The Marketing Doctor Says:

As Tomato Warning Expands
Tomato Industry Has Terrific Marketing Opportunity

The FDA is expanding its warning on tomatoes after Salmonella outbreaks (here’s the story).   The problem is huge.  McDonald’s and many others are pulling tomatoes off their sandwiches and millions of dollars will be lost to spoilage and lost business.

It’s still early days in this tomato problem and no one yet knows where the problem is coming from and what tomato crops are fine… but it’s never too early to start crafting a marketing response. 
Actually I can think of at least two marketing responses right off the bat: 1) a proactive restoration of the tomato brand image as wholesome, delicious and safe by the industry as a whole and 2) individual states and growing associations competing for more market share in the tomato market.

#1.  Remember the Tylenol poisonings in the 80s?  Well, Tylenol’s marketing response was legendary.  They took innovative steps to assure the public that Tylenol was safe and effective, they did a massive nationwide coupon campaign, a lot of advertising and even gave away their product.  The end result was that Tylenol actually emerged from the crisis with a larger market share than they had before it.  The tomato industry could experience a similar growth with the right kind of campaign (milk producers have been doing this for years) and, fact is, if they don’t respond proactively with marketing to support their brand they might be asking for long-term industry problems.

#2.  There are marketing opportunities for individual growers.  As more facts come out –especially as the source of the outbreak is isolated— this could prove a great time for some states (and a lousy time for others) if the unaffected states are already geared up to exploit this marketing opportunity for competitive advantage.

For example, New Jersey tomatoes aren’t even ready for harvest yet –that’s about as much about agriculture as this son of a Queens grocer knows!— and it’s very possible that the current crisis will be figured out before they are ripe.  What a prime opportunity for that state to underscore the quality of their tomatoes and not only offer consumers a “tomato safe haven” this summer but substantially strengthen their brand image for years to come.  Individual organic tomato growers might also be able to carve out a bigger niche with the right marketing as well.

But as for tomatoes in general, as a marketing guy with a doctorate in Psychology, I can tell you this: at the very least something’s got to be done soon to make people feel good about eating tomatoes again or everyone in the industry loses!

And, remember, it’s always easier when you keep branding in mind!