Popular diets fatten slimming meals
Chicago-based Mintel’s new report Slimming Meals reveals that although the entire category of foods positioned as weight loss aids has experienced an increase in sales, the sports and energy bar market has had the largest gains, with a 40 percent increase in the past two years. (In the weight loss food category, Mintel groups frozen meals and meal replacements such as liquid meals and sports/energy bars.)
The growth trend largely reflects the success of Slim Fast as the dominant brand, followed by more recent growth fromJermy Craig, Zone Perfect and the Atkins lines of bars. Increased media and regulatory attention has driven consumer awareness of the diet bar as a weight managementaid, and bars positioned as diet aids continue to perform well, particularly as they cater to those following specific diet plans.
The sports and energy bars segment will experience the largest increases as sales are predicted to sales of grow 59 percent by 2008. Many popular diets recommend eating several small meals a day or limiting carbohydrates, both of which can be satisfied by sports and energy bars. Mintel’s Global New Products Database shows that there have been 368 new snack bars introduced so far this year.
The market for slimming meals has almost doubled in sales in the past five years as consumers respond to a vast array of choices from manufacturers. Much of the growth in the slimming meals market is coming from new products and line extensions that offer consumers more variety in the form of convenient entrees, new flavors in frozen meals and meal bars that cater to a particular niche market, such as Atkins Nutritionals with its meal bars.
In the meal replacement category, Slim Fast is trying to revitalize its image, particularly as competitors develop products that target consumers following special diet plans such as Atkins.Atkins liquid meals had $18.5 milfion in sales in 2002, a substantial leap from just $4.6 million in 2000. Even more significant was the increase in sales of products by EAS, a company that is closely linked to the Body-for-Life Program. EAS meal replacement beverages went from less than $1 million in sales in 2000 to $18.3 million in 2002. Slim Fast products, on the other hand, while increasing slighdy in sales within that time period, lost almost 2 percent in market share.
Slimming foods are predicted to increase 28 percent in the next five years.As more time-pressed consumers look for healthier alternatives to fast foods, they will demand slightly more gourmet offerings. There is a growing concern about the health effects of obesity and more Americans will change their diets to lose or maintain weight. Prepared meals will fare particularly well, especially as manufacturers focus on making them more attractive to consumers, with larger portion sizes and restaurant-style varieties, even for low-calorie entrees.
One-quarter of Americans eat, prepackaged low-calorie meals, such as Weight Watchers or Healthy Choice. Respondents in the older age groups (55-64) are more likely to eat slimming meals. The youngest consumers are least likely to eat slimming meals: only 13 percent say they eat them on occasion. Certainly, the prime target market has long been thought to be less price-sensitive but most timestarved, which corresponds to those in the middle range of age groups. The oldest consumers (65+) tend to be more price conscious, and because they are often retired they. will have time to prepare something at home rather than rely on quickly prepared frozen meals.
Consumers eat 80 percent of their meals at home, but with less time to spend in the kitchen, frozen foods will continue to gain in sales by positioning themselves as a better alternative to take-out, for a group that has less disposable income to spend on restaurant meals. Because consumers conditioned to eating out and spending money on highquality meals are unwilling to compromise on taste, companies will need to offer consumers a wide variety of meal choices and continually reformulate and improve their products.
Sales growth of private label goods outpaces branded products
ACNielsen U.S., Schaumburg, Ill., has released its U.S.Trends in Private Label report, which shows that sales of private label consumer packaged goods (CPG) are growing much faster than branded products. (Editor’s note: November’s Survey Monitor featured a look at the global market for private label products.) While branded products still constitute the majority of all CPG sales, private label products, also known as store brands, are not only enjoying faster sales growth, they are expanding into an increasing number of categories, becoming the share leader in more categories, and gaining an increased presence in more retail channels.
From 1997 to 2002, private label products had a 38 percent dollar volume growth rate, while branded products experienced a 19 percent growth rate.
Since 1997, private label products have grown from having a presence in 69 percent of the categories tracked by ACNielsen to 75 percent, entering 88 new categories in that time. In 2002, private label had the dollar volume share lead in 25 percent of the categories in which it competed - up from 21 percent in 1997.
Private label’s initial success came from commodity-type products, such as milk, bread, cheese and eggs. More recently, private label has begun to make inroads into care gories traditionally dominated bybranded products, such as cosmetics baby food. However, Gail Zieliinski, ACNielsen Homescan account director and author ofACNielsen’s annual U.S. private label study, says the vast majority of private label’s overall growth is coming from expanded sales in established categories. "Private label manufacturers are driving sales growth by focusing on categories that have been traditional strongholds for store brands. They’re introducing different package sizes and types, new flavors, and adding new, higher-priced premium private label products. In addition, several retailers are increasing their focus on providing in-store samples of their products and using other promotions to boost sales."
The grocery channel owns the largest share of total private label consumer packaged goods sales. However, its lead is decreasing as other retail channels add private label products to their shelves. The dollar store, warehouse club store and supercenter channels are generating the strongest growth in private label sales, albeit off of sales bases that are still relatively small.
Country Joe likes to fish
A study of the lifestyle and leisure activities of country radio listeners by NewYork-based Scarborough Research shows that they have above-average interest in outdoor activities. The study indicated that country radio listeners are 21 percent more likely than radio listeners nationally to go camping, 51 percent more likely to go hunting, and 25 percent more likely to fish.The country radio listener also has an affinity for speed.They are 23 percent more likely than radio listeners nationally to own a motorcycle, 30 percent more likely to own a personal watercraft, and 31 percent more likely to own a power boat. When it comes to sports, country radio listeners are 36 percent more likely to be loyal fans (somewhat or very interested) of NASCAR than radio listeners nationally and 20 percent more likely to be loyal fans of the National Hot Rod Association. Country radio listeners are 58 percent more likely to be loyal Pro Rodeo fans than other radio listeners.
The Scarborough study reveals that Charleston, W.Va., has the highest percentage of country listeners, as over half (58 percent) of all radio listeners in that market tune into country radio. Ranking next on the list for country radio listening is Lexington, Ky. (55 percent), followed by Wichita, Kan. (52 percent) and Knoxville,Tenn. (51 percent).
Only 1 percent of radio listeners in Honolulu tune into country radio, putting that local market at the bottom of the list along with New York (3 percent) and San Francisco (8 percent). On a national level, the Scarborough study found that almost one-quarter (24 percent) of adults tuned into country radio in the past 12 months. For more information visit www.scarborough.com.
I can't wait until I reach my 30s
Being in your 20s isn't very rewarding according to a recent survey of 500 Americans in the age range of 20-29.The survey, conducted by InsightExpress, a Stamford, Conn., research firm, reveals that only one-third of employed twentysomethings are happy with where their career currently stands. Not only are young adults not happy with their jobs, they are having a hard time making ends meet as almost half who have entered the work force (45 percent) are still receiving financial assistance from family members. Many reflect back to their college days as a reason for where their career stands - two out of five say that "knowing what they know now" they would change the major they picked in school. All of this leaves America's twentysomethings in search of some levity.
So where do they go? To their televisions of course! According to participants, their favorite programs are the ones that make them laugh. Sixty-three percent said that they typically watch TV sitcoms, followed by one-hour dramas (54 percent) and news magazines, entertainment news or current event shows (34 percent). When they need some cheering up, one-third (29 percent) cite Fox as one of their preferred networks. More specifically, this group favors the following networks (twentysomethings citing as one of their three favorite networks): Fox (29 percent); NEC (27 percent); Discovery Channel (24 percent); HBO (20 percent); Comedy Central (19 percent).
"America's young adults are caught in a vacuum between the teen demographic they must leave behind and the more adult demographic that they are becoming," says Peter Price, president, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. "The twentysomethings increasingly rely upon and appreciate humor in TV as not only an escape but in their attempt to avoid 'crossing the bridge' into adulthood."
Television sitcoms aren't the only place twentysomethings turn to for a good chuckle, as more than 77 percent say they are more apt to pay attention to a television commercial that contains humor, followed by those that contain music they enjoy listening to (48 percent) and those that contain graphics, special effects or animation (30 percent).
"While advertisers need to recognize the power of humor when it comes to attracting this group, they have to make sure that the brand is recalled as easily as the humor," says Dan Gallagher, executive group planning director, Saatchi & Saatchi. "I can't tell you how many times a twentysomething has told me about a funny commercial but they couldn't remember who made it."
For more information visit www.insightexpress.com.
Perfume use wafting up
A study by Baltimore marketing firm Vertis reveals that three-quarters of women now wear perfume and more than two-thirds of men use cologne, a significant increase from 2002. "When it comes to fragrance usage the new survey shows a year-to-year increase of 14 percent among women and 9 percent for men," says Therese Mulvey, vice president marketing research at Vertis."The popularity of wearing a scent waned in 2002, an indication of the general economic and emotional state of the American public a year ago. The good news for fragrance brands and marketers is that perfume and cologne have become more important to consumers."
The Vertis Customer Focus 2003: Fragrance study shows the following additional findings: 65 percent of women said they have purchased perfume in the past 12 months, compared with 60 percent in 2001 and 55 percent in 2002; GenY, Gen X and Baby Boomer females are 11-13 percent more likely to buy a fragrance today than they were in 2002; senior women are the only generation to show a decline in purchasing behavior - 51 percent in 2002 versus 43 percent in 2003; not surprisingly, smell is most important when women are selecting a brand of fragrance, followed by price and brand favorite; Hispanic women spent $40 more than the average woman on perfume and cologne in the last 12 months; 59 percent of men said they have purchased cologne in the past 12 months com-pared with 59 percent in 2001 and 47 percent in 2002; GenY men are the only age group to wear less fragrance than they were a year ago, 79 percent in 2003 vs. 75 percent in 2003; men are 11 percent more likely than women to allow what others think of a fragrance to influence their purchasing decision; half of women (50 percent) said that in the past 90 days they had smelled a fragrance advertisement in a magazine, up from 46 percent in 2002; 69 per-cent of women and 71 percent of men indicated that scented magazine advertisements are "somewhat" or "very helpful" when deciding which fragrance to buy, an increase of 4 percent for females and 15 percent for men from 2002. For more information visit www.vertisinc.com.
Scientists/firemen top list of most prestigious occupations
Americans see scientists, firemen, doctors, teachers and nurses as the professions and occupations which have the most prestige, according to a study by Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y. At the other end of the spectrum, the occupations which are seen as having the least prestige are real estate agents, stockbrokers, actors, bankers and accountants.
Only three occupations are perceived to have "very great" prestige by more than half of all adults; these are scientists (57 percent), firemen (55 percent) and doctors (52 percent). They are followed by four professions which are perceived to have "very great" prestige by more than 40 percent but less than 50 percent - teachers (49 percent), nurses (47 percent), military officers (46 percent) and police officers (42 percent).
By way of contrast, the list includes 10 occupations which are perceived by less than 20 percent to have "very great" prestige. The lowest ratings go to real estate agents (6 percent), stockbrokers (8 percent), actors (13 percent), bankers (14 percent), accountants (15 percent) and union leaders (15 percent).
These are some of the results of the annual Harris Poll measuring public perceptions of 22 professions and occupations, conducted by telephone by Harris Interactive between August 12 and 17 with a sample of 1,011 adults.
There is not much of a correlation between making money and having high prestige. Firemen, teachers, nurses and police officers all score very well on prestige but are not particularly well-compensated. At the other end of the spectrum, real estate agents, stockbrokers, actors, bankers and accountants can often make substantial sums of money, but have little prestige.
It is also clear that prestige does not mean celebrity. Most celebrities are probably actors, entertainers or athletes; and all of these are in the bottom half of the list in terms of prestige.
To judge from these data, it seems that prestige is strongly associated with respect. Professions with high prestige are those which are widely seen to do great work which benefits society and the people they serve.
Harris Interactive has been asking about the prestige of different professions and occupations since 1977. Over the 26 years since then there have been some quite substantial changes:
- Those who see teachers as having "very great" prestige have risen 20 points from 29 percent to 49 percent.
- Those who think lawyers have "very great" prestige have fallen 19 points, from 36 percent to 17 percent.
- Scientists have fallen nine points from 66 percent to 57 percent.
- Doctors have also fallen nine points from 61 percent to 52 percent.
- Athletes have also fallen nine points from 26 percent to 17 percent.
With the exception of teachers, no occupation or profession on the list has improved its ratings since 1977.
Most of the changes since last year are relatively small, within a possible sampling error for this survey. The biggest change is for scientists, who improved their "very great" prestige score by six points, from 51 percent to 57 percent. For more information visit www.harris-interactive.com.