Thou shalt not abandon a trend due to a failed innovation
One failed innovation does not mean the entire trend is destined to fail as well – new opportunities to reconnect should be embraced, says Picaza.
For instance, health and wellness retailer Whole Foods found itself the figure of social media ridicule over pre-peeled, plastic packaged oranges.
Twitter user Nathalie Gordon tweeted a picture of the product with the caption: "If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them," which has been retweeted 110,000 times.
Whole Foods has since removed the offending item and is now selling oranges in their ‘natural packaging’. "They did not consider that we should look at the trends together and although the product was practical, awareness and respect for the environment weighed more," says Picaza.
Similarly, French dairy giant Danone launched a limited trial of Actimel 50+. Its special magnesium-enriched formula was aimed at people over 50 years old but the line was not extended.
While its attempt to ”sell cures for being old," failed to resonate with older consumers in this case, there is still great potential in selling specialised food products to seniors, provided they are marketed well, according to Picaza.
Global market research company Mintel has also warned that, when marketing products to older consumers, avoiding stigmatisation is key.
