IDDBA 2014: Go bold when marketing to male grocery shoppers

Food retailers should stick to bold colors and simple fonts when trying to make products appeal to men, said Bill Klump, chairman of the board of IDDBA and SVP marketing, Butterball. Klump led a session called “Man Up: Men's Recent Impact on Grocery Marketing.”

Klump pointed to packaging and campaigns from Hamburger Helper and Tide, two products that traditionally were only targeted to moms, as examples of the industry's changing marketing strategies. Today's Hamburger Helper box uses darker colors and more straightforward messaging than in the past, while Tide has partnered with the NFL to make doing laundry manly.

When it comes to brands, men tend to be more brand loyal while women are more loyal to individuals, according to research from Yahoo. Put in terms of the grocery industry, Klump said that means a woman would be loyal to the deli clerk that makes her order while a man would be loyal to the store that holds that deli department.

Men approach the shopping experience differently from women, Klump said, citing research from Daymon Worldwide. They are less likely to make lists, cut coupons or read the store circular, but spend more time actually shopping.

At the same time, men and women have similar values when it comes to the products they buy, Klump said. A Pew study found that 95% of men think about the nutrients a meal provides the family, 90% prioritize using fresh ingredients, and 86% try to limit the use of processed foods.

Retailers must consider all these factors when targeting the male shopper, Klump said.