The resumption of the ritual of being at the table with the
family; the inclusion of practical and indulgent foods in the routine; the
impacts of high inflation and the search of Brazilians for promotions to
maintain the consumption of premium products; the consolidation of trends such
as veganism and sustainability; how to understand and serve Generation Z; and
the growing need for greater attention to mental health were highlighted themes
of the DR Tá na Mesa – Feeding Ideas, Nurturing the Future, which brought
together renowned experts to debate the current scenario and perspectives that
can guide the growth strategies of companies in the post-pandemic. Check out
the main insights from the great digital forum aimed at the food and beverage
market in Brazil and Latin America.
In a context that was already marked by rapid changes, with
the pandemic, the speed of these transformations has intensified and is shaping
a new economic and social scenario.
Now, we have the advance of vaccination and an inflation
“squeezing” the consumer's pocket. With that, how is the food and beverage
sector in Brazil, and what is to come?
To answer these questions and debate new opportunities, the
second edition of DR Tá na Mesa – Feeding Ideas, Nutrindo o Futuro brought
together, for 4 days, specialists from strategic areas to share content and
data on consumption behavior; trends that are already reality; the profile of
Generation Z when shopping and in the work environment; digital strategies to
increase sales; and the importance of managing mental health in companies.
We separate highlights from the event to inspire you!
How is the Brazilian table in 2021
More than 1 year and a half after the start of the pandemic,
with the advance of vaccination allowing for greater relaxation of
restrictions, while inflation makes the pockets of consumers “squeezed”, the
population's eating habits undergo more changes. Raquel Amancio de Oliveira
Ferreira, Kantar's New Business and Account Director , cites some factors that
have driven consumption:
• GDP
growth, estimated at 5.3%;
• Extension
of emergency assistance;
• Advancement
in vaccination.
On the other hand, rising unemployment, rising household
indebtedness, inflation and the rising dollar are major challenges at the
moment.
When it comes to Brazilian behavior at the table, one of the
highlights mentioned by Raquel is the inclusion of practical and indulgent
items in the routine. “We saw consumers devote more time to food preparation, 2
minutes more per meal during the pandemic. It took an average of 30 minutes of
cooking per meal, versus 28 minutes. After the first months, however, the
Brazilian sought more practicality and we see categories that stand out and
continue to gain penetration.”
Check out some foods that are now more present in Brazilian
homes:
• Frozen
potatoes;
• Breaded;
• Ham
items.
The fact is that Brazilians increased more moments of
consumption at home and three occasions remain strong according to a Kantar
survey: breakfast, lunch and dinner. “Brazilians have resumed the habit of
sitting at the table with their family, and primarily breakfast is a habit that
is here to stay”, highlights Raquel.
Premium products on the rise
Until the end of 2020, premium products were more present on
the Brazilian table.
“To keep products indulgent and practical on the table, the
consumer uses mid-priced brands. Classes C, D and E strive to keep premium
products on the table, even breaking some paradigms that more sophisticated
products are for a high-income audience”, adds the Kantar specialist.
In this sense, promotions have influenced this consumption
and proved to be an important lever for the sale of these items.
Veganism and sustainability: trends that are already a
reality
Did you know that, in Brazil, 1 in 4 people joined veganism
after the pandemic? “It's 4% of the population, 7.6 million people, and another
28% trying to reduce meat consumption,” says Andrea Bisker, CEO and founder of
innovation and trends consultancy Spark: Off Brasil.
This is an example of a trend that has already become
reality and the proof is the products that appear on the shelves – one of the
most recent is McPlant, a McDonalds snack with alternative protein sources to
meat.
In addition to veganism, eco-ethical behavior is also an
issue among brands that are keeping an eye on changes in the consumer market.
So much so that for every 3 Brazilians, 1 is willing to pay more for products
manufactured in an environmentally correct way, shows data presented by the CEO
of Spark: Off Brasil. "And more: 66% of Brazilians interviewed in a survey
conducted by the IBM Institute for Business said they are willing to change
their consumption habits to reduce environmental problems."
These data point to something that is increasingly evident:
the brands' commitment to sustainability can be decisive for many consumers,
who see more value in those who defend and take a stand on environmental
causes.
Storytelling : the art of storytelling to sell more online
With an audience increasingly demanding, connected and
fragmented across so many platforms, there is no longer any separation between
the online and offline world. This context opens up countless possibilities to
communicate your brand and engage your audience. But it also brings a
challenge: how to get the consumer's attention in such a disputed environment?
One strategy that can make all the difference for businesses is storytelling .
“There are studies that prove that emotion fixes more
information in memory. Stories have always had the power to change our
emotions, they are very powerful in shaping the way we see the world,” explains
Martha Gabriel, futurist, Marketing Specialist, PhD and bestselling author.
She shared her tips for helping food entrepreneurs tell good
stories that help drive sales.
For this, the essential is to know your audience well, to
know what delights them, what are their aspirations, pains and how to solve
them with your products or services. From there, Martha suggests a framework
for starting to tell her story:
1 – Message – Ask yourself what you want to tell.
2 – Conflict – It's your client's pain, what he wants to
solve. A good story has its ups and downs, highlights the teacher.
3 – Character – Here, your product or service is the
character, it is he who enters the scene to resolve the consumer's conflict.
4 – Plot – How your story will be told. Martha's main tip is
to make the audience care. In the first scene, in the first sentence, your
consumer has to think 'this is worth my time'”, he emphasizes.
Transmedia storytelling
With so many physical and digital channels, the same story
can be told on different platforms. This is transmedia content.
“It's the process of taking a bigger story, which doesn't
fit in just one medium, and articulating it in several others. Each media will
tell a part of this story in its entirety. With storytelling , you orchestrate
all these channels to achieve a much more impactful result, using the strength
of each one of them and connecting everything.”
But, for this, it is essential to select the right moment
and the right story for the results to appear.
It is necessary to have a strategy and know the audience
very well, which channels they are in and what they want, in addition to
considering their business objective, reinforces Martha.
The behavior of Zs and how brands can communicate with them
The behavior of Generation Z is already guiding consumer and
work relations. Therefore, it is essential to understand the context in which
they are inserted, what they want and how they behave so that both brands and
companies know how to talk to this audience.
“Generation Z, particularly in Latin America, comes at a
time of great economic, political and cultural upheaval. They also live with
the explosion of environmental problems and all of this generates a lot of
anxiety”, contextualizes Michel Alcoforado, PhD anthropologist, specialized in
consumption and behavior, and founding partner of Grupo Consumoteca .
The solution they found to deal with this world, according
to Michel, is debauchery: “it is a strategy often used by these young people to
position themselves in front of groups that are hierarchically superior to
them. In the face of mockery they can be heard because it's funny.”
Therefore, brands need not be afraid to take on debauchery
to communicate with them. Betting on co-creation is another tip from Michel to
engage the Zs. That's because involving them in building the brand and bringing
them to the debate alleviates the feeling of powerlessness. And with this
audience, it's important to adopt an adult attitude: "for them, taking
responsibility relieves a little the feeling of impotence too, so never
infantilize speeches."
Regarding eating habits, the anthropologist summarized that
the diet of this generation is consumed with a pragmatic balance: “if I stick
my foot in the jackfruit today, tomorrow I'll regain my momentum. If I want to
eat junk food , I can look for options with less sodium or sugar. The trash and
convenience are in . " But beware: "They want to be junkies in
consumption, but the brand cannot be junk in production", emphasizes
Michel about the concern of this public with sustainability.
How to deal with generational conflicts in companies
“Not understanding the difference in contexts is the first
trigger for internal conflicts in organizations. There is no right or wrong. It
is important to have more empathy and understand that there are different
worlds and formations for people to create that model of thinking and behavior.
Based on this premise, we were able to build not only better working
relationships, but also personal relationships”, analyzes Gabriela de Conto,
Marketing Director for Latam at Red Bull.
For Gabriela, the key to getting around the inevitable clash
between generations is to look at everything from a more empathic perspective.
She also highlights the lessons she has learned working with people from
Generation Z: “They have something very peculiar. Because they have so much
access to information and multiple possibilities, they value mobility and have
a more fluid identity. They can be whoever they want, be wherever they want.
They see jobs as a passage, an experience and not something to take root. This
is very clear in Generation Z and it's not necessarily a bad thing. They are no
less committed or professional because of this. It's simply a different
relationship with the work that takes place in a different world.”
On the other hand, companies can help the Zs manage the
anxiety issue, so latent in this generation. Gabriela noted that they ask for
more autonomy, but many possibilities generate anxiety. So, the path is to have
structured processes, organized agendas and clear objectives to give more
security to these employees.
“It is necessary to understand that the world is in 2021.
And if I want the success of my company in the long term, I depend on this new
generation”, he warns.
Challenges to promote emotional management in the workplace
With all the events of the last year and a half, mental
health demanded special attention from companies. But to deal with such a
serious issue, it is necessary to review and improve the ways in which
organizations approach health and well-being in their daily lives. “We have
evolved to complex structures, with collaborative work that demands more and
more from our minds and we still haven't improved the health models of
organizations to understand this new scenario that demands so much in terms of
mental health”, observes Jorge Morato, Director of Health, Safety and
Environment at Mondelez Brasil.
Cauê de Oliveira, Giftwork Ambassador and Speaker at
Youleader/Great Place to Work brings data that show the size of the problem in
Brazil when it comes to mental health:
• 79% of
employees report having suffered stress in the last 12 months;
• 45%
considered leaving their job due to stress;
• 49% do
not think their immediate leader would know what to do if they talked about the
topic of mental health.
They emphasize that there are no ready-made formulas, but
there are paths and initiatives that can transform the way companies deal with
the topic.
“We often learn to be leaders when we are put in that
position. Mental health is a complex issue and needs to be divided. In
addition, it is essential that the leadership is based on the trust and
well-being of the teams”, observes Cauê.
The Mondelez Brasil executive points out some initiatives
that can be taken in this regard:
• Assemble
teams with prepared professionals;
• Create
programs aimed at the mental health of employees;
• Research
and study a lot about the topic;
• Use data
to develop actions within companies;
• Always
put the human being at the center of everything.
Pedro Shiozawa, Psychiatrist, COO & Co-founder of Jungle
XP cites the case of gymnast Simone Biles as an example to reinforce the
analysis of his colleagues. He highlights that, as commendable as the gymnast's
initiative was when she gave up competing in a final in the Olympics to
prioritize her mental health, she was also able to take that attitude because
there was a welcoming environment, a manager who enabled her to take the
decision.
“Leadership starts with yourself. Leaders must know
themselves and also ask for help when they need it. Organizations, on the other
hand, can take this agenda to their daily lives with lectures, workshops and
training. This becomes a symbolism within the organization and denotes the
culture that the company wants to promote”, adds Cauê.
