Talk, Taste and Tempt: Communicating the Extra Virgin ...

Talk, Taste and Tempt: Communicating the Extra Virgin

Olive Oil ExperiencePart I

Alexandra Kicenik Devarenne

Johnny Madge

Malcolm Gilmour

© 2019 Extra Virgin Alliance

Thank you to World Olive Oil Exhibition and its organizers


Introductions…


How do we learn things?

• Hearing

• Reading

• Seeing images

• Tasting and smelling

• Doing

• Feeling


How do we turn people off

• Shaming

• The oil you are buying is defective!

• OMG you can’t taste the artichoke!!! Really? It’s so prevalent…?

• This has won lots of awards – are you sure you don’t like it?


The things people say…


The Inexpert Experts

• “Extra virgin... simply means the olive oil has not been filtered.”

• “...astringency (drying in the mouth) is an indicator of rancidity.”

• “Fake Olive Oil is EVERYWHERE!”


A delicious, healthy product with enormous market potential

No need for lies and nonsense!


Visual communication – the unappealing nostalgia fantasy…


…with clichéd language and ideas• Liquid gold• Traditional and authentic• Golden nectar• Drizzle• “These titans of our countryside, imposing and

majestic, line the Salento countryside and bring to life stories taken from a Greek mythology. They are ancient plants from which the farmers produce extra virgin olive oil, yellow gold prince of our tables. The same oil that in the past had enjoyed even Roman and Messapi.”

• “we love adding a drizzle over steamed vegetables”• “olives from xxx are well-known for producing the

best oils in the world…”© 2019 Extra Virgin Alliance

Native English speaker!

• Google Translate is not a solution

• Your cousin’s English may be better than yours, but is it – Idiomatic?

– Culturally appropriate?

– Convincing?

• Writers are not very expensive when you look at the value they bring

• It’s crazy to spend € € € € on a fancy website but nothing on good writing/translation


Creating content


Identify the target audience

• Trade vs Consumer

• Consumers come in many types

– foodies

–health-focused

–novice olive oil users

–olive oil connoisseurs

–different age groups

–etc


Thinking about the market

• Boomers—still important, concerned about health, wellness and The Good Life

• Millennials—they are here! – Social media – you cannot be the gatekeeper of

information with this group; they communicate constantly in social media and share stories both good and bad

– Environmental & social awareness

– Will define the marketplace in coming years


Information overload

• Go for quality over quantity – We live in an age of information overload; don’t make it worse

“ You must know the Olive Oil Chemistry: oleic acid, FFA, peroxide value, polyphenol count...”

“Uh, not really…”

• Consumer information should not be like drinking from a fire hose


Stay away from negative messages; they can leave the impression that olive oil is too hard and they hurt

everyone in the long term


Creating informative content

• Be accurate

• Be relevant

• Be smart

• Be honest

• Be EXCITING!


Think about how to tell your story: What makes you and your oil unique?

• Who are you?

• What is your story?

• What is your passion?

• What unique benefits do you offer to a consumer?


What makes wine appealing?(apart from getting you drunk)


Geography

* Ok, I know these don’t match…!

*

*


Accessible, relevant information…


…on the actual product too


Relevant, engaging, fun!


Fresh, enticing, interesting


Take it in stages

• Begin with the basics, but ignorance ≠ stupidity!

• Analogy can give context and immediate meaning, i.e. different wines complement different foods–it’s the same with olive oil

• People like to feel like they know something a bit esoteric: the name of the olive variety, the growing region, the harvest maturity, etc.

• Provide resources for people to go deeper if they want to but avoid the fire hose


People may forget what you said—but they will never forget how you

made them feel


Clarity

In the old days, oils were not clear because the technology was not good enough…


…now it is


The oils are clear, intense, fresh and exciting like they never were before


Old labels were not

clear…


…now some are and we

want to know what variety is

used


Americans like intense flavors

• It’s not true that the American palate dislikes intensely flavored food: we love hot salsa, sriracha, bitter India Pale Ale, etc.

• The rejection of robust olive oils has more to do with how they are presented to the novice


…and so do the British

• They are increasingly adventurous

• Popular foreign dishes are rapidly assimilated into mainstream food culture

• Oil-producing countries’ cuisine is more popular and familiar than ever

• Bitterness is becoming more acceptable led by products such as dark chocolate and beer

• Plant-based diets and dishes are becoming more and more popular


Key points

• Identify your target audience

• Words are important but engage the senses and emotions for lasting impact

• Storytelling is critical—connect to people, place, experiences

• Think creatively; don’t be a slave to tradition

• Make it exciting and fun!


Talk, Taste and Tempt: Communicating the Extra Virgin ...

Documents

Transcript of Talk, Taste and Tempt: Communicating the Extra Virgin ...