Food Looks To Fashion Industry For Inspiration
November 1st 2006 08:10
The packaging claims the contents to be passion-fruit on shortcake, implying that it is a passion-fruit flavoured yoghurt upon a shortcake base. Yoplait was true to its word on the passion-fruit part, however the shortcake part is another story. The shortcake base in fact does not taste like shortcake at all. I’m not sure it actually tasted like anything at all. I then tried the vanilla on chocolate ripple. The chocolate ripple base actually tasted like chocolate, which was a pleasant surprise.
I then realised what the yoghurt industry was actually doing. You can no longer go through the yoghurt section of the supermarket without seeing at least several varieties of yoghurt using the “layering technique” to “woo” the consumer. You may have heard the term “layering” being used the last time you went to buy a t-shirt, but now it’s also a common word at the supermarket.
The “layering technique” works by tricking consumers to buy the product simply based upon the visual aesthetics of the layered consumable. The “layering technique” usually requires no taste aesthetics, as the visual aesthetic is the product’s main selling point. This goes against the fact that it is actually a consumable and not a work of art to be hung on the wall of an art gallery. The “layering technique” also saves yoghurt manufacturers time and money, as they do not have to mix the different flavours to a smooth consistency. To demonstrate this theory, imagine making a cake, where all you had to do was place all the ingredients into a baking dish and then, without mixing, place it in the oven. That would be using the “layering technique” to bake a cake. You see, the real work is passed on to the consumer. They are the ones that have to mix the product if they so choose. In a way, it makes the consumer feel less lazy, and almost makes up for the fact that all they had to do, to get the product, was walk to their fridge (because their mum did the shopping on Monday), instead of having to make the entire product from scratch like in the good old days.
The “layering technique” will soon faze out when consumers eventually realise that they’re being taken for a ride by the yoghurt industry. When they finally overlook the visual aesthetics and base their judgment purely on the taste, the consumer will realise that the “layering technique” does not work for cakes (even chocolate ones) and neither does it work for yoghurt.
I then realised what the yoghurt industry was actually doing. You can no longer go through the yoghurt section of the supermarket without seeing at least several varieties of yoghurt using the “layering technique” to “woo” the consumer. You may have heard the term “layering” being used the last time you went to buy a t-shirt, but now it’s also a common word at the supermarket.
The “layering technique” works by tricking consumers to buy the product simply based upon the visual aesthetics of the layered consumable. The “layering technique” usually requires no taste aesthetics, as the visual aesthetic is the product’s main selling point. This goes against the fact that it is actually a consumable and not a work of art to be hung on the wall of an art gallery. The “layering technique” also saves yoghurt manufacturers time and money, as they do not have to mix the different flavours to a smooth consistency. To demonstrate this theory, imagine making a cake, where all you had to do was place all the ingredients into a baking dish and then, without mixing, place it in the oven. That would be using the “layering technique” to bake a cake. You see, the real work is passed on to the consumer. They are the ones that have to mix the product if they so choose. In a way, it makes the consumer feel less lazy, and almost makes up for the fact that all they had to do, to get the product, was walk to their fridge (because their mum did the shopping on Monday), instead of having to make the entire product from scratch like in the good old days.
The “layering technique” will soon faze out when consumers eventually realise that they’re being taken for a ride by the yoghurt industry. When they finally overlook the visual aesthetics and base their judgment purely on the taste, the consumer will realise that the “layering technique” does not work for cakes (even chocolate ones) and neither does it work for yoghurt.
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