Oser Communications Group

8 SNACKING NEWS February 2019 about an identification. That's why this food tribe identification is so important. People always want to be part of a group." Food tribes are forming around plant- based diets, or Paleo, or Whole 30, or Keto, or gluten free, among many others. Tribe members talk to each other almost constantly, Singleton says. "They're using social media to create tribes around food and diet," he says. "We think communicating is so much better than targeting, and so much more effective. As the tribes talk to each other and back to his company, Singleton makes a point of engaging in the conversation on behalf of his brand. "We have Keto clubs that re- port to us every month, they send pictures, they tell us how much weight they lost. Who does that?" he says. "They have a tribal passion – they give us tremendous compliments, recipes and more. Our com- pliments mail outweighs our complaints nine to one. I read every email. And I often email them back." That back-and-forth is part of the tribe's behavior. "Millennials and Gen Xers com- municate with their friends. They share their thoughts at the highest level we've ever seen. It's the most interesting thing I've seen in my 20 years in this business." For retailers, understanding that tribal behavior has been imprinted on humans for eons may mean rethinking display, Singleton says. "I really like convenience stores having protein sections, or Keto sections. It's lin- ing up the shopping experience to be con- venient and logical for the customers. So many of them are doing a good job of this already." Retailer Research is Important Online search tools can be a retailer's best friend in understanding the wants of vari- Food Tribes Continued from Page 1 ous tribes. For example, members of the Paleo Tribe eat meat, seafood and poultry but no grains, so they're not interested in crackers or snacks made with wheat, legumes or refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. Whole 30 tribe members don't eat dairy (so, no cheese or yogurt), grains, legumes, sugars, or most processed foods, but they're big on snacks of nuts and seeds. The Keto tribe wants eggs, cheese and meat snacks, but without added sug- ars. They're also not going to buy snacks made with grains or potatoes. "Food makers are finding it difficult to put statements on packaging," says Alison Borgmeyer, Director of Ketchum Culti- vate, a public relations firm which focuses on purpose-driven, natural and organic companies and brands. She cites Lara Bar as an example of a product that is Whole 30-compliant, but "Whole 30 is actually an LLC, and you get your wrist slapped if you're not paying for the marker." Retailers can respond to this by searching the requirements for some of the most popular food tribes, she says. "You could put in Paleo, or Keto-friendly. Some snacks fit several tribes – nuts, pork rinds, for example. Nuts, cheeses, chickpea-based snacks, snacks based on beans or legumes and pulses are going to work for several types. Meat-based snacks are tremendously pop- ular. You're seeing that Jack Link's now has Lorissa's Kitchen, a cleaner, high- quality meat in a dehydrated form. It does- n't have the nitrites and other things (tribal eaters) might not want." Borgmeyer, who's also a registered die- titian, notes that "higher fat, higher protein snacks will keep you fuller longer with no afternoon crash." What Drives the Tribes? Sue Reninger, a Managing Partner and Client Brand Strategist for RMD Adver- tising in Columbus, Ohio, thinks she knows why tribes have become so impor- tant to consumers. "The more connected we are because of technology, the more we hunger for com- munity," she says. That's the itch that food tribes scratch. "We're talking about consumers who mobilize together, mobilize together, hang together, talk together. We see lots of tribes in the social space. And we're going to see more of that in 2019." She mentions that the Washington Post re- ported that "diet-related protocols have more than doubled, from 14 percent to 36 percent," she says. "That's pretty sig- nificant." Retailers should "definitely not try to hit every single food tribe," she says. "Look at the demographics in your area. Do you have a lot of Mil- lennials vs. Baby Boomers? We kind of forget about Baby Boomers, but they're living longer and they're healthier. Tribes are not just for Millennials – they're for all generations." Understanding your tribes' passions can have long-lasting benefits. "There is a real opportunity here to gen- erate generations of customers for your store," she says. "There's not a one of us who smells something, sees something, that it doesn't trigger something from our past. Help your consumers connect to their roots, as we help them connect to their food and the people they're buying it from. That's a big opportunity." Tribes Without Boundaries "One of the things that makes tribes so spe- cial is that we can be a member of a tribe without meeting one of tribal compatriots face-to-face," says Bonnie Ulman, Chief In- sights and Research Officer at M Booth, a global communications company headquar- tered in New York, New York. "There are no demographic boundaries, no geographic boundaries – unless they want them." Tribes aren't static, she says. "The beau- tiful thing about tribes is that they come together and are dynamic, and they often spawn these nano-tribes. You have the op- portunity as a retailer to talk to lots of dif- ferent purchasers who are parts of several tribes. They're very fluid. "People join tribes because they want information and resources, and as such, they're big sharers. They take what they've learned and bring it back to their community. For retailers, this is the most great opportunity to reach what are your primary customers, but also those on the periphery." Ulman says M Booth has done land- mark research on tribes and how they work: "Our research showed that tribes and tribal members that span all age groups. You have interests, you want in- formation. That's the whole premise of tribes – the idea that you identify yourself based on your interests and passions. This is a way to think about the market in a way that isn't strictly generational." But doing so requires something of the retailer. "If you want to have a relationship with a consumer, you have to have a way to communicate with them more deeply. That means meeting them where they have a passion and an interest, and food tribes would be a big part of that." n Lakeview Farms Buys Tribe Mediterranean Foods Lakeview Farms has announced its acqui- sition of Tribe Mediterranean Foods. Based in Taunton, Massachusetts, Tribe Mediterranean manufactures preservative- free prepared hummus products. Tribe hummus is plant-based, kosher-certified, vegan-friendly, and contains no GMO in- gredients, no artificial preservatives, no cholesterol, no hydrogenated oils or high- fructose corn syrup. Tribe employs ap- proximately 85 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees. The company has a strong heritage of producing high-quality hummus in inno- vative flavors. Tribe's traditional savory products are complemented by its recent launch of a new sweet hummus platform. Lakeview Farms is a leading marketer and manufacturer of refrigerated desserts, dips, seafood salads and spreads primarily sold on the fast-growing perimeter of retail outlets including dairy, deli and seafood departments across the United States. Its brands include Luisa's, Salads of the Sea, Sea Gold, Senor Rico and others. The addition of Tribe to the Lakeview family of brands allows Lakeview to fur- ther penetrate the perimeter of the store by entering the $800 million hummus cate- gory with an established national brand. The combined portfolio will allow the business to offer a broader range of prod- ucts and a higher level of service to its cus- tomers. "We are excited to welcome Tribe and its employees to our Lakeview Farms organization," said Tom Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Lakeview Farms. "Tribe brings an impressive product portfolio, deep talent and industry expertise, a state-of-the- art manufacturing facility and a strong plan for growth. We look forward to continuing to build our business through innovation, world- class manufacturing, and distribution." "Lakeview is committed to supporting the next phase of Tribe's growth strategy, presenting an array of synergies and capa- bilities to enhance our ability to compete in this fast-moving, exciting category," said John McGuckin, Tribe's Chief Exec- utive Officer. "This is a great opportunity for us, and we look forward to building the Tribe brand with innovative new products and to driving category growth." n

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