In the animated version of The Jungle Book, Baloo the bear sings a classic from the Disney song archives when he croons, “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative…don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” The idea appears to have firmly taken hold with food developers.
Speaking at Prepared Foods’ New Products Conference (NPC), Richard Lenny delved into the marketing of health-oriented foods and beverages. “Consumers are more prone to respond to something positive, rather than the lack of something negative,” explained the operating partner with Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe LLC, and former chairman, president and CEO of The Hershey Co. His opinion would be echoed by speakers throughout this year’s NPC. In fact, Lynn Dornblaser and David Jago with Mintel International suggested manufacturers can reduce fat and sugar but, in marketing efforts, should emphasize the positive attributes of the resulting product.