be celebrating Halloween this year.

We encourage our PR clients to think of seasons and major holidays, like Autumn and Halloween, as a series of “mini events” in an effort to stretch out the season and create more purchase opportunities.

Even in a pandemic, here are just a few of the “mini events” (and buying opportunities) you can still build shopper marketing around.

Build Shopper Marketing Around These ‘Mini-Events’ Leading up to Halloween

• Front door decor - People are already eager to embrace fall. Bring on the pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, and all the fun home decorations that can help us keep our spirits up during this challenging year. Fall decor at front doors is an American tradition, whether someone has a big house or a tiny apartment. We need all the cheer we can get during 2020; I expect people to keep decorating their doorways and I hear some plan to be even more elaborate since we’re all spending so much more time at home these days.

• Pumpkin picking - Picking pumpkins outside is still a fun activity most people can feel comfortable participating in.

• Halloween home decorations - In addition to the fall door decor, which typically comes fairly early on in the season (September,) we expect more people to take their home decoration for Halloween even more seriously. We’re not just talking jack-o'-lanterns, but also larger-than-life, inflatable ghosts & pumpkins, projections onto houses, and anything else to amuse and entertain.

• Costume shopping - Although many will need to wear a face mask on top, it sounds like everyone is still keen to dress up, either buying new costumes or perhaps recycling some from years past.

• Halloween grocery haul - In addition to purchasing Halloween candy (probably quite a bit less than usual,) many plan to do a big grocery shop just ahead of the holiday to make a special dinner and sweet treats at home. Since trick or treating may not be possible, many people we’ve spoken with are planning to make the holiday special by staying home and making special treats for their immediate household, or with friends, at a safe distance.

• Halloween treat bags - Instead of traditional ‘trick or treating,’ several folks we’ve conducted research with are planning to offer individually wrapped treat bags (at a distance) to others they know personally. Many are even planning small gatherings, Halloween treat meet & greets, outside to share candy and enjoy seeing costumes with neighbors.

Fall door decor found at American’s homes

If your brand produces products, like Halloween candy, that are ideal for fall and Halloween, be sure to show consumers safe and socially-distanced ways to incorporate your products into a 2020 type of Halloween experience.

Halloween Holiday Merchandising

Here is a Halloween end cap we spotted recently at a Whole Foods Market store. Have you noticed or produced any creative holiday merchandising for Halloween this year?

Speaking of holidays, Green Purse PR is now producing a monthly calendar, a list of holidays (major holidays and marketing holidays) to help guide your PR and social marketing programs. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, #GetInHerCart, here to get access.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR

How is Your Brand Connecting with Moms this Summer?

HOW IS YOUR BRAND CONNECTING WITH MOMS WHILE THEY ‘SUMMER’ AT HOME?

Instead of spending on vacations, consumers are spending on things to keep themselves entertained at home.

Many of your American consumers are “Summering” at home this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. This cultural change is impacting how they shop and what they buy. Summer usually means beach trips, summer camps for kids, international travel and lots of fun outdoor activities. Our new ‘stay at home’ culture is causing purchase behaviors to be very different. It is also changing the way brands talk with consumers about their products.

We asked our panel of Millennial moms what they’ve been buying to keep their families happy, healthy and properly entertained during their continued time at home over summer. Listed below are some of what they shared with us.

How American Millennial Moms plan to ‘summer’ at home during coronavirus

• “Lots of alcohol! I’ll be making lots of cold, hard drinks while I work from home (on the patio in my bikini) and summer school and make sure the kids are outside not messing up my house constantly.”

• “I’m already thinking about backyard entertainment to keep the kids busy while I work. I’ve been on Pinterest researching and screenshotting outdoor activities. We’ve got baby pools; we’ll order some more water toys, art supplies and lots of good healthy snacks to have on hand.“

• “As long as I can crack open a LaCroix a few times a day, I’ll be ok. I’ve got an arsenal of LaCroix containers - all flavors at the ready.”

• “I’m bored already just thinking about staying home all Summer and not going anywhere on vacation! I’m planning to start some new hobbies - I want to take some virtual cooking classes (maybe Italian cooking until I can ever get over to Italy.) We’ve got a huge inflatable water pool & slide for our kids and we’ll stock up on lots of good food to make the most of our time at home.”

• “Sounds like we had better hunker down and get comfortable being at home just about all the time. I’m making my bedroom an oasis; I’ve bought a new mattress, added some house plants and some really good lighting (including fairy lights) to make it as cozy and as inviting as possible.”

• “Ice cream, kids fruit drinks, and if we can’t get them at the store, we’ll learn to make them ourselves.”

• “I bought a bunch of mini piñatas and a bunch of candy to have every once in a while for the kids. I’m getting myself a nice Nepresso machine so I can have specialty iced lattes all summer.”

• “I want to do certain food activities on certain days. We’re doing Friday afternoon ice cream parties in the backyard, Saturday morning brunch with a fancier than usual breakfast (like a avocado & egg on toast + smoothies,) and Sunday lunch time BBQs with steaks, burgers or hotdogs.”

• “Definitely a tree house or play house for the backyard. We’ve also just started a garden so maybe that will give us something to do sometimes.”

• “We have lots of space, thankfully, so we’ll be at our swimming pool a lot, reading in the hammock or having BBQs in the back yard. I’m sure we’ll need to stock up on lots of meats for grilling, drinks for hot days and some more water toys to keep cool.”

• “Drinks (beer & cocktails for me and the hubby;) ice-pops and fruit drinks for the kids. Lots of fruit, like watermelon and pineapple.”

• “Since homeschooling, I’ve already stocked up on a bunch of school and crafty types of supplies (glue sticks, crayons & markets, pom poms, waterbeads, construction paper, and so on,) but we’ll likely invest in just about every type of backyard toy we can find on Amazon or Target.”

• “I love trying new things — I’m making art, cooking new types of food, I’ve already bought a bunch of expensive kitchen equipment (espresso machine) and a new grill (Big Green Egg.) I’m also trying to expand my palette for different alcoholic drinks. I’d like to come up with my own Quarantini. Once I have a winner, I’ll probably make and deliver several cute packages of it to my friends and neighbors close by.”

• “We’re getting my husband a nice new grill since we’ll likely want to BBQ often. We’ve already stocked up on lots of meat, just in case it’s harder to find as this pandemic plays out.”

• “I’m going to try to make things as special as I can. I want to get a bunch of yard games and decorations for our garden area. I’m thinking corn hole, ring toss, water guns, water slides & sprinklers. I’ll also want to make food extra special; we might have some themed play, like a pretty tea party outside for my daughter.”

• “As a little hobby, my girlfriends and I are using some of this down time to expand our tastebuds together, virtually. We’re trying new drinks and food. I’ve gotten a bunch of specialty beers in pretty cans, mixers to make all sorts of concoctions. The idea is to experiment, have fun and determine some new go-to drinks for all this time at home.”

• “My Target cart online currently has a bunch of outdoor things waiting to be bought. I’m thinking about a hammock, zip line, play house and games. We’re stocked up on food, but I bet we’ll need lot and lots of alcoholic drinks and fruit to make fruit drinks for the children.”

How is your brand talking with consumers during the home-bound Summer days?

As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic here in the USA, Green Purse PR is committed to helping our research clients stay informed by serving up the most valuable and current consumer insights.

We've got a constant pulse on the changing behaviors of American consumers. We are currently conducting virtual shopper research to better understand how consumers are shopping in categories like: food & beverage, household goods (like cleaning products & personal care,) outdoor entertainment and toys.

Search the link below or submit an information request for answers to your specific questions about your consumers. Learn more and contact us here →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/virtual-shopper-research. 

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Grocery Shopping During Pandemic Times

Grocery Shopping During Pandemic Times in America

Whole Foods Market Does Social Distancing

Here are some photos I recently took, showing what grocery shopping looks like during these pandemic times here in the USA. Whole Foods Market was quick to adjust its in-store messaging, and add wayfinding signage to ensure the safest flow of foot traffic. Have a glance at the photos below.

Speaking of Whole Foods Market, if your products are sold there, you need to be working with us as we keep a constant pulse on how Whole Foods Market shoppers think, behave and buy. Schedule a one-hour 'Winning with Whole Foods Market Shoppers' consult session with Green Purse PR to learn more about Whole Foods Market shoppers and best practices for how your brand can successfully connect with them. Learn more about the retail intel on Whole Foods Market here, and contact us to schedule your session.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Marketing Third Party Labels to Consumers

Marketing Third Party Labels to Consumers

Best practices to leverage certifications at the retail shelf

Certifications go a long way to assure consumers and B2B customers of product quality, brand value and commitment to trust. Third party labels or trust marks, like USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Fair Trade Certified or Global Animal Partnership Animal Welfare Certified, are growing. According to the New Hope Network’s NEXT Trends Database, there is a 34% growth in the number of food and beverage products earning certifications. Similarly, data collected from Natural Products Expo 2019 reveals that 78% of new food and beverage products launched carried one or more certification type, and half of all food and beverage products exhibited carried two or more certification types.

I’ve conducted shopper research and manage public relations for labeling programs. As a result, I’ve created some recent thought leadership content on the topic of marketing third party labeling programs to consumers. See the links below, including a podcast and some articles, along with one slide from my presentation during a speaking engagement at the 2019 SupplySide West Show in Las Vegas. Whether you work directly for a labeling program or are a brand that has earned certifications, you’ll likely find some insights below to help your consumer marketing program.

Insights on certifications & labeling programs

• Natural Products Insider | Get more from your third party certifications www.naturalproductsinsider.com/certification/get-more-your-third-party-certifications

• Natural Products Insider | Claims and certifications: What do they mean and who cares? www.naturalproductsinsider.com/claims/claims-and-certifications-what-do-they-mean-and-who-cares

• Natural Products Insider | Exploring claims & certifications from the consumer perspective www.naturalproductsinsider.com/branding-marketing/exploring-claims-and-certifications-consumer-perspective

• Natural Products Insider Podcast | The impact of third-party certifications on shopping behaviors – podcast www.naturalproductsinsider.com/certification/impact-third-party-certifications-shopping-behaviors-podcast

How is your brand communicating that your products are better because they have third party labels?

Hungry for more? Set up a 1-hour virtual consult with Green Purse PR at →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/consult and we'll share our proprietary list of eight best practices + you'll come away with a plan to better communicate the value of your labels to consumers.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Connecting with Consumers During Summer at Home

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS WHILE THEY ‘SUMMER’ AT HOME DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

American consumers won't be spending on vacations this Summer. They'll be spending on things to keep themselves entertained at home.

Many of your consumers will likely be “Summering” at home this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. This cultural change will definitely alter how they shop and what they buy. Summer usually means kids have Summer break from school (and are therefore home a lot more,) Summer grilling season (of special important to meat brands,) and Summer travel season (which will certainly cease to exist this year.) Our new stay at home culture will cause purchase behaviors to be very different. It will also change the way brands talk to consumers about their products.

As we’re always looking a few months ahead for our public relations clients, we recently asked our panel of Millennial moms what they anticipate needing to buy or stock up on in order to keep their families happy, healthy and properly entertained during their continued time at home over Summer. Listed below are some of what they shared with us.

How American Millennial Moms plan to ‘summer’ at home during coronavirus

• “Lots of alcohol! I’ll be making lots of cold, hard drinks while I work from home (on the patio in my bikini) and summer school and make sure the kids are outside not messing up my house constantly.”

• “I’m already thinking about backyard entertainment to keep the kids busy while I work. I’ve been on Pinterest researching and screenshotting outdoor activities. We’ve got baby pools; we’ll order some more water toys, art supplies and lots of good healthy snacks to have on hand.“

• “As long as I can crack open a LaCroix a few times a day, I’ll be ok. I’ve got an arsenal of LaCroix containers - all flavors at the ready.”

• “I’m bored already just thinking about staying home all Summer and not going anywhere on vacation! I’m planning to start some new hobbies - I want to take some virtual cooking classes (maybe Italian cooking until I can ever get over to Italy.) We’ve got a huge inflatable water pool & slide for our kids and we’ll stock up on lots of good food to make the most of our time at home.”

• “Sounds like we had better hunker down and get comfortable being at home just about all the time. I’m making my bedroom an oasis; I’ve bought a new mattress, added some house plants and some really good lighting (including fairy lights) to make it as cozy and as inviting as possible.”

• “Ice cream, kids fruit drinks, and if we can’t get them at the store, we’ll learn to make them ourselves.”

• “I bought a bunch of mini piñatas and a bunch of candy to have every once in a while for the kids. I’m getting myself a nice Nepresso machine so I can have specialty iced lattes all summer.”

• “I want to do certain food activities on certain days. We’re doing Friday afternoon ice cream parties in the backyard, Saturday morning brunch with a fancier than usual breakfast (like a avocado & egg on toast + smoothies,) and Sunday lunch time BBQs with steaks, burgers or hotdogs.”

• “Definitely a tree house or play house for the backyard. We’ve also just started a garden so maybe that will give us something to do sometimes.”

• “We have lots of space, thankfully, so we’ll be at our swimming pool a lot, reading in the hammock or having BBQs in the back yard. I’m sure we’ll need to stock up on lots of meats for grilling, drinks for hot days and some more water toys to keep cool.”

• “Drinks (beer & cocktails for me and the hubby;) ice-pops and fruit drinks for the kids. Lots of fruit, like watermelon and pineapple.”

• “Since homeschooling, I’ve already stocked up on a bunch of school and crafty types of supplies (glue sticks, crayons & markets, pom poms, waterbeads, construction paper, and so on,) but we’ll likely invest in just about every type of backyard toy we can find on Amazon or Target.”

• “I love trying new things — I’m making art, cooking new types of food, I’ve already bought a bunch of expensive kitchen equipment (espresso machine) and a new grill (Big Green Egg.) I’m also trying to expand my palette for different alcoholic drinks. I’d like to come up with my own Quarantini. Once I have a winner, I’ll probably make and deliver several cute packages of it to my friends and neighbors close by.”

• “We’re getting my husband a nice new grill since we’ll likely want to BBQ often. We’ve already stocked up on lots of meat, just in case it’s harder to find as this pandemic plays out.”

• “I’m going to try to make things as special as I can. I want to get a bunch of yard games and decorations for our garden area. I’m thinking corn hole, ring toss, water guns, water slides & sprinklers. I’ll also want to make food extra special; we might have some themed play, like a pretty tea party outside for my daughter.”

• “As a little hobby, my girlfriends and I are using some of this down time to expand our tastebuds together, virtually. We’re trying new drinks and food. I’ve gotten a bunch of specialty beers in pretty cans, mixers to make all sorts of concoctions. The idea is to experiment, have fun and determine some new go-to drinks for all this time at home.”

• “My Target cart online currently has a bunch of outdoor things waiting to be bought. I’m thinking about a hammock, zip line, play house and games. We’re stocked up on food, but I bet we’ll need lot and lots of alcoholic drinks and fruit to make fruit drinks for the children.”

Photo source: chatterblock.com

How is your brand or retailer planning to talk with consumers during the home-bound Summer days?

As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic here in the USA, Green Purse PR is committed to helping our research clients stay informed by serving up the most valuable and current consumer insights.

We've got a constant pulse on the changing behaviors of American consumers. We are currently conducting virtual shopper research to better understand how consumers are shopping in categories like: food & beverage, household goods (like cleaning products & personal care,) outdoor entertainment and toys.

Search the link below or submit an information request for answers to your specific questions about your consumers. Learn more and contact us here →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/virtual-shopper-research. 

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Meat Marketing + Holidays

Meat Marketing + Holidays

Smart marketing programs around key selling seasons to make your meat brand irreplaceable at retail

Atkins Ranch grass fed lamb, one of the brands we conduct public relations for, and one good at leveraging its’ key holidays and seasons. This is from a past Easter promotion at Whole Foods Market.

Major holidays and seasons represent big opportunities for brands and retailers and there are a few in particular that are most relevant to the meat category. Take the most recent example, Easter. Easter is a BIG selling season for ham and lamb brands, yet every year I’m shocked at the lack of consumer marketing from many of them, big and small. Some brands are completely silent on their digital and social communications, leading up to Easter, now and in years past.

If you walk into a grocery store around Easter, or now during Pandemic times, shop for meat online, you’ll no doubt see promotions and discounts on products like spiral hams or legs of lamb, but it looks as though most brands simply leave it up to the grocery retailer to promote these to consumers. The truth is, while meat companies may be good at producing and selling meat, they are usually not good marketers. With only a few exceptions (have at look at this high end Australian butchery for inspiration,) the meat industry as a whole has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to consumer marketing. As someone who is passionate about the meat industry (only those who are doing it right — companies that raise livestock in the most natural way possible, treating animals, the land and farmers with respect, as well as being transparent with consumers,) and someone who has been working with leading meat brands around the world for several years now, I’m keen to see them all be better.

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Here’s a test you can easily do in your search engine.

Right now go to your web browser, like Google, and type in your protein cut, or holiday or season, or cooking method, + the name of your retail partners and see what search results come up. For example, type:

• “Spiral ham + Whole Foods Market,”

• “Easter lamb + Costco,”

• “Summer BBQ + Publix,”

and see what comes up in the results. If your brand is not a part of the results, mark that down as a conversation you need to work to be a part of, and possibly even lead.

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Whether it’s during a key selling season, major holiday, or just anytime throughout the year, meat brands tend to assume their retail partners will magically do the marketing work for them. The reality is however that retailers are not going to conduct marketing programs to support your brand (unless you pay them for it,) and most grocery retailers in the USA are naturally more keen to promote on their private label brands over yours.

If you are happy to play in the commodity space (and therefore be very easy to replace at any time,) maybe you don’t need to invest in marketing, but if you want to build a brand, command a premium for all the unique attributes, provenance, and certifications your product represents and stay long-term with the retail customers you already have, you must invest in consumer marketing.

If your meat brand conducts smart consumer marketing programs, like public relations or social media marketing, around key holidays (or even better, year-round,) you can provide even more value to the meat buyers at your retail customers. By being a good marketing partner to your customers, you can help ensure the longevity of your relationship. You can also help ensure that shoppers are not just buying that ham or lamb once a year at Easter, but will consider buying your meat products for other special events or perhaps on a weekly basis too. At the very least, brands should have public relations campaigns around their biggest selling seasons and holidays.

According to our shopper research, we know there are some consumers very passionate about meat, but it tends to be a pretty low-interest category for the majority of shoppers. For that reason, we need marketing programs to keep meat brands and their products top of mind. Sure, meat-eating consumers may buy meat often enough, but it’s usually not something they want to spend much time thinking about. A good meat marketing program aims to leverage all those unique attributes farmers and ranchers work so hard to create (like farm animal welfare, non-GMO, organic, pasture raised, etc) and leave consumers feeling good about their meat purchase. We know consumers that feel good about what they buy are more likely to tell others, who will also buy your products.

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What Green Purse PR’s Meat Marketing Programs Look Like

When it comes to meat marketing programs, here are just some of the tactics Green Purse PR plans and implements for our clients.

• Shopper Research

• Social Media Marketing + Advertising

• Digital Marketing

• Retailer Shopper Marketing

• Earned Media Exposure

• Paid Media Exposure

• Partner Marketing

• Influencer Marketing

• Thought Leadership Program

Each marketing program we develop is unique, depending upon a company’s budget, who their retail customers are, geographic footprint, and what what they need to accomplish. We tend to do our very best work when our clients are able to have us collaborate closely with their retail customers so we can build and implement programs that not only promote our clients brands, but also compliment the efforts of the retailers.

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Are you ready to make your meat brand irreplaceable to your retail customers?

Contact us to chat about your current programs + customers, plus how our meat marketing programs could make your brand even more successful. If you’re not yet familiar with Green Purse PR, we are a highly-specialized shopper research and public relations consultancy in Washington, DC led by Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos. Some of our clients have included: KeHE Distributors, Saffron Road, Meat & Livestock Australia, OBE Organic Beef, Atkins Ranch Lamb, TK Natural Lamb, Global Animal Partnership, JicaChips, Artisanal Premium Cheese, Truly Indian and Edible Arrangements International, among many others. On our call, we’ll be happy to discuss more about our meat marketing expertise and cases of success. We look forward to ‘meating’ you via phone or video conference soon. Get in touch here: www.greenpursepr.com/contact.

Shopper Marketing Opportunities for Spring & Easter

MULTIPLE PURCHASE OPPORTUNITIES LEADING UP TO EASTER

One of my favorite seasons is Spring and holidays is Easter, and lucky for me, I usually get to celebrate Easter twice! Although it varies each year, Orthodox Easter, or “Greek Easter” as we call it, is sometimes a week or so off from regular Easter. My husband, Yianni, is Greek and Easter is a HUGE holiday in his culture, so we always celebrate both regular and Orthodox Easter.

Whether it’s social media marketing or traditional public relations, building messaging and content around holidays (major holidays, like Easter, and also the plethora of ‘marketing holidays,’ like National Picnic Day - April 23, 2020) and seasons serves as a foundation for guiding the marketing communications programs that Green Purse PR plans and creates for its clients.

Spring of course lasts for a while; it technically begins March 19, although it likely won’t feel like it until closer to Easter. Easter is more than just a one-time event on April 12 (and April 19 for Orthodox Easter.) Both Spring and Easter can include what we like to call “mini events,” which can stretch out the season and create even more purchase opportunities.

How many ‘mini events’ (or buying opportunities) are there for Spring & Easter?

Turns out, there are several, depending on your product category and who you’re targeting. Here are a few that we try to leverage for some of our clients that focus on the Easter holiday.

• Spruce up for Spring - Many Americans like to welcome Spring (whenever it begins to feel like Spring) by sprucing up their homes with seasonal flowers, often outside their front door or inside their homes. Grocery stores and garden centers are keen to promote and sell flowers, like tulips and peonies. In addition to pretty, Spring flowers, many Americans like to dress up their home entrance with season-appropriate welcome mats and garden decor.

Spring tulips at Whole Foods Market

Photo source: potterybarn.com

• Easter Dress - For households with children, buying an Easter outfit is on the agenda for some Americans, especially those planning to dress up for parties or church activities. For little ladies and big ones too, this can especially be a big deal. Parents often use this time as a good excuse to get professional photos made of the kids or the entire family. I personally like to have matching dresses for my daughter and I, and I’ve already got my photographer lined up for Spring family photos.

• Dying Easter Eggs - To decorate for Easter and Spring, a lot of households will hard boil eggs and dye them different Spring colors. There are egg-dying kits to buy, or some people may opt for natural, plant-based dyes. After the eggs are properly colored and dried, they make pretty decor items for the household.

• Easter Baskets - Easter baskets filled with treats are a traditional Easter gift, especially for children. While the focus tends to be on confectionary products, like Peeps (sugar covered marshmallows in the shape of baby chickens,) Easter eggs with prizes inside, chocolate Easter bunnies, and Easter-themed candy, a lot of gifts will extend to toys, clothes, games, etc. Adults can certainly be given Easter baskets too.

• Neighborhood Events - Some American neighborhoods (especially suburban areas) are likely to have a big Easter egg hunt and party. Some even have an Easter bunny for kids to meet and greet.

• Go see the Easter Bunny - This is a very American thing (actually, all of this is,) but if the neighborhood or church community did not offer an Easter bunny opportunity, many families will go see the Easter Bunny at a local shopping mall. A bit similar to going to see Santa Claus before Christmas, visiting with the Easter Bunny is mostly just to get a fun, festive photo. Parents tend to have children dressed up in their Sunday best for this visit and buy professional photos of the encounter.

• The Big Grocery Shop - For those planning to entertain family and friends at home, they’ll be heading to their grocery store to do a big Easter shop. This is when they’ll pick up their Easter ham or lamb, ingredients for any baking, drinks and probably some flowers too.

• Easter Day - Americans’ celebrations for Easter day can vary. Church-going folks may rise extra early for a sunrise church service. Typically most Easter meals tend to focus around lunch or dinner — some at home, and others going out to restaurants. Some mainstays for the day include specific food traditions and for children, an Easter egg hunt. Traditional food on Easter can include: ham, leg of lamb, deviled eggs, baked goods, etc.

• Hostess Gift - For those heading to someone else’s home to celebrate, they will bring a hostess gift, which could include some of the following: flowers, wine, dessert, or maybe a side dish if guests have been asked to contribute to the meal. If the hostess has children, some guests will likely bring a small treat for the children as well.

• Orthodox Easter - For Orthodox Christians, they’ll celebrate Orthodox Easter, which this year, is one week later. Orthodox Easter can look like a repeat of the regular Easter, but with a few notable differences — mainly, serving a whole lamb. For example, my husband’s Greek family has a tradition of slaughtering a lamb at a local farm and roasting the whole lamb on our spit grill in the back yard in time for our big, Greek Easter party.

Easter egg hunt

Easter bunny cake

Koulourakia, traditional Easter cookies from Greek culture

Holiday Planning Help

Is Easter or Spring a major selling season for your brand? How is your company planning to connect with consumers during the spring & Easter season?

Contact me to discuss how your brand or retailer can leverage the next big holiday in your consumer marketing. We offer 1-hour consulting call, or we can explore having Green Purse PR plan or implement a holiday marketing campaign for you.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Connecting with Consumers on Social Media Leading up to Valentine's Day

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA LEADING UP TO VALENTINE’S DAY

Marketers LOVE Valentine’s Day. Sales for candy, flowers (especially roses,) cards and food & drinks for fancy dinners (dining out at a restaurant, or at home) go through the roof!

I want marketers to get the most out of this holiday by leveraging the many opportunities that the ‘season of love’ can offer. Building social media messaging and content around holidays (both major holidays, like Valentine’s Day, and also the plethora of ‘marketing holidays,’ like National Strawberry Day - Feb 27, 2020) and seasons serves as a foundation for guiding the social media programs Green Purse PR creates for its clients in the natural products industry. Valentine’s Day is more than just a one-time event on February 14th. Each major holiday can include what we like to call “mini events,” which can stretch out the season and create even more purchase opportunities.

How many ‘mini events’ (or buying opportunities) can you think of for the Valentine’s season?

Turns out, there are several, depending on your product category and who you’re targeting.

• Home decorating - Many Americans decorate for Valentine’s Day a couple weeks before the holiday. Those decorations might include a front door wreath, a front door welcome mat, and kitchen decor (like a heart-shaped candy dish, towels, etc.)

Photo source: paintedpinkpeonyco via Instagram

• Kids play room decorations - For households with children, they are likely to put more effort and money into decorating for this holiday. Children are likely to make cards for family and school friends, make holiday art & craft projects, etc.

• Gift shopping - As soon as the New Year’s holiday is over, retailers go straight into Valentine’s Day merchandising. Grocery retailers and others like Target and HomeGoods are a go-to source for Valentine’s decorations, candy, food snacks, flowers and toys.

• School parties - For families with children in school, they are likely to have a Valentine’s Day school party. This may require buying small gifts for the entire class, or bringing a food item for a party. Many parents will also buy a teacher’s gift to show their love and appreciation.

• Neighborhood events - Some American neighborhoods may have holiday events, like a crafting workshop for kids where they can enjoy food & drink treats + making Valentine’s Day cards.

• Valentine’s Day - the main days for giving gifts for Valentine’s Day, which are often for significant others (wives, husbands, partners, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc.) Don’t forget, gifting also extends beyond the significant other sometimes, to include children, friends and coworkers. Traditional gifts on this day include: flowers (a dozen red roses,) jewelry, chocolates (and other candy,) and cards. While some people shop for their Valentine’s Day gifts well ahead of time, there are plenty who also wait until the last minute to buy gifts.

Valentine’s merchandising at Whole Foods Market, 2020

How is your brand or retailer connecting with consumers on social media during the many mini-events throughout the Valentine’s season?

Let me know by commenting below.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

Connecting with Consumers During the Holidays

SHOPPER MARKETING FOR THE HOLIDAYS | EXTENDING THE HOLIDAY SEASON FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH CONSUMERS

Building our public relations efforts around holidays (major holidays and also the plethora of marketing holidays) and seasons often serves as a foundation for the consumer marketing programs Green Purse PR creates. The holiday season and its holidays, (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Years) are more than just one-time events. Each major holiday can include what we like to call “mini events,” which can stretch out the season and create even more purchase opportunities.

“You may be tempted to think of some holidays as just a one-day event, but in reality most holidays are made up of several ‘mini events’ that we can leverage in our shopper marketing. These mini-events translate into more reasons for shoppers to make purchases.” - Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos

How many ‘mini events’ (or buying opportunities) can you think of for the holiday season?

Turns out, there’s a lot and some depend upon age and life phase. For example, to connect with parents of young children around just Christmastime alone, here are just a few of the “mini events” (and buying opportunities) you can build shopper marketing around:

• Home decorating (which usually begins in the USA the day after Thanksgiving or around the last week of November.) – encouraging people to have the most festive house on the block. Depending on the type of dwelling, a lot of people will put the most effort into their front door - buying a new wreath and floral swag, getting a festive doormat and other accessories to spruce up the entrance.

• Black Friday - informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

• Cyber Monday - a marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It was created by retailers to encourage people to shop online.

• Getting a Christmas tree & wreaths - some Americans make an event of going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down their own tree, while others may buy from a local church, garden center or grocery store.

• Stocking up on home decorations - while a lot of people will keep using the same decorations year after year, it’s common to also buy new, trendy decorations like lights, festive cushions and blankets, and outdoor decorations.

• Holiday cards - a lot of Americans have a tradition of sending out holiday cards to send greetings to friends, family and colleagues. These days, holiday cards can be quite an expensive production including: curating matching or color coordinating outfits, having a family photo shoot the few months before, creating the card online (with a website like Minted.com,) and spending time assembling and mailing them out.

• Trip to visit with Santa - A lot of Americans have the tradition of going to see Santa Claus, either at a shopping mall, a local event, or neighborhood community center. This usually involves purchasing photos and perhaps giving some of them at gifts to close relatives. It could also include purchasing color coordinated outfits prior to the visit.

• Gift shopping - from shopping online, going to the mall or even going on a shopping trip out of town, gift shopping is an entire season, usually starting with Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving,) and ending the day before Christmas.

• Holiday party season - November through the beginning of January is holiday party time. Some host their own parties for family and friends, or go to others home to celebrate. With this comes the need to purchase party supplies, food and drinks.

• Hostess gifts - It’s customary to bring a gift to the hostess’ home, which could include a specialty food gift basket, floral arrangement, wine, or a gift set of some sort. If your hostess has children, you might also bring their children separate gifts.

• School parties - For families with children in school, they are likely to have at least one school party to celebrate the season. This may require buying small gifts for the entire class, or bringing a food item for a party. Some parents will also buy a teacher’s gift to show their appreciation.

• Charitable donations - Whether at your child’s school, your church, gym, or community center, Americans are likely to go on a shop just for charitable donations for families in need. For example, my children’s preschool had a food drive and gift drive.

• Neighborhood events - Some suburban areas have holiday events, like breakfast with Santa Clause for kids, street parades, ugly Christmas sweater contests, and other festive events where bringing food or a gift is necessary.

• Green Monday - an online retail industry term similar to Cyber Monday. The term was coined by eBay in 2007 to describe the best sales day in December, usually the second Monday of December. This year we saw a lot of online retailers like Target using this day to promote special deals.

• Christmas Eve & Christmas Day - the main days for big meal celebrations and gift giving.

• Boxing Day - Although Boxing Day is not widely celebrated in the USA, some do celebrate it, and even if they are not celebrating the holiday explicitly, many Americans do give small gifts to folks like their landscaper, house cleaner, baby sitter or nanny, hair stylist, and others who they hire out for services on a regular basis.

How is your brand or retailer connecting with consumers during the many mini-events throughout the holiday season?

Let me know by commenting below.

Since we’re on the topic of holidays, Green Purse PR creates an annual list of holidays, specifically for natural and specialty food companies. It’s called our Holidays List for Food Marketing. The 2020 version is coming out very soon; keep checking our blog for the new version coming soon, or view our 2019 edition here.

- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR

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