Bimbo group brands support commitment to nutrition and healthy products
Andr Ramello, head of marketing at Bimbo Brasil, worked for almost eight years at the company’s headquarters in Mexico. More than differences, he found similarities in people’s relationship with brands, content and media, in addition to the joy and receptivity characteristic of the people of Latin America. The main consumption movements are very similar, confirms the executive, who returned to Brazil in June last year. Below, he shares his experiences and insights into issues surrounding the food and advertising industry.
How was the experience at the Bimbo headquarters in Mexico?
I was already in Bimbo’s fourth year in Brazil, taking care of cakes, panettone, and tortillas, when, in 2015, the opportunity arose to go to Mexico, the company’s headquarters, present in 34 countries. It is important for executives to spend time there, to understand the company’s culture. I ended up staying almost eight years. I went through several categories, from cookies to channel marketing, snacks, which is a segment where the group competes a lot abroad. In June of last year, I returned to Brazil.
Is the market really so different in other countries?
The perception that there are situations that only happen in Brazil, but not like that, especially when considering Latin American countries. We are in South America, obviously there is a language and culture gap. However, Brazil is a Latin country. Brazilians are as cheerful and receptive as the people of the region, and their relationship with brands, content and media is similar. When the influencer boom started, it was the same for Brazil and Mexico. Discussions about the survival of free-to-air TV are also common to both markets. It changes when compared to Europe and the United States. Open media in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile is an important topic. Apart from that, the main consumption movements are very similar.
Which trends are absorbed?
News is not always massive. In the United States, any state that sells well will sell more than two Latin American countries. The brand explodes in just two states, but sells the same as a Brazilian giant. When a trend starts to become popular in the United States, you immediately think it will invade Latin America, and it will, but often it takes a little longer, and comes with less impact and stabilization in some categories that seemed to be a trend. There are differences, but I see more similarities than contrasts between countries in the western world.
What has influenced the world of food recently?
Marketing professionals working in the food market had to follow the evolution caused by the health and wellness movement. At first, there were doubts about whether or not to keep salt, fat, sugar, but then the compass changed. The consumer does not want restriction. He imagines that if you remove sugar, more fat comes in, alters the flavor, and adds so much chemicals that the market ends up going for the natural trend. There is still the radical niche, astronaut food. But today, what is working is food that delivers flavor, because in addition to health, and this is a discussion for one or two years now, there is wellness, which includes mental health. It is important to remember that the emotional bond with food helps balance. a social act of sharing. If the world didn’t need this emotional relationship, we’d already be taking pills. Research shows that a crunchy snack releases stress. Already the sweet, the comfort of a hug. Today, what is said is, eat well, everything, and practice exercises. Everything that comes as a niche trend will have consumers, but it will not dominate the world because you always end up returning to balance.
How does the company face the wave of natural food?
People today restrict ingredients that they don’t find so naturally in food. This draws more attention, on Instagram, TikTok, social networks, than the amount of carbohydrate, protein and fat that the food may have. There is fear of hyper-processed foods and how the ingredients are digested by the body. How important is this? We’re only going to know that up front. We are at the forefront of this topic in Brazil, with technology and a new brand. We work with Nutrella, a specialty bread brand, the first and only totally natural product in Brazil. In Europe and the United States, the clean label is already very present. Instead of chemically stirring, it uses natural ingredients to preserve the product.
Read the full story in the May 8 issue
