NEW YORK -- There are a lot of buzzwords used in the world of food and beverage marketing today. It has become commonplace to see advertisements touting products that are "craft" and "limited edition" and find packages emblazoned with words like "handcrafted" and "artisan." But what do these words actually tell consumers about the products? And what influence might they have on purchases?
"Handmade/handcrafted" tops the list as a mark of quality, with nearly six in 10 (59%) adults responding to a new Harris Poll saying it strongly or somewhat communicates that a product is high quality. "Artisan/artisanal" and "custom" are the next best messengers of high quality, with 46% of adults saying each communicates this, followed by "craft" at 44% and "limited edition" at 41%. Just 31% say the same of "small batch."
When asked to estimate how much influence each description wields over their purchasing decisions, "handmade/handcrafted" shows the strongest potential sway with roughly half (48%) estimating it has some or a great deal of influence on their decisions. Over one-third say the same for "limited edition" (37%), "custom" (36%), or "artisan/artisanal" (36%). Just under one-third of adults (32%) estimate that "craft" has at least some influence, while "small batch" again trails the rest of the field, with one-quarter (25%) saying it has at least some influence on their purchases.
Americans find the use of "limited edition" to be anything but limited. Nearly two-thirds (64%) believe this term is overused in marketing for food or beverage products. Half of adults say the same of "handmade/handcrafted" (52%), "craft" (51%), "artisan/artisanal" (51%), and "custom" (50%), while smaller percentages say the same of "small batch"--only one-third (32%) believe the phrase is overused, while 37% say it is neither overused nor underused.
Some descriptions are just better suited for one product over another. Beer best taps into the "craft" description; when presented with an extensive list of food and beverage categories and asked which fits with each label, just over half (52%) of drinking-age Americans believe beer is an appropriate fit for "craft"--the top selection by a wide margin. One-quarter (25%) say liquor/spirits/cocktails is a strong fit for "craft" while 20% say the same about wine and 27% don't see "craft" as an appropriate fit with any of the product categories tested.
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"Handmade/handcrafted" may be best suited to foods on the sweeter side, as baked goods (46%), jam/jelly/preserves (45%) and chocolate/candy (43%) are all seen as appropriate fits by more than four in 10 Americans.
The items most seen as appropriate fits for "artisan/artisanal" descriptions are cheese (38%) and baked goods (36%), followed more distantly by coffee (23%).
Beverages prove to be good fits for both "limited edition" and "small batch," with three in 10 Americans aged 21 and above saying wine (30% and 27%, respectively) and one quarter saying liquor/spirits/cocktails (28% and 25%, respectively) are appropriate fits. All adults also agree soda/carbonated beverages (28%) are a good fit for "limited edition." Stepping away from the beverage category, 26% say jam/jelly/preserves is a good fit for "small-batch" branding.
"Custom" shows the most diversity in responses, with 24% saying pet food and 23% saying coffee are appropriate fits; however, 39% say none of the food/beverage options presented are an appropriate fit for this choice.
Millennials are more likely than their older counterparts to say "handmade/handcrafted," "craft," and "small batch" communicate that a product is high quality:
- "Handmade/Handcrafted:" 66% millennials vs. 58% gen Xers, 55% baby boomers and 69% matures
- "Craft:" 53% vs. 45%, 40% and 31%
- "Small batch:" 39% vs. 31%, 27% and 19%
Millennials are more likely than all other generations to say "limited edition," "custom," "artisan/artisanal" and "craft" have at least some influence on their purchase decisions.
- "Limited edition:" 46% millennials vs. 46% gen Xers, 31% baby boomers and 25% matures
- "Custom:" 46% vs. 35%, 30% vs. 27%
- "Artisan/Artisanal:" 44% vs. 34%, 31% and 28%
- "Craft:" 39% vs. 30%, 28% vs. 21%
On the other hand, it's the older generations who are more likely to tout them as overused:
- Baby boomers are more likely than millennials and gen Xers to say both "limited edition" (69% vs. 62% and 58%, respectively) and "craft" (57% vs. 47% and 49%, respectively) are overused.
- Matures are more likely than millennials and gen Xers to say the same about "custom" (60% vs. 46% and 47%) and "small batch" (41% vs. 28% and 29%).
Click here for full Harris Poll results.
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