Local strategies to support Sirius’ national marketing of RUSF in Malawi

Community Marketing

Background & Rationale• 89% of Malawi’s population is rural – a large market

with great potential, but with less disposable income than the urban middle class

• Creating demand for RUSF among rural-dwellers may require community marketing efforts that supplement Sirius’s national marketing

• A 3-day rapid assessment was conducted by Valid in peri-urban and rural sites near Lilongwe to understand better the rural market segment and to establish the outlines of a community marketing strategy

• Methods: focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, observation at vendors

Insights from Community Assessment

• Target audience is largely illiterate. Median yrs of education is 5.2 for urban pop., but 1.2 for rural

Significance: package visuals will be important; radio, word-of-mouth, and vendors will be most important information sources

Income is highly seasonal, including significant lean period of 7 months with limited disposable income

Significance: Objective of becoming a daily habit may be hard to achieve year-round; Difficult to launch product in lean season

Insights from Community Assessment

• All margarines are known generically as “stork”. Blueband does not appear to reach all kiosks that serve the rural target audience (vendors claim margins on other brands are bigger). Other Sirius products (Omo, Lifebouy) are available.

Significance: Brand awareness/loyalty to Blueband offer limited advantage with target audience.

RUSF needs to achieve Omo distribution levels.

If margins are tight, the extra intermediaries required to get product to rural kiosks will only make them tighter

Insights from CommunityAssessment

Biscuits (identified as the main competition) are mostly a spontaneous purchase

Significance: a marketing strategy based on substitution of RUSF for biscuits may struggle to make RUSF a planned purchase

We need to look for precedents. Are there other Sirius products that have been positioned both as snacks and as daily routines? Do we need to determine dominant attribute: snack vs. nutritional value?

Retail Typology

Places villagers shop Food Items stocked1. village: corner shops

(kiosks)

2. local market: (kiosks and small stores, small wholesalers)

3. Town or large market center: (kiosks, large stores and chain retailers, larger wholesalers)

Staples (flour, salt, sugar, oil) sold in small amounts by weight

Limited selection of processed foods

Staples sold in pre-packaged form Wider selection of processed

foods. Limited selection of brands

Refrigeration expands range of products available

Multiple brands available

Conclusions from retail typology• To meet the need for daily purchases,

distribution must reach kiosks close to villagers, not only towns and markets

• Kiosk vendors already stock a variety of biscuits and other non-perishable snacks

• Some kiosk vendors carry medicines, both legal (panadol) and illegal (antibiotics) and are considered by mothers to be source of advice concerning child health

• Blueband is not always available in kiosks, but Omo (also a Sirius product) is.

Food Items bought for children at village kioskFor individual childSobo (orange drink)Jacks (corn puffs)Wrapped sweetsBiscuits (small pack

or individual)Fried sweet potato

To be shared with siblings

EggsBiscuits (large pack)SugarCooking oilSaltFlourbread

Attributes of BiscuitsParents recognize biscuits are not nutritious, but they

serve several purposes:– Children can eat them while away from home or

traveling– They are an effective reward (e.g. for taking medicine)– They are the least expensive treat (often bought

individually or in units of 1-3, not in large pack)– They are offered by vendors in lieu of small change

from a more intentional purchase Significance: RUSF shares the first attribute with biscuits, but not the others. Thus it is unlikely to supplant biscuits on all fronts. Stressing RUSF’s nutritional qualities may be more effective.

Positioning RUSFConcept boards must be tested with rural

audienceConcept boards should address the snack vs.

nutrition/spontaneous vs. planned dilemmaCan RUSF bridge this divide? Is it better to opt for clear identity as nutritious

product (our main distinguishing feature)?

Concept of preventionThe idea that certain foods that can help to prevent

illness or malnutrition is already well established. Foods thought to build a child’s strength include, maize porridge mixed with any of the following:- groundnut flour- Soya flour- Margarine- Soup of Bongwe- Fruit juice - Green vegetables (mkwani, mkwani ofutsa, mpilu,

telele)

Significance: Existing knowledge provides a ready framework for introduction of RUSF, and the message of regular consumption for prevention of malnutrition

Response to tasting: 2 FGDs, NsaluGROUP 1 (n =5)

Q: what does it taste like?

…..Seems like a coconut biscuit

….like glucose (biscuit)

…..has a milky flavour

….milk….and it smells like a biscuit

Q: when would child eat it?

…at morning meal, and in the afternoon between meals. Not with the heavy meal (lunch)

……we could put it in porridge

….same time as breakfast, because breakfast is light

GROUP 2 (n = 7)

Q: what does it taste like?

….Oh! You already put groundnut paste in it!

….sweet

…like a biscuit

….sour

…It has the flavour of milk

….like a cream biscuit

….like soya….soya flour

..salt and also sugar

…seems it has been mixed well

….in chiponde paste we only add salt. This is better

….people will be flocking to the shops because of its flavour

Response to tasting: 2 FGDs, NsaluGROUP 1 (cont’d)Q: is it a food or a snack?

…feel it should be eaten direct. If we mix it there are some vitamins that might be spoiled by the heat of porridge

GROUP 2 (cont’d)When would child eat it?

…anytime

…even if we just wake up before we have anything we can eat this

How would child eat it?

…Mixed with porridge

….we could mix with tea – esp. if there is no milk. If tea tastes like this it would be good

…..on a scone it would be delicious

…..seems like it would help to build the body

2004 DHS data: radio offers an entry-point to rural markets (and intervening years have probably seen big increases in access to radio, TV, cellphones)Household goods

% Urban households

% Rural households

% Total households

Paraffin lamp 47.1 36.5 38.2

radio 79.2 58.5 61.9

Television 21.1 2.2 5.3

Cell phone 20.8 1.5 4.7

Landline phone 8.3 0.5 1.8

Bed with mattress

54.5 14.7 21.3

Sofa set 35.5 5.7 10.6

Table and chairs 53.8 24.5 29.3

refrigerator 14.7 0.7 3.0

Leveraging the Public Sector OpportunitiesGovernment (OPC) actively calling for product to

prevent and treat MAMValid already in discussion with government (MoE) re.

pilot provision of RUSF to school feeding programme.MoH has significantly improved coverage of Health

Surveillance Assistants (HSAs), who identify and refer MAM in the community

New position of community nutrition counselor (8000 staff over 3 yrs) being created under local gov.

Importance of supporting info for consumer and vendorthe rural target audience contains a large

illiterate segmentthe product package is small, limiting space

for instruction village vendors (kiosks) are already being

approached for health advice - but need better informationSignificance: Valid will need to ensure that sound advice describing the multiple uses of RUSF reaches the vendors, so they can be both effective salespersons, and safe counselors. The best way to do this is probably by passing info though Sirius’ existing distribution chain (Sirius-wholesaler-retailer)

Valid Community Marketing: outline of possible elements Advocacy with OPC, MoH and MoA to have HSAs,

nutrition counselors, and other extension staff promote RUSF as part of agreed infant and young child feeding (IYCF) messages: breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and RUSF where possible.

Input into Sirius radio spots that support general IYCF message but also refer directly to Sirius/Valid product, to ensure these link effectively with HSA messages

Development of messages for wholesalers and retailers, explaining multiple uses of RUSF and offering appropriate messages for parents (to be included in product fact sheets)

Valid Community Marketing: possible elements (Cont’d) Briefing at Sirius sales conference to prepare

sales force to highlight health benefits and appropriate uses

Accompany Sirius sales staff, if necessary, during sales pitch to wholesalers to provide similar briefing

Adding levels of complexity (and cost)Basic version (as above): Valid supplements Sirius

national marketing with: community information campaign by HSAs and nutrition counselors development of messages for distributors, wholesalers and retailers Where appropriate, direct participation alongside sales force to

buttress nutritional content

Expanded version 1: an element of direct support to retailers by Valid is added to basic version, including: Training retailers in counseling mother Training retailers in referring child to HSA for MUAC assessment Training retailers in product uses and properties

Adding levels of complexity and cost (cont’d)Expanded version 2: combines all elements of

basic version and expanded version 1, but adds a component designed to ensure that families unable to afford even the 20 gm sachet can still access the product. Options include:Vouchers issued by HSA, to be redeemed for commercial RUSF

product at village storeVouchers are issued for a different volume, or off-label productOff label version is provided free by HAS, or nutritional

counselor Others options still to be determined