Hartbeat EXEC Volume 3, Issue 4 The Curious Role of Brand in the Food Product Life Cycle "What are some important, emerging brands affecting my category?" This is a question that clients occasionally ask us in initial conversations...

“Reimagining the American Supermarket for a New Era in Food Culture”

A look into how America's most successful packaged food launches have fared over the long term. Have they sustained their initial Y1 scale over time? While the majority of top food launches from 2003-2007 are for sale, only 1/3 are larger than in Y1, none are both larger and growing, and the majority are in decline.

Post-modern strategies for growth in the U.S. market

The demand-side risks food R&D faces today are ultimately cultural forces, not forces of misinformation easily countered with opposing information.

Clearly, it is not just Hispanics who are embracing new kinds of packaged foods (i.e., buying legacy American brands in response to Hispanic target marketing). Americans of all backgrounds are de-linking themselves from the exclusivity of their inherited food traditions and incorporating a broader array of flavors and food experiences than ever before. The young and highly educated are leading the way, wandering ever farther from culinary home.

In this issue of Hartbeat Exec, we explore the power of traditional food cultures to create different historical trajectories for packaged food categories by focusing on the epitome of industrial packaged food: the convenience meal.2 Whether it is the ramen noodle bowl for one or the multi-component frozen tray meals eaten for dinner by American baby boomers, the idea of replacing all meal preparation with a cheap, industrial solution has captivated industry leaders and marketers for decades. It has also created billions of dollars of revenue for modern food companies.

Discover how the emerging refrigerated packaged food sector is re–defining quality by blending the best of center store convenience with restaurant quality.

The key to long–term, investor-oriented growth is to bring product-centered innovation back to the foreground.

Use cultural savvy to surface unexpected top–line growth in the US packaged foods marketplace.

A look at the dramatic transformation of America's eating habits.