By Fresh Produce Marketing founder Lisa Cork

When I speak, I often use the analogy ‘we sell the apple, but not the crunch’, meaning of course that we often taken a production approach to how we sell fresh produce - we see our products for what they are, not for the benefits they deliver to shoppers.

In my travels, I am always on the hunt for packaging that’s a bit sexy, that 'sells me' something, be it the benefit of the product or inspiration on how to use it.

I was recently in London, a market I hadn't been to for quite a while, and I must say London always impresses. It is impossible not to be wowed by a store like Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street. The layout, the pre-packed convenience pitched perfectly to the needs of its shoppers, the variety and range of products on offer. From a produce marketing and packaging point of view, I loved it.

There was one product that caught my eye that summed up the essence of 'selling the sizzle'. It was a sweet corn product, part of Marks & Spencer’s Summer Grill range.

Any of you who have been following my writing for a while will know I have a thing for sweet corn. My frustration runneth over when I see sweet corn that has been husked and de-silked being sold on pack as just sweet corn. It's not sweet corn! Yes, I know physically it is sweet corn, but at the same time it is not.

Sweet corn is a product that, for most shoppers, comes with a husk and those beautiful, but irritating, stick to everything silks. So when a producer husks the corn and removes the silks it is no longer sweet corn, but value added sweet corn. The producer has removed the hassle, time and waste associated with sweet corn and as a result, should be able to command a premium for the product.

You with me?

Yet all over the world, I have photos of value added sweet corn being sold as just plain old sweet corn. Which brings me back to standing in the aisle of Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street. Finally, I found a corn pack that did more than just sell sweet corn. Finally, I found a pack that sold a bit of sexy. Finally, I found a pack that inspired me and made me want to buy…and pay more for the product.

Take a look. There are lots of things I love about this pack.

•    I love The Grill branding. This was part of the M&S summer launch, but the title inspired me. Why don't more growers have a BBQ or Grill range for veggies during the summer?

•    The picture inspires me. The grilled corn photo is stunning – it makes me want to buy the product and try to replicate the idea.

•    Third, the packaging is just beautiful. The colors, the branding, the photo – it all works so well to give this product mass appeal.

While I admit it still misses selling the pre-husked, de-silked, turned into ready-to-grill cobbettes point, I am willing to let that point go as the pack overwhelmingly screams buy me.

What's the takeaway point?

If you want to innovate, you must stop seeing your product through your eyes and instead see it through the eyes of the shopper. In my work with clients, we help them with this by running a discovery process.

Not only do we interview and get feedback from management and the sales /marketing teams, but I also do a lot of external work understanding their product via food blogs, online recipes and other positioning points in order to find the best angle to pitch their product going forward.

I believe most producers are leaving valuable dollars on the table by not selling the sizzle of their products. If you would like help finding your product or brand’s sizzle, drop me a line: lisa@freshproducemarketing.com.

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