http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/ "HartBeat" is The Hartman Group's FREE online newsletter, providing insight, analysis, information and strategy to give business leaders the knowledge and vision to build sustainable brands. en-us Mon, 21 May 2012 08:54:31 GMT http://www.hartman-group.com http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/social-technology-changes-food-shopping Doesn’t it seem like a lifetime ago that “savvy” grocery shoppers trudged behind shopping carts armed with folders full of carefully arranged coupons, a calculator for tallying up purchases and the weekly circular spread out as they navigated the aisles and... Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/social-technology-changes-food-shopping http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/our-standby-mealtime-companion Imagine for a moment one of any traditional mealtime settings—breakfast, lunch or evening dinner. A usual accompaniment at these eating occasions was often the daily newspaper, a favored magazine, perhaps a television program playing in the background or other... Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/our-standby-mealtime-companion http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/sweetener-sweet-spot-avoidance-vs-indulgence Consumer interest in sugar avoidance can be traced to the eminent Sugar Blues by William Dufty. The book's central argument is that a small dietary change, eliminating refined sugar, can make a huge difference in how good one feels physically and mentally. Today, as progressive health and wellness... Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/sweetener-sweet-spot-avoidance-vs-indulgence http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/best-in-class-health-and-wellness-marketing-otcs-and-vitamins Call it the moment of truth, but the reasons behind consumers reaching for one of many OTC or dietary supplement products are not as simple as price or brand name. While many OTCs and supplements tend to blend together on crowded store shelves, when it comes to... Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/best-in-class-health-and-wellness-marketing-otcs-and-vitamins http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/deny-and-perish Last week, Food Business News released a troubling statistic for food industry executives: unit sales in 14 of the top 20 packaged food categories (bread, soup, baby formula, canned/bottled fruit, shortening, etc.) declined 3% or more... Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/deny-and-perish http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/modern-family-the-real-story-of-the-american-family-or-why-tv-gets-it   "How can we reach moms?" The question comes up repeatedly in our conversations with marketers, and yet ABC's hit show "Modern Family" reminds us that the iconic nuclear family of the 1950s is kaput. At nearly... Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/modern-family-the-real-story-of-the-american-family-or-why-tv-gets-it http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/hartman-worldview-help-for-the-value-vexed-and-resource-stretched Remember 2008, when it seemed like the bottom had pretty much fallen out of what we now know as the Great Recession? In the ensuing years, we've been swamped with requests from CPG, foodservice and retail clients to better understand the "value consumer,"... Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/hartman-worldview-help-for-the-value-vexed-and-resource-stretched http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/walmart-nutrition-label-great-for With the advent of their own nutrition labeling system, "Great for You," we can't help but make the observation that, like many well-meaning stakeholders in the "fight against obesity" and proponents of sound nutrition, Walmart has lost sight of consumers themselves... Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/walmart-nutrition-label-great-for http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/bending-culture-recognizing-change-worth-responding-to Finding white space opportunities within crowded CPG categories might seem like a tall order but consider the work of Steve Jobs. In several existing, crowded and massive consumer electronics categories, Apple took existing cultural trends (use of personal music... Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/bending-culture-recognizing-change-worth-responding-to http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/organic-trend-the-clean-food-manifesto When he went before a Congressional committee in December 2011, Chipotle’s Steve Ells made a passionate appeal for help in ending the overuse of antibiotics in America’s food supply. His plea is on-point with the growing consumer demand for clean... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/organic-trend-the-clean-food-manifesto http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/farm-to-pharma Foods and beverages have long been at the center of consumers’ wellness lifestyles and are often the first step in health and wellness adoption. In U.S. culture, food is fuel for the body providing energy and sustenance. Given the essential and frequent nature... Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/farm-to-pharma http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/wellness-2012-jamba-goes-to-school Health and wellness trends, driven by consumer demand, continue to reconfigure both food culture and the settings in which foods and beverages are consumed. CPG food and beverage, as well as retail and foodservice brands, continue to adapt themselves... Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/wellness-2012-jamba-goes-to-school