Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1369084
How ABC Selects and Prioritizes Markets to Build Demand The bulk of the industry's investment in the Almond Board of California (ABC) is directed to marketing programs. This investment has been a critical component of the industry's efforts to build demand ahead of supply. According to a recent survey of industry members, many of you are interested in learning more about the marketing activities ABC executes across the globe to promote consumption of California almonds. In previous issues of How We Grow, we have shared updates on the diverse range of programs and positions we use to create and increase almond demand across the globe, from working with dermatologists in China to promote the skin health benefits of almonds on social media to a takeover of Waterloo Station in London to launch our quirky new "Do You Almond?" advertising campaign in the UK to the partnerships we've created with National Women's Soccer League star, Julie Ertz, and beach volleyball phenom, Kerri Walsh Jennings (Tokyo 2021 – here we come). However, we are sure many of you have wondered, "How does the Almond Board select markets in which to establish marketing programs?" Data driven, process focused decision making Over the years, the Global Market Development Committee (GMDC) and ABC have worked to develop a diversified geographic portfolio for our marketing programs. Today, the Almond Board has established programs in 11 key markets: So how did the industry pull together to align on this market prioritization? Even though there isn't a crystal ball, the key to ensuring successful market analysis has been to make decisions as objectively as possible and focus on the long-term. The approach we use today to evaluate our markets is largely informed by a study the Almond Board commissioned in 2011 with global consulting agency, Deloitte, called the Global Market Development Analysis (GMDA). This major investment that ABC undertook on behalf of the industry has proven time and time again to be a tremendous tool used to help identify the best markets where we could grow demand – the process Deloitte laid out was specific enough to build alignment among industry leaders and ABC, yet flexible enough to evolve as market conditions change. That said, varying opinions exist across the industry on a wide array of aspects that impact market selection and prioritization, including which markets offer the greatest growth potential, how many markets ABC can afford to support, and the balance between investing to AROUND THE WORLD Canada: 1999 Germany: 2000 Italy: 2018 U.S.: 1999 U.K.: 2000 Mexico: 2018 South Korea: 2011 Japan: 2018 China: 1999 India: 2010 France: 2000 This map identifies the 11 markets in which ABC conducts marketing programs and shows when marketing activity began in each. Article written by Emily Fleischmann, Vice President, Global Market Development United States India China Mexico Japan South Korea Canada United Kingdom France Italy Germany 7