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Marketing Strategies for Food Co-op Start Ups
Ellen MichelMarketing and Outreach
Bloomingfoods Market and [email protected]
Basics of co-op start up marketing, outreach and member-services
Where do you start? Brand elements and logo detour Who makes marketing decisions? What does a marketing decision look like? Where does the money come from, and how much should
you spend? What makes co-op marketing distinctive? What are your goals and how do you set them? Common pitfalls and challenges Best practices Resources 14 strategies for start ups
Logo in horizontal and vertical formats
Woodgrain texture
Limited fonts
Selected variable colors
Miss Larousse (French) recipegoddess
Brand Elements: Linden Hills Co-op
USDA, the "Every Day, Every Way" Department, made its play for the hearts and minds of visitors to our Nation's Capital by employing alien crop circle technology to carve the Department's logo into the grass of the National Mall.
Tourists lucky enough to be on the observation deck of the Washington Monument on April 1st got a bird's eye view of the spectacular sight.
Strangely, however, only one photo of the phenomenon -- the one you see above -- was released. All other photos were eerily erased without any known intervention.
Miraculously, the green expanse is expected to be back to normal by Friday, April 2nd, just in time for the crowds that will descend on the Mall and the Tidal Basin area this weekend to see this year's cherry blossoms.
Posted by Mary Ann Leonard
Derivations of the USDA Logo
Crop rows and horizons, wandering pathway
Riverbank: eco-implicationsand link to Miami River
City or village“a stone’s throw away”
Sun: idea of radius
Font communicates casualand contemporary
Modern twist on farm foods
“close food”
Don’t see dot.coop
Inviting website
What are the elements and how do they connect?
Where do you start with strategic marketing?
Use templates to remember what you need to keep in mind
Flip charts capturegreat conversations
SWOT: thinkabout strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
Enhanced SWOT: process, products and services, price, people, perception
Identify people with singular talents and get their advice and expertise
Consider working with a consultant
Document the details about your situation
Begin to tell your story: Story Plotterfrom Huffaker and Robertson, On Your Feet Brand Consultants
Evaluate and think critically about image and identity
Who makes marketing decisions? See if you can’t budget for marketing from the beginning:
you may save money in the long run Plan ahead to hire someone in marketing and member
services: the general manager and board can’t do it all Identify people who may contribute talent, but don’t
necessarily rely on voluntary contributions Let your story evolve from an authentic and meaningful
foundation – with good design principles Don’t underestimate the power of aesthetics – and bad fonts
(don’t use comic sans or papyrus) Think about the power of symbols
What does a marketing decision look like? Brand values include aesthetic values Internal: good marketing starts with the look
and feel of your store External: your logo and other brand elements:
team colors, t-shirts, textures, champions, mascots Education, information and training, both internal
and external Demos and education: the theater of food Social media: you are only as successful as your social
skills (and those of your participants) Customer service: bringing it full circle
Joel Salatin quote:
What we need is a mob-stocking herbivorous solar-conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization program
“Cows give us grass”
It is wise to budget for marketing from the beginning: include in first financial projections
Include marketing staff in decision-making conversations about store design and operations, hiring and training, prepared foods and demo
Use a marketing perspective to envision what you will do with your co-op: the social dimensions of your brand
The Story Plotter can help you begin to plot various kinds of stories, to enable group process: from Huffaker and Robertson, On Your Feet
Stories of Fact Stories of ContradictionStories of Possibility Stories of Fear and Anxiety
Marketing: the connection between money and story
What is distinctive about co-op marketing?
Organic and sustainable growth Connection to what Will Allen
calls the Good Food RevolutionJamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
Community collaboration Cooperative principles and values
can help you make decisions and guide your process:Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.
‘Fat words’ need to be illustrated with storiesShow the world that you walk your talk
Authenticity and passion
What are your goals and how do you set them?
Always think strategically Plan ahead, but be flexible: adopt the
basic structure of a good business and/or marketing plan
Everything telescopes from your mission
Identify 3-5 main objectives Think about strategies to meet those
objectives Develop 30-90 day action plans Your calendar is key Understand the seasonal rhythm of
your community
Common marketing pitfalls and challenges
Trying to be all things to all people
Trying to do everything all at once
Too many rogue identities Underestimating the
importance of aesthetics Failing to teach the link to
customer service
Be present – nurture relationships, one at a time
Aim for a balance of courtesy, knowledge, friendliness
Curate your brand aesthetics Collect and edit your stories Train: everyone on staff is
important to the brand
“There’s no such thing as a marketing emergency.”
~ Jeanne Lakso
Bummer! Learn from the marketing mistakes you and others have made
Develop a best practices approach
Study the best practices of successful co-ops
Aim for good internal communication
Try not to duplicate efforts Know what differentiates you
Local, organic, fresh, bulk, sustainable, healthful, whole Community, co-op
Consistency of information Service orientation with respect
to your community Dignity and respect for all
individuals Public relations can lead your
advertising strategy Understand the value you bring
to your community Focus on quality of experience Partner with your consumers no
matter where they are on their health and wellness journey(or their co-op journey)
Co-op marketing resources Food Co-op Initiative Cooperative Grocer Magazine Other co-ops and their
websites: MIX – Twin Cities Food Co-ops
CGIN: Cooperative Grocers Information Network
NCGA’s public face: new consumer website, Eat Local, America!, My Co-op Rocks websites
Cooperative Development Centers: CooperationWorks!
Cooperative Development Services (CDS)
Farmers markets Growers guilds Local First organizations National food activism sites:
Cornucopia, Fair Food Fight, Growing Power, Farm to School
Build out from board member linkage to other community collaborators
Your own backgrounds: establish your reputation as a trusted source of information
Marketing, graphic design, and grocery industry resources
Look at the branding done by businesses you champion: Organic Valley, Equal Exchange, Newman’s Own, Eden Foods
14 marketing strategies for co-op start ups1. Remember that everything you do is your brand2. Think about differences between identity and image
identity: who you [think you] areimage: who they [think you] are)
3. Build a customer-focused orientation4. Create a storytelling platform to move
beyond marketing clichés (use the Story Plotter)5. Store cleanliness speaks volumes:
brand = look and feel6. Allow those with expertise to
influence and shape decisions7. Identify champions and
common stakeholders –connect with farmers
14 marketing strategies for co-op start ups continued
8. Respect, understand and usebasic good design principles
9. Build initiatives on a solidstrategic foundation: set 30-90 day goals and focus on specific projects
10. Cultivate creativity and collaboration: honor your wordsmiths, artists, and musicians
11. Audit and evaluate all the time12. Think wide and shallow, narrow and deep13. Learn to listen and to draw out differing points of view,
respecting diversity of opinion: move from debate to deliberation14. Rise to the occasion: You are creating something great!
Feel free to contact me for more conversation as your co-op developsits marketing strategies
Ellen Michel [email protected]
Thank you!