Dinner in America isn't what it used to be, and only understanding shoppers emotional connections to dinner today will help retailers gain a seat at the dinner table. Brace will help retailer attendees define their growth objectives and develop strategies to create the right story for the desired audience.
Christopher Brace, CEO, Shopper Intelligence - Dinner in America
1. The Importance of Family Meals
Bringing Families Together Through
Emotional Storytelling
2. Agenda
• The Opportunity and Challenge
• Our Recommendation
• The Benefits of Family Dinners
• Activation Example
• Appendix
3. The Opportunity
Despite more people eating alone today, family meals provide
the highest number of weekly meal occasions, presenting
grocers’ delis with a strong opportunity for growth.
4. The Challenge
How can grocers compete more effectively against other out-
of-home mealtime solutions currently favored by families?
5. Our Recommendation
One way is for grocery delis to connect with moms/dads
through a deeper emotional understanding of mealtime than
what we typically see in the market today.
9. Quality vs. Quality
There are two different definitions of quality time.
Definition 1
Anytime together
Activities
• Meal time
• TV/Movies/Video games
• Driving kids to events
Definition 2
Family is the focus
Activities
• Meal time
• Board/card games
• One-on-one activities
10. Family meals create a structure, a point of reconnection
during the day, thus providing kids with an emotional
anchor point that makes them feel safe in their world.
Source: The Guilt-Trip Casserole: Dinner and the Busy Family – New York Times 2009. By Jan Hoffman
Emotional Benefits
11. As a result, young people are more likely to describe
themselves as happy, confident and hard-working.
Emotional Benefits
12. Lower incidence
of teen
depression
Lower teen &
parents stress
levels
Parents/Children
feel more
bonded to one
another
Children feel safer
and more
secure
Emotional Benefits
14. Social Benefits
The interactions surrounding family meals help kids build
stronger interpersonal social skills, helping them avoid many
harmful behaviors.
21. Children can develop their cognitive skills.
• How to express problems so others can understand them.
• How to solve problems in a mature manner.
• Taking guidance and advice from others and implementing it.
Cognitive Benefits
22. Children learn about language and its social use.
• What are appropriate topics.
• How to give enough information to the listener.
• Acceptable means of communications like taking turns and
listening to others.
• Vocabulary development.
Language Benefits
25. To activate this, develop communications based on this deeper
emotional understanding of family mealtime.
We do this through the three key insights needed for great
communications.
26. CONSUMPTION
BEHAVIORAL
EMOTIONAL
TRIGGER
SHOPPER
BEHAVIORAL
How are they
consuming the
category/brand?
What are the
emotional
hurdles?
What are the
behavioral
hurdles?
What are the
emotional truths
that drive
category
behaviors?
How are they
shopping the
category/brand?
What are the
emotional
hurdles?
What are the
behavioral
hurdles?
Our Approach to Insights
27. Example
Growth Objective: Increase deli sales by 5%.
Growth Strategy: Get current deli shoppers to purchase us
more often.
Target: - Single or double parent households
- Kids 6 – 18
- HHI $50,000 - $75,000
- Order food in 4x+/month
28. Example
Comm Strategies: - Get deli into mealtime solution
consideration set.
- Overcome purchase hurdles of quality
and freshness within an emotional story
based on the Emotional Trigger Insight.
29. CONSUMPTION
BEHAVIORAL
EMOTIONAL
TRIGGER
SHOPPER
BEHAVIORAL
“We eat together as a family most
nights, but when I don’t feel like
cooking we get take-out. We have
our go-to favorites but it depends
on what type of experience we
want. Dinner and a movie mean
pizza, fast food, or Chinese.
But if we want a more traditional
at-the-table dinner we may opt for
fast casual like Applebee’s or Olive
Garden. We rarely consider a
grocery store deli as an option, I’m
never sure how fresh that food is
and sometimes the quality is not
great.”
“Raising kids is not an easy task,
just ask any parent on the planet.
We take advantage of any little
tricks of the trade we can find.
Having dinner together several
times a week is one of those tricks.
Not just because it means we’re all
in the same space at the same
time talking, it goes much, much
deeper than that. Dinnertime
conversations help our kids
develop critical thinking skills; they
learn social etiquette and even
learn new words. This helps them
feel safer and more confident
when they’re out in the world
everyday on their own.”
“When we order out, we
usually decide within an hour
or two of dinner time.
Sometimes my husband or I
grab something on the way
home. Other times we let the
kids choose. We rarely
consider a grocery store deli
because we’re never sure
how fresh the food is and
sometimes the quality is not
great.”
Three Key Insights
34. Christopher Brace – Founder & CEO
Christopher founded Shopper Intelligence in 2006 based on
his 360-degree view of the challenges today’s marketers face.
He has held management positions in Shopper Marketing,
Brand Management, traditional advertising and promotions on
both the client and agency sides of the business. He is
dedicated to helping companies prepare for the critical role
Shopper Marketing will play in the future – that of catalyst
towards full marketing integration.
As CEO of Shopper Intelligence, he helps clients develop and
advance their Shopper Marketing capabilities so they can lead
their organizations to a deeper level of strategic integration. By
integrating consumer and shopper plans, his clients bring
emotional meaning to their brands using insights that reflect
the emotional truths that trigger both consumption and
purchase behaviors. He then translates these insights into
strategies and communications that win consumers’ and
shoppers’ most valuable assets – their hearts, attention, and
dollars – building emotional and behavioral loyalty.
He is a Distinguished Faculty Member at the Path To Purchase
Institute and a featured speaker for POPAI. As a sought after
thought leader, he has spoken at conferences in China,
Russia, Colombia, Brazil, Caribbean, Singapore, Malaysia and
US.
37. Smarter Children
Unlikely to smoke, drink or take drugs
Courteous and conversational
Connected to family
Eating better
Sharing food and conversation at meals
Strengthens families
Source: Purdue University Center for Families
38. Grocers’
Opportunity
81% of parents
buy items with
minimal prep
time
16 meal occasions
per week among HHs
w/kids under 18*
Clear Benefits of
Family Meals
Sources: - US Grocery Shopper Trends 2015 – FMI
- The Food Marketing Institute. FMI Shopping for Health 2013
* Compared to 14.5 Pre-Family, or 73 less meals
over the course of a year.
39. Frequent Hurdles To Mealtime
Busy
Schedule
Distractions
Picky Eaters
Lack of
conversation
topics
This applies to
parent and
children alike.
Also affects
shopping & prep
time
1/3 of parents &
kids watch TV
during dinner;
73% of parents use
their phones
49% of HH w/children
say it’s tough to find
something to serve at
family dinners that
everyone will eat
Sources: The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive – 2013
Patterns of Mobile Device Use by Caregivers and Children During Meals in Fast Food Restaurants - Dr. Jenny Radesky 2014
40. Emotional Benefits
Suicide Attempts
2x as likely among teens
who don’t eat with their
parents regularly
Stress Levels
Reported Teen stress
level decreases as the
frequency of family
meals increases
Feelings of Closeness
- 82% of parents feel
closer to their kids when
having dinner together
- 72% of kids feel closer
to their parents
Sources:
- Teens and their parents in the 21st century, Council of Economic Advisers, 2000
- The Importance of Family Dinners VIII – CASAColumbia, September 2012
- Share the Table: The Barilla Family Dinner Project – Dr. William Doherty, 2010
Relaxed/ Safe
- 65% of parents report
feeling less stressed
when eating as a family
- 52% of kids say family
dinners at home
contribute to their
feeling safe/secure.
41. Social Behavior Outcomes
Drinking
Prevalence of drinking is
nearly 2x as low among
teens having family
meals*
Drug Use
Only 24% have used
marijuana vs. 50%
among teens not sharing
regular family meals
Violence
<30% have been in a
serious fight vs. 40%+
among teens not sharing
regular family meals
Educational Achievement
Higher grade points;
more likely to go to
college
Source: Teens and their parents in the 21st century, Council of Economic Advisers, 2000.
* Based on family meals at least 5 days/week. Teens age 12-16
42. Health Behavior Outcomes
Eating Disorder
35% less likely to engage
in disordered eating
Obesity
12% less likely to be
overweight
Healthy Foods
24% more likely to eat
healthier foods
Source: Hammons & Fiese, 2011
Families with kids less likely to skip meals. On average, 890 million meals are skipped each week.
The Guilt-Trip Casserole: Dinner and the Busy Family – New York Times 2009. By Jan Hoffman
Jan Hoffman is quoting Dr. Amy Middleman, adolescent medicine specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital
Inclusion = everyone present and part of the conversation
Sources:
Teens and their parents in the 21st century, Council of Economic Advisers, 2000.
- Share the Table: The Barilla Family Dinner Project – Dr. William Doherty, 2010
Teens and their parents in the 21st century: an examination of trends in teen behavior and the role of parental involvement –
Council of Economic Advisers, 2000.
Teen Suicide Attempts: 2x as likely when not eating w/their parents regularly
Teen Stress Levels: decreases as the frequency of family meals increases
Feelings of Closeness
- 82% of parents feel closer to their kids when having dinner together
72% of kids feel closer to their parents
Relaxed/ Safe
- 65% of parents less stressed when eating as a family
- 52% of kids say it contributes to their feeling safe/secure.
Source: Teens and their parents in the 21st century, Council of Economic Advisers, 2000
Drinking Prevalence of drinking is nearly 2x as low among teens having family meals*
Drug Use: Only 24% have used marijuana vs. 50% among teens not sharing regular family meals
Violence <30% have been in a serious fight vs. 40%+ among teens not sharing regular family meals
Source: Teens and their parents in the 21st century, Council of Economic Advisers, 2000
Source: Hammons & Fiese, 2011
Disorder Eating 35% less likely to engage in disordered eating
Obesity: 12% less likely to be overweight
Healthy Foods: 24% more likely to eat healthier foods
Sources:
- Mealtime Talk That Supports Literacy Development – Catherine E. Snow, Diane E. Beals; + Ochs, Taylor, Rudolph & Smith, 1992)
- Family Routines and Rituals, Mary Spagnola, PhD; Barbara H. Fiese, PhD, 2007
Convenience is as important as nutrition
“ kids eat consistently and frequently, and when kids eat, the parents eats, skipping meals relatively rarely” - US Grocery Shopper Trends 2015 – FMI
Chart p.15
Picky Eaters: This sometimes leads to individual menus, which adds complexity to dinner planning and weakens the opportunity to broaden children’s taste and eating experiences.
Teens and their parents in the 21st century: an examination of trends in teen behavior and the role of parental involvement –
Council of Economic Advisers, 2000.
