There is not ONE new consumer, but MANY new consumers. New generation, new trends, new "food religions": how have these new targets and their expectations influenced distribution and brands? Are consumers gaining more power every day, pushing retailers and brands to reinvent themselves?

THE NEW ALDI…

"The big retail, the big brands, the hypermarkets… As if everyone could afford everything in great quantity…" This Aldi campaign is remarkable for more than one reason. Even if the generic spot leaves us puzzled about what to understand from it (out-of-context consumption scenes, playing with an abandoned shopping cart in the wild…), the variations are enlightening and mark a turning point, a repositioning for the brand.

A new positioning that disrupts the codes. The brand becomes more visible again and takes a different place in the world of retail. It conveys the image of an actor who has understood that an alternative consumption model to the dominant one is emerging and that the new generation does not expect the same from food and distribution as previous generations did. Contrary to its hard discount competitor Lidl, which centers its campaigns on price and the attractiveness of flagship products at low prices and in reduced quantities (“we are in trouble, boss, we are in trouble”), Aldi communicates here on values: its desire to remain a human-sized brand, its listening to future consumers which redirects its offer.

Indeed, this communication is focused on the insights of the “new consumers”, of the new generation. Young people who prefer to spend their time doing something other than shopping (young people devote more time to their leisure, to their studies to succeed). Young people for whom brands are not necessarily essential but who are more demanding about the quality of products. Young people sensitive to the environment and to Made in France, who would like to eat organic more than once a week, but for whom price is central (the budget they allocate to their food is not a priority: rent and leisure come first). This campaign places these expectations at the heart of the discourse and provides responses signed by Aldi with evidence to support them.

OTHER NEW CONSUMERS ALSO INFLUENCE THE OFFER…

Vegan, Flexitarians, gluten intolerant, anti-palm oil, convinced environmentalists: all these “niche targets” are gaining ground and thus interest brands and retail brands that adapt by diversifying their offer, their on-pack communication, and their statements. We have seen an increasing number of products without animal-derived ingredients, Gluten Free, “Without palm oil”, more recently “Without nitrite” and organic ranges even among the largest manufacturers. This also contributes to democratizing organic by making it more accessible.

Even meat producers are no longer trying to fight against the trend but are “rationalizing” it. Thus, in its Naturally Flexitarian campaign, Interbev (National Interprofessional Association of Livestock and Meat) advocates “better eating” by presenting Thomas who loves everything but in a balanced way: “love meat, eat it better.” https://www.naturellement-flexitariens.fr

For a long time, brands and distribution have dictated trends, influenced purchases… But it seems that another voice is now being heard: consumers have taken power (at least in part!). They are manifesting themselves, they are influencing, they are demanding… And in the end, they are getting what they want!

This article is from the White Paper " Agri-food: towards a new trust pact? "