Based on an article by INMIND Consulting GmbH, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Clicks, views and likes are the currency of modern marketing.
But what good are these metrics if they don’t bring additional customers into the bakery? Why do many marketing resources go to waste and how can neuro-branding offer a way out of the price war?
Clicks without purchasing power
The baking industry is under pressure from surging prices and shrinking margins. Meanwhile, consumers are bombarded with thousands of advertising messages every day. In the face of such an information overload, it’s not volume but relevance that determines whether a brand is noticed, remembered – and ultimately purchased. However, many bakeries are indistinguishable from one another – in their product range, brand image, and communication. Whether it’s vibe marketing*, performance campaigns, or social media trends, without genuine relevance, even creative approaches fall flat. Only brands that are deeply rooted in consumers’ minds and hearts build trust, provide guidance, and ultimately drive purchase preference.
Traditional market research provides rational answers: “I like the bread roll,” “The price is important,” “The quality is right.” But these conscious statements only scratch the surface. The subconscious level – where 95% of all purchasing decisions are made – remains untouched. This is exactly where INMIND’s MetaMotivation® comes in.
The power of targeted messaging
A look at other food categories reveals the power that targeted messaging can unleash. For years, oat milk languished as a niche product – until brands like Oatly established a distinct messaging profile that clearly differentiated itself from cow’s milk. The result: significant growth with premium pricing, while the milk market stagnated.
The cheese industry also impressively demonstrates just how diverse emotional positioning can be. From Appenzeller, with its strong connection to its region of origin, to ‘La Vache qui rit’ with its playful character, to ‘Caprice des Dieux’, which emphasizes indulgence and imagination: different brands occupy different thematic spaces and thus specifically appeal to different target groups. Another example is ‘Liquid Death’, a mineral water in a can that currently generates over USD 300 million in sales in the U.S. The retail price for ‘Liquid Death’ exceeds that of the Evian brand by 15%. Compared to Wal-Mart’s own brand, the product is even eight times as expensive.
“While there are attempts at differentiated positioning – sourdough breads with long fermentation times, regional specialties with a story of origin, or innovative creations with unique ingredients – the emotional potential still falls short of what is truly possible.”
INMIND Consulting GmbH
In the bread and baked goods sector, however, products often appeal to similar themes: craftsmanship, quality, tradition and freshness. While there are attempts at differentiated positioning – sourdough breads with long fermentation times, regional specialties with a story of origin, or innovative creations with unique ingredients – the emotional potential still falls short of what is truly possible. Ultimately, price often dominates on the shelf, while the name and character of a bread or pastry fade into the background.
The crucial question for bakeries is: Why do people buy bread in the first place? Is it purely for sustenance? For enjoyment and reward? For tradition and a sense of home? For sustainability and a clear conscience? Or for a bit of quality of life in the hectic daily routine?
‘Liquid Death’ – the rebellious still water in a can
Liquid Death is a success story from the US: In 2009, Mike Cessario, who would later found the company, observed at the Vans Warped Tour music festival that many band members were refilling their ‘Monster Energy’ cans not with energy drinks but with water to quench their thirst, yet without losing the ‘cool’ image. This observation led him to realize that healthy products are often marketed in a boring and unattractive way. This gave rise to the idea of selling water in cans with rebellious, provocative branding aimed at punk and metal communities, positioning water as a lifestyle choice. The ironic name ‘Liquid Death’ and the can design were intended to playfully and strikingly embody the ‘murder of thirst’.
The market launch initially took place via social media and a low-budget video that went viral – and sales exploded. Despite resistance from investors, skepticism in the retail sector, and criticism regarding sustainability (until 2024, the cans were filled in Austria and transported to the US), the product was successfully established first online and later in retail stores.
Founded in 2019, the company was valued at over USD 1 billion in May 2024, with estimated annual revenue of more than USD 200 million. The business magazine Forbes wrote on May 24, 2024: “While many marketers continue to try to achieve growth through ever-new product promises and loudly touted benefits, Liquid Death is banking on something else: relevance and meaning.”
The pitfall of vague positioning
“We are traditional, sustainable, innovative, and affordable”: such positioning statements are not uncommon. The problem is that if you try to appeal to too many motivations, you end up appealing to none of them effectively. In the eyes of consumers, such a brand remains vague. An additional obstacle: In the baking industry, thinking often revolves around product types – whole-grain bread, wheat bread, spelt bread – rather than brands with their own distinct character.
A way out of the price war
When their motivations are not addressed, consumers become price-sensitive. However, as soon as a brand becomes relevant because it fulfills a deep-seated need, consumers are willing to spend more money. At INMIND, selecting the right motivation is seen as one of the greatest opportunities for effective marketing by bakeries. “Business must decide with underlying needs they want to embrace – and then consistently translate this into product and store design, product range, and communication. Those who turn a product into a brand with its own name, its own story, and a clear profile create differentiation and increase consumers’ willingness to pay.”
What is MetaMotivation®?
MetaMotivation® is a tool developed by INMIND that reveals consumers’ underlying needs and visualizes which motives are associated with a product category or brand. Purchase motives are presented using a motives map that shows:
+ Which underlaying motives drive the target audience
+ Where your own brand and competitors are positioned
+ Which motive fields are unoccupied and offer potential
+ How positioning is implemented across all touchpoints
The illustrations below show motive maps according to INMIND. In the graphic, purchase motives for bread (left) are compared with motives associated with the Appenzeller cheese brand.
Further information: INMIND Consulting GmbH
Website: www.inmind-consulting.ch
Subconscious orientation
Based on MetaMotivation® and Analytical Neurodesign
