Alexandre Salvador, marketing and innovation director at AB Brasil, talks about the company’s communication strategies
Fleischmann completed 90 years of activities last year. Specialized in yeast and leader in the segment with more than 50% of market share, it is part of the British Associated British Foods portfolio through AB Brasil. In this interview, the head of marketing Alexandre Salvador details that the mixture of flour, water, salt and yeast is something that motivates and brings pride during the preparation time. In addition to bakeries, making bread at home has grown vertically in the last couple of years. It grows in the oven and so does the self-esteem of those who get their hands dirty.
How is the company structured in Brazil?
AB Brasil has three areas in the Brazilian market: consumption, industry and food service. I am responsible for the marketing and innovation of these three business segments.
When talking about leaven, immediate remission is for breads and cakes. What is it like to work with a product that is essential in human nutrition, which is bread?
It’s very thought-provoking. The ancestry of bread brings to the present all the richness of this history. There has been a great evolution in the production processes. Some consolidated more recently, which is how we know yeast today. Before, to make homemade bread, yeast was bought by weight in bakeries and also by spoonfuls. Now the consumer buys bags of 20 grams and then puts his hand in the dough. This change is about 20 years old.
Does yeast go beyond bread?
In pizzas and other pastas, it is essential.
Was there an increase in demand for yeast consumption with the Covid pandemic?
Yes. During this period there were many changes in the behavior of families. With social isolation, they dedicated themselves to doing other things, such as reacquiring the habit of making bread at home.
How did Fleischmann attest to this trend?
This is proven by research done by WGSN and Ibope Monitor. Life at home brought the need to add more natural values. Making your own bread dough revives a family tradition. And the centrality of this food has also awakened the need to distance ourselves from more industrialized things. Fleischmann helped in this process.
And was it also an alternative to occupy idle time?
Just like the rescue of crochet and chess boards, making bread became a personal time. In traffic, before the pandemic, people put ideas in place. That time was taken up for making bread. The numbers don’t lie: in 2017, the penetration of this custom was 25%. From 2020 to now, it has reached 80%. Cake everyone makes, but with bread it was a rescue. A lot of people started posting their productions on Instagram. So if they can do it, so can I.
Is it more work to make bread in the home environment?
From the. But value the time spent on this activity. What is cheap is doing and not the result. At the tip of the pencil, the cost is also cheaper than buying. This is also a reason for the growth of homemade bread.
What is your favorite recipe?
At first, the simplest. Then the migration to the more complex ones occurs. Some are for savory, stuffed, sweet breads, etc. When the technique is mastered, flavor is no longer the biggest concern of those who are making this food.
Is it necessary to have a special oven or does that good old Cosmopolitan do the job?
Any oven makes bread. That’s a myth. There are places with more tradition. In Rio Grande do Sul this ritual is part of the local culture. It’s like cooking beans and rice. Once a friend from Rio Grande do Sul answered me with a question when I told her that I was going to sign up for a bread course: why doesn’t your mother teach you? In the other states of the South region, the volume is also large.
More in some places, especially São Paulo, where the bakery is the point for a plate of bread with coffee with milk, isn’t it?
It’s a culture to go to the bakery in Sampa. In Brazil as well. The Fleischmann ingredient was born in the bakery. Today it is in retail due to this know-how. We work with over 200,000 bakeries across the country.
What is the business balance of AB Brasil with its Mauri and Fleischman brands in the bakery and confectionery sectors?
Each sector accounts for 1/3: industry, retail and bakery. For industry such as Bauducco, Wickbold and Bingo, we sell active yeast cream in its most active state. It is a living being that delivers maximum fermentation power. It arrives in a tanker truck, which is dosed in the customer’s process as a leavening station. Every business has a different level of expertise. In the bakery it is one way and in retail through packaging in the right measure.
How does marketing work in these three business modes?
Through sharing services. My structure supports communication, product and innovation. Each manager takes care of managing the business with the data available for the development and execution of the channel strategy.
And the campaigns?
The film Fleischmann Growing Up Over the Last 90 Years was released in October of last year. It permeated and was applied by all the company’s units. It was to celebrate these 90 years of activities. The idea was to show that it is not only bread that grows. But the benefit of people. From an internal point of view, we rescue our employees. It is a profession that passes through three generations in the company: grandfather, father and son. It means belonging. Bread is an inheritance. It refers to the Bible: earning daily bread. It’s a metaphor for food. Because there’s the bread that goes to the stomach, which is functional. And it has the side of being food for the soul and trust. The campaign’s insight came from surveys, one of them from Troiano. Who makes bread at home, stay tuned. He’s always looking around, a little jab. The process warms the heart. It’s got the business right. Of healthiness. And the transformation. Which is the person who does. French bread has a simpler composition. But it is natural like the others. The campaign was 100% digital and had national coverage.
Is fermentation also present in wholegrain and gluten-free recipes?
For the bread to rise, you have to knead the dough to activate the gluten, which holds the gases and makes it rise. Fermentation is natural. Levain, or yeast, can be industrial or homemade. But the wildest has the same effect as the industrial. What Fleischmann makes is yeast. Two grams is enough for multiplication. But we guarantee standardization. Those who like to grow their own yeast, which is taught in schools like Levain Panificação, by Shimura, are great. The important thing is not to oppose, but to encourage the culture of bread.
What is Fleischmann’s agency?
The Bold. In addition to the 90th anniversary action, it promoted a trade on 500 gram packages to reward bakers. Our process is always on to encourage bread making. This is the biggest move. We have an in-house kitchen that produces the recipes on our website, over 200 so far. Our technicians are always showing you how to perfect the technique. We also have influencers in our communication, including Ari Fontoura. For this year the motto continues: With you since 1931.
What about investments in the country?
R$ 300 million are reserved for the expansion of the factory in Sorocaba, the new technical center and a treatment plant.
What’s more exciting?
Kantar research shows changing brand metrics about who was exposed to communication and who wasn’t. We went up from 86% to 91%. In the item that establishes which brand makes my bread work, we jumped from 79% to 86%. And what brand is most used? Now we are at 82% and before with 76%.
How does competition stimulate Fleischmann’s actions?
All the brands that are on the market have affection for those who like to cook. Each of them has its own strengths. The important thing is to keep in mind the concept of quality. That’s what makes the category win and grow as a whole. Making bread is about pleasure in the process and pride in the final creation. It’s like having magic hands that turn four ingredients into food. Everyone can make bread.
What is Fleischmann’s branding claim?
It’s having the recognition of those who cook at home. When you want to be the star, Fleischmann is ready to help you shine. Our archetype is to be proud of that relationship.
How does innovation work?
It is a service to strategy. The innovation team works with design thinking to materialize dreams into reality; briefings on ideas. They observe the gaps and direct them to strategy, research and development.
Even on the packaging?
Yes. Research and development keep an eye on the presentation of the more than 200 SKUs that we have available in our portfolio.
What is your background?
I studied administration at FEA (Faculty of Economics and Administration at USP) with an MBA at Insper and a master’s degree at USP. I am also an MBA professor at ESPM and at the FIA (Fundação Instituto de Administração).
