Christmas chocolates in August?
Ho-ho-ho or No-no-no?

Christmas is coming early at Morrison’s. The retailer has been offering multibuy discounts on chocolate tubs. This angered health campaigners. They saw it not as a savvy marketing decision, but a flagrant attempt to cash in ahead of promotion restrictions for products rich in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), set to come into force from 1 October. For supermarkets, this means bogof deals and other price deals won’t be allowed.

Morrison’s claimed it was helping families to spread the cost of Christmas. This justification didn’t wash with those who support tackling the obesity crisis. Whatever your viewpoint, this incident highlights the challenges HFSS poses for the grocery sector.

Tensions between the cost-of-living crisis and health crisis will almost certainly spill over from trade press into mainstream media. The battle lines are predictable. Some media will ‘stand up’ for hardworking families’ rights to enjoy an affordable treat. Others will defend the HFSS strategy as essential to reducing strain on the NHS.

PR will be key for FMCG businesses, from manufacturers to food retailers.  Clarity around commitment to doing the right thing. Messaging about how to enjoy treats in moderation, whether that’s pizza, chocolate or fizzy drinks.  Raising awareness of the real nutritional value of items such as breakfast cereals to help consumers make informed choices. Helping people manage their household budget by making healthier options affordable.

It’s one thing if The Grocer covers criticism about Morrisons.  When it’s the Daily Mail, The Guardian or The Sun, the comms team needs to have their answers ready. Equally important is having information about what media coverage about HFSS means for the FMCG sector:

• Being able to measure the impact of helpful or damaging coverage on brand and consumers, without relying on sentiment and other outdated metrics that only tell you what the media thinks

• Understanding whether coverage is increasing or decreasing brand buzz, consideration and purchase intent

• Balancing this against the loss of advertising and promotional opportunities, to evaluate likely impact on business performance

• Comparing outcomes to other relevant brands over time.

Metricomm can help.  Our partnership with YouGov allows us to surface and quantify the influence of media coverage on key consumer-centric brand metrics. Especially at a time of change, when issues are contentious and when consumer response can be hard to predict, brands should know where they stand.

If you’re interested to learn more, drop us a line on hello@metricomm.com to learn more, or complete the form below.