Who are your real competitors?
Share of Mouth - or - who are your real competitors?
When anyone goes out for a meal, we are confronted with a range of options to choose from. The same happens when we open the pantry to prepare a meal, grab a snack or choose a drink. It’s a rare individual, or occasion when we choose to take the whole lot that’s on offer. Even then, we can only eat one thing at a time. Yes, we can have rice, curry and papadums on the same plate, but it’s highly unlikely the same meal occasion and the same plate also has steak, mushroom sauce and potato mash. All you can eat buffets and smorgasbords are no different, we all choose some of what’s on offer, rarely everything. Even when eating we choose what to put into our mouth each bit at a time. That choice of what to eat from any selection on offer, from all that is competing for our taste buds is the Share of Mouth. At any lunch time I could have a salad, sushi, hamburger, soup or a hot drink, all demanding share of mouth.
More common is the term ‘Occasion Segmentation’. This segmentation indicates the process to divide the market into segments based on occasions associated with the customers. It concentrates on dividing the market depending on particular events during a specific time when the customers require the product or service. Generally, this segmentation is time-bound and targets the customers wanting a specific product for a specific occasion or event. Occasion segmentation can help firms build up product usage.1 Knowing when consumers are most likely to eat a muesli bar is useful and does expand a competitive set to options other than muesli bars but still falls short on what calls to us as we stare at a range of options.
Some of our selections are based on taste experience – lemon cake with mushroom gravy isn’t one to be repeated, but chocolate wrapped around hazelnut ganache is a worldwide winner. Other selections are based on learned eating occasion repertoires, nutrition, taste preferences, culture, time of day, season, cost, emotions or health. However, all any of these factors do is assist in helping us choose between what options we put in our mouth. These factors and many more are the basis for marketing and sales campaigns for products of any and every sort with most focused at point of purchase. How to carry over messaging to make the choice in the moment is not so easy and relies on consumers remembering why they made a purchase.
SoM is not really a technical term since it came from a marketing director trying to explain product cannibalisation v competitive products to a product team concerned about a competitor product launch. And SoM doesn’t mean how much airtime different voices are taking up, but there are similarities between the concepts. It’s also not only about how often consumers choose fruit juice at any occasion.
SoM has helped me think about what competitive set I’m really up against. We only have one mouth and so much competes for its attention. That means every food and beverage option, except unsafe food, is a competitor for that moment of taste and enjoyment, not just my direct competitors. I’m not saying learned repertoire, price, taste and convenience aren’t important drivers for purchase or use. They’re just not the only things to consider.
So, what does that all mean in practical terms?
It means any product or ingredient is not perceived as equal but seek to be considered as equal. Which one to choose when it’s time to eat or drink?
I can hear you saying, “you mean we choose each one based on a value proposition”, or a functional role like eggs for a cake, or a cultural norm like coffee or tea at breakfast. Yes, but these are only part of it.
Value propositions work best on shelf or in advertising. It even has carryover into the pantry or fridge eg a probiotic yoghurt to improve gut health. Function works for the food being prepared. A key driver for choice is learned behaviour. That comes from what was modelled as acceptable as we grow up, what’s possible on the food budget, the acceptance/rejection of food by those eating. But it remains, at the point we are hungry or thirsty and are deciding what to eat from a selection in front of us, we only have one mouth and there’s only one winner at a time.
Share of mouth winners come from memory of satisfaction, delivery to the value proposition for health, cost, taste in line with values, culture or needs. We choose foods again and again based on the delight and/or satisfaction they delivered to our needs. Think of what you’ve rejected……..
So, when you’re thinking about your competitive set and your next product, don’t just think about the value proposition, taste, cost or how it compares to the direct competitor. Consider whether your product will delight and satisfy. Always, no matter what it’s stacked up against. Consider how will you win share of mouth for a meal, not just share of purchase v your competitors. Delight and satisfaction at the right price, that’s how winners are made.
References
1. https://the-definition.com/term/occasion-segmentation