Flavour Descriptions

[Hooked]

I wonder who writes the flavour descriptions? Are they done in-house, or by marketing agencies? I would think the latter, judging by some of the exaggerated descriptions which I have read online. I have yet to be transported to a tropical island (or something to that effect) by a flavour, but yes, I could certainly enjoy it. I understand only too well the power of words, but couldn't we just have flavour descriptions which are objective? All that I need to know is that the flavourants are mango, kiwi and litchi, for example. I don't need a pretty picture. Perhaps I'm too much of a realist!

 

[Silver]

Interesting point @Hooked

I have noticed that some juice vendors describe their juices very simply - just the main flavours
While others tell a story
All about marketing I guess.

As long as I know what sort of flavour is in there I am happy and can decide whether to try it or not.

 

[Gersh]

If you describe some cool summers day and all I can taste is koolada , well then you definitely lost the plot in your description


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[Strontium]

Judging purely from the recent launch of a inhouse juice by a well known local vendor, where the names of the brand and flavours seemed to target prepubescent schoolboys and Twinkie Texters, I'm fairly confident in saying that I don't think a marketing company of any standard has come remotely close to any campaigns/descriptions.

 

[RichJB]

It's expensive to hire an ad company. I think that 99% of juice manufacturers couldn't afford it. When even big companies like Inawera or the Chinese equipment manufacturers won't pay an English writer to copy check their website or instruction manuals, ad agency expenditure is out of the question.

Plus as @Strontium points out, some of the brands put into the market are not in line with the general principles that ad agencies would follow.

 

[Quintusson]

Hours and hours of thumb-suck and thinking back to the 'colourful' descriptions used in those Verimark, etc. ads for inspiration
Most, if not all of us, are not marketing people so the description you see generally started off with thoughts like "This stuff is good. Buy it. Flavor A, B and C is in it. Please buy it." and then transcended into what is then read by most.
Although there are some of the people out there, I am sure, which do make use of marketing companies.

 

[RichJB]

It is natural to want to make a product sound appealing. When a car manufacturer punts one of their vehicles, they are not going to say "It's a car. It has an engine and four wheels. It takes petrol and gets you from A to B." That is not a very powerful sales message even if is an objective summary of the product.

Where I think the lack of marketing input becomes apparent is in juice lines not identifying or stressing a Unique Selling Point or USP. When an ad agency sets out to sell peanut butter, they want to communicate why you should choose that brand. "An orgasmic explosion of peanutty goodness that explodes on your tongue and sends ripples down your throat" doesn't do that. Instead, what makes this brand different? Is it creamier, crunchier, does it contain more actual peanuts than other brands, does it contain less fat and salt (healthier), is it cheaper, does it come in a handy squeeze container, does it contain secondary flavours like chocolate?

We see this in the marketing of tomato sauce. All Gold emphasise how many tomatoes they cram into each bottle so it is the richest and most authentic tomato sauce. That is its USP. But we all know the nightmare of their tomato sauce, where you have to bang and bash the bottom of the glass bottle to get it to flow - and then it all comes out in one go, drenching your chips. And then you get that nasty dried red crust around the bottle top, which makes it harder and harder to open. So some rivals choose a different USP: that their tomato sauce comes in a handy, easy, no-mess squeeze bottle. That is their USP. And then others will add mustard to their tomato sauce because maybe you don't want just tomato taste. That is their USP. And so it goes.

What might help "do it yourself" juice marketers is to try and identify a USP. What makes your mint juice different? Is it the most natural leafiest mint? The coldest mint? The creamiest mint? The chewiest mint? The cheapest mint juice on the market? The subtlest mint, the smoothest mint? Is it the most complex and layered, the simplest and strongest? Does it have the most throat hit or the least throat hit? Is it the best mint to use in a dripper, the best mint to use in a starter kit? Why, if I want a mint juice, do I choose your mint juice? It is accepted that it's good and tasty. But I want to know what makes it different.

Manufacturers might be loath to emphasise a USP because of the perception that it loses market share. So if your mint is the coldest mint, you might lose sales to people who don't want their mouths frozen. But a product can't be all things to all people. Porsche aren't going to pitch their products as great first vehicles for students, or as suitable vehicles for farmers and off-roaders. They go for the high end urban professional and accept that they are going to lose out in sales to poorer people, first time buyers, those who need off-road capability, and so on. It is better to appeal strongly to one segment and lose others than to go into a pool of generic products that attempt to be all things to all people.