Gardenburger Case
Proposed Strategy :
We feel the strategy that Gardenburger proposed is not viable. We think Gardenburger should stay in their current market targeting the cultural creatives. Since Gardenburgers’s goal is to expand the current market, the company’s goal should be focusing on developing brand preference within this demographic and increasing their market share of the veggie patty market.
Why Stick with Cultural Creatives?
Gardenburger aligns well with the lifestyles and habits of the cultural creatives as opposed to the health modifiers. Targeting this market thoroughly is a better option than spreading resources thin and targeting an entirely new market. In order to accomplish switching to health modifiers, the company would need an entirely new marketing campaign, would need to change their channels of distribution, and would be focusing on a demographic that the product does not fit well within.
Product Alignment with Customer Values
As cultural creatives “are concerned with self-actualization, spirituality, and self expression,” we felt they would be more apt to trying a meat alternative than the health modifiers. This category is concerned with environmental issues and sustainability - “the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity.” Gardenburger thus would decrease the consumption of meat and can play on the morals of these potential customers within the cultural creative demographic. Gardenburger can use cause-related marketing to charge a premium price, which the cultural creatives are more likely to pay for than the health modifiers.
Viability
Considering the viability of the growth strategies, we believe it would be viable to brand the veggie burger category instead of trying to brand the meat alternative category. The challenge would be stealing the market share from their competitors, including the current market leader Morningstar Farm. Since the brand name Gardenburger is easy for consumers to remember, Gardenburger has the competitive advantage of a unique taste that distinguishes itself from other meat alternatives. It is possible to brand the veggie patties category because it’s more narrowly focused as opposed to targeting the mass market. Gardenburger tastes like vegetables with a grainy texture while the competitors provide soy products that re-create the texture and taste of meat. This is a substantial difference why we believe Gardenburger should not target the health modifiers. We believe that the health modifiers are people who are concerned about their health but still want to enjoy having a nice burger.
Taste Perception
Given the taste perception, it would be hard to bring the product to mass market, as America is a country founded on ideals of meat consumption. Gardenburger should focus on leveraging the