Mutate to innovate

There is an abundance of options for brands looking to adapt their food labels to local tastes

Mutation: A significant and basic alteration (Merriam Webster)

When it comes to foods, brands are often ‘forced’ to mutate to better satisfy consumers across different cultures. This is because food habits are fairly ritualistic across societies and brands have to offer more than a cursory nod to the embedded cultural norms to become part of a regular repertoire. 

Mutation as a legitimate innovation strategy is particularly relevant for food categories that travel across borders. For example, Quaker had launched its oats porridge in India a few years ago. The campaign succeeded in establishing the ‘gold standard’ health credentials of oats, but most Asians are not used to a hot and sweet breakfast! The culinary culture is one that favours savoury dishes whether for breakfast or in-between meal snack times. The macro-drivers of health and convenience notwithstanding, brands had to mutate so that the goodness of oats need not be accessed with milk only. A range of convenient oats are now available, in savoury flavours from Saffola and Quaker. This mutation has enabled the core health message of oats to be carried forward in a different delivery format. But the scope is not limited to only enabling brands to introduce and establish ‘new’ categories.

Globally, we observe rising consumer interest in traditional, natural do-good ingredients. Mutation can be a value-adding strategy to leverage this trend. A case in point is the launch of Heinz Power Sprouts drink in India. It has modified the code of the ‘malted food drinks’ by leveraging both local grains like ragi as well as traditional practices like ‘sprouting’. Thus, brands in emerging markets in Asia and Africa, with their vast portfolio of traditional ingredients and cooking processes, have the freedom to try various mutation strategies. 

Mutation can serve both brands and consumers in emerging markets in following ways:

• Make accessible ‘imported’ categories, a la the savoury oats in India

• Help rejuvenate ‘established’ categories by leveraging traditional raw materials and consumer beliefs

• Finally, help ‘democratise’ convenient categories that in their original avatar may be out-of-reach for many shoppers. Energy bars could be a game-changer in the snacking category in South Asia and Africa. There are local nuts, berries, cereals   and healthier sweetener options that can enable a brand to mutate the cereal bar format for these consumers.

The message for marketers is this: there is no risk in altering the ‘genetic’ code of foods as long as the final message delivered by the brand makes the consumers’ choices better and easier. The strategic advantages of ‘mutate to innovate’ strategies are quite obvious. Firstly, it helps a ‘new’ or ‘less familiar’ category gain acceptance for regular consumption and move into the broader meal repertoire.  The savoury oats launches are creating a new segment within the larger category of oats in India.

Secondly and probably more profitably for long term volumes, such mutation strategies in product development also help brands expand their footprint by giving the consumer the chance to choose the brand in multiple moments of consumption. Masala oats makers in India for example are extending the consumption occasion of savoury oats beyond breakfast by positioning the product as a healthy anytime, anywhere snack! In sum, when it comes to market entry strategies, particularly for different geographies and hence culinary cultures, mutation is welcome and may be an effective way to grow. 

The author is brand strategist and consultant with Healthy Marketing