The potential to add a bit more retail “drama” to marketing eggs has been highlighted by NFU poultry adviser, Aimee Mahony, alongside challenging everyone from producers to retailers to play their part in boosting British egg sales.
Writing in a blog on the NFU website, Ms Mahony (pictured above) revealed that her “egg drama” inspiration came from listening to a recent presentation by Prof David Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London, during which he described how egg marketing is approached by supermarkets in Asia.
“He described the menagerie of egg boxes, eggs in baskets and eggs on shelves, alongside colourful packaging and accessories positioned around the products,” she said. “The sheer volume on offer was staggering.
“It really made the eggs found on our supermarket shelves look quite uniform in terms of overall appearance.”
While noting that British egg producers are currently enjoying positive health-based headlines, Ms Mahoney urged the industry to “future-proof sales by ensuring it continues to share all of the health benefits eggs have to offer”.
“As an industry we need to ensure we are in tune with the next generation,” she continued, adding that this was something Prof Hughes had constantly referred to.
“Mini meals and snacks are rumoured to be the future and current trends show cubed foods are popular. Meat and cheese is currently available in cubes and popular with the younger generations; so how long will it be before we see egg cubes on the market?
“There are some eggy snacks available to purchase already, of course, but I can see a considerable opportunity for more.
“While we consider the need for a more theatrical approach on the supermarket shelf, therefore, I believe the entire supply chain can be involved in increased product promotion. From producers through to retailers everybody has their part to play to ensure we tell the great story of the British egg.”
