February 21, 2019
Voice Search Idea Studied at United Fresh BrandStorm Event
By Mikenzi Meyers, Associate editor
Mary Coppola, Vice President of Marketing Communications at United Fresh Produce Assocation, is not just focused on selling brands of produce but improving marketing within the industry as a whole.
When it comes to promoting a brand, Coppola knows that people are more drawn to those they have background information on.
“We’ve certainly seen that when there is a brand association and there is a strong story shared with the consumer—that there are a trust, loyalty, and a desire to seek out that brand—in return, [that] means that the consumer is buying more of that product,” she explained.
Producers looking to create this kind of a connection should note that less is more, and consistently sending the same message is the best way to get consumers on board.
The marketing industry is also trying to capitalize on the consumer’s connection with technology. Coppola described new research into voice-activated search engines, called voice optimization.
“Consumers are, more and more, using a voice search to ask about products, what’s in season, and where they can buy such product,” she said. “There’s an opportunity for producers to start talking about their products, and their brands to be able to be the ones to answer those questions.”
Every year, United Fresh holds an event called BrandStorm that brings together produce marketers to update them on the latest trends and set the stage for the rest of their marketing activities throughout the year. They also hold a convention expo for professionals in the retail industry in order to educate them and give them the tools they need to help producers sell their products.
With an abundance of new technology and marketing research, the ultimate goal still remains the same.
“As an industry, I think we would all share the same sentiment: that we want consumers to eat more produce,” Coppola said.