Sabores da Terra®... Finally a Snack with the Authentic Taste of Brazilian Roots

One of the innovations that we're launching this year that I'm most proud of is Elma Chips Sabores da Terra® . For those who haven't seen it in the market yet, Sabores da Terra® is a line of snacks made from natural authentic Brazilian roots: mandioca (yucca) and inhame (taro). These roots are an integral part of Brazilian food culture. People around the country serve yucca and taro as an appetizer or as a side dish. The problem is that preparation is very time consuming. For the first time ever, Brazilian consumers can experience these popular roots in a convenient snack format.

We consider Sabores da Terra® to be a Blue Ocean-type innovation. For over thirty years we have been selling potato chips (an American classic) and for the past 12 years corn tortillas (a Tex-Mex classic) and we simply overlooked typically Brazilian roots as a way to increase the emotional connection to the Brazilian snacker. The macrosnack market in this country is overcrowded with extruded snacks, peanuts, popcorn, crackers, potato chips and tortillas. There was a clear untapped opportunity to bring some Brazilian DNA to the snacking experience. Adding to that, our research was showing that, more than ever, consumers value convenient foods and snacks with natural properties: unadulterated flavors, irregular formats, imperfections and low processing... that's what Sabores da Terra® delivers... the authentic taste of Brazilian roots. We were careful to label the packaging considering Brazil's regional differences. 'Mandioca' is the most common word in Portuguese for yucca, but we also used the word 'aipim' (used in Rio) and 'macaxeira' (the term used in the Northeast).

This innovation was led by an amazing professional, our Marketing Mgr. Adults Snacking Renata Figueiredo, a talent with a tremendous amount of passion and commitment, and her team Carol Oliveira, Carol Gormezano and Tiago Alencar.

AlmapBBDO did a wonderful job in creating a 30" TV campaign that captures the 'gostinho do campo' (the feeling you get when you're in the countryside). Film produced by Zeppelin Filmes.

The H2OH! Case Study at the HSM Global Strategy & Marketing Forum - São Paulo

Last August, I was invited to speak at the HSM Global Marketing & Strategy Forum in São Paulo. The theme was H2OH!® by 7UP - "Putting the OH! Into The Boring World of Water" - a case study that I led while working on the PepsiCo International Marketing Team in Purchase, NY. The presentation shows how, through insights and disruptive strategic thinking, it was possible to develop an innovative product concept in the hyper-competitive world of beverages. H2OH!® is being marketed in several International markets like Malaysia, Vietnam, Portugal, Ireland, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and it has become a marketing phenomenon in Brazil.

I had the privilege of speaking right after marketing guru W. Chan Kim co-author (with Renee Maugborgne) of best-seller The Blue Ocean Strategy. Meeting Prof. Kim after the event was a very special moment for me since H2Oh!® is an innovation that was inspired by Blue Ocean thinking.

Click here for coverage of the event.
It's interesting to see how people have become fascinated by the H2OH!® story. The case study and the presentation generated a lot of buzz within the business community. There were many follow-up invitations to retell the case at a number of different events. I was surprised to see an interest not only from consumer marketing companies but also from tech companies. I also had the opportunity to present the case at the IBM Forum Brasil.

Exame Magazine - Brazil's premier business publication - published a two-page article following the HSM Forum. Click here to read the article.  Now that I'm working on the snacks/food side of the business, it's great to see the wonderful work on H2OH!® that the PepsiCo Brazil Beverage team is carrying out under the leadership of Gustavo Siemsen, Nora Mirazon and Ana Krainer.