We’ve been reading a lot lately about stores cutting back on national brands to make room for more private label goods. And perhaps the greatest impact will be that made by Wal-Mart. When one manufacturer generates a significant portion of your annual sales, it becomes a bit worrisome, to say the least.

But is this a long-term trend, or a short-term reaction to our current economic situation? The current private label boom can be directly attributed to the economy. Food prices went up…personal finances went down. We all looked at our own carts and said, “Well, maybe we’ll try the store brand this week.” I know I did.

There are stores dedicated to private label brands – Loblaw’s No Frills, Trader Joe’s and Aldi. But the idea of entire sections in traditional markets, converting to private label, may be a bit much for consumers to handle.

There are just some loyalties that consumers are not willing to give up. You know what brands you cannot live without. Personally, I make no exceptions when it comes to my favorite peanut butter. If a store is out of stock, I’ll go to another. And at our Innovation Roadshow®, keynote presenter Doug Palmer of A&P noted a store brand laundry detergent that beat the brand-name leader in blind tests, but couldn’t keep up in sales.

Our favorite brands aren’t going away. They’re in for the long haul. But it will take some time and recovery to win back customers that have strayed in favor of lower prices. In the meantime, some U.S. manufacturers are looking to fuel growth with emerging overseas markets.

But that doesn’t mean an end to private label either – far from it. Private label brands have won over unbelieving consumers with quality and price. Moving forward, competition between the two will be intense, as national brands fight for space on the shelf.

You know, it’s funny how the Innovation Roadshow is so much like the holidays. We spend all year thinking about it, and planning for it. The month beforehand is a crunch of last minute changes, shopping, cooking, baking, planning and wrapping (well, packing).

And then, in a day, it’s all over.

Well, not totally. There’s the follow-up. The sample requests, the information requests, the surveys, the unpacking and the webinars.

But as I finish that up this week, I have to admit that I am a little sad.

Even with all of the extra work that goes into it, the Roadshow is really fun. (Which, I hope, means that it’s even more fun for those who attend!) I really had a great time this year, catching up with old clients, and meeting new ones. I love the chance to interact with everyone that I typically only “see” through email and phone calls.

And then there’s the food – Pie Pops, Mini-Meatloaf Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Plantain Poppers and Lucuma Ice Cream Novelties. And that’s only a few of the almost 30 items we featured this year! (Read about a few more in this article from Philadelphia City Paper.)

It will be odd next week, when we don’t speak about the Roadshow much – but then in just a month’s time, we’ll start the process all over again for 2010!

If you have any questions about the Roadshow and the products that we showed, be sure to contact your account manager, or drop me an email! To see photos, or learn more, click here.

You may have noticed that my blog entries are a little lax this month. While I apologize, I have been no less busy typing away. In fact, I’ve been writing this year’s booklet for our 2009 Innovation Roadshow®!

While I can’t reveal what we’re showing (although faithful readers may have caught a hint here or there), I can say that we’ve tapped into a variety of trends this year – from ethnic flavors, to convenience, to cost saving ideas. We’ve even taken a few classics, and turned them on their heads – gaining new life out of consumer favorites.

With only a month left to go, I’m looking forward to seeing our guests. Looking at our registration list, I see repeat attendees who make a point to attend every year, and some new attendees that I’m excited to meet for the first time. If you haven’t registered yet – what are you waiting for?

If you’re in product development and innovation — if you are a food scientist or technologist, R&D Director, chef, marketing executive or brand manager — you should be here!

Below, I’ve listed our TOP TEN Reasons to Attend the Innovation Roadshow (with apologies to Mr. Letterman, of course).

1. The Innovation Roadshow is a FREE event! There is no cost other than your travel and accommodations.
2. You will experience innovative flavors and applications – from out-of-the-box concepts to ideas that are ready for market.
3. You will learn about new product development and flavor technologies, including flavor modifiers, such as salt replacers and sweetness enhancers.
4. Re-charge your innovative edge – we’ll get you thinking in new ways!
5. See and taste product concepts in a variety of categories – from confections and baked goods, to distilled spirits and ice cream!
6. Learn how to adapt these concepts to your own product line. Think a savory frozen snack concept doesn’t have applications for your cookie line? Think again.
7. Participate in a thought-provoking panel discussion on private label brands and national brands, and the strategies each uses to appeal to consumers.
8. Interact with David Michael’s global creative team, as well as others in your field.
9. Learn more about current and emerging food and beverage trends.
10. Taste exotic flavors from around the world!

David Michael’s 2009 Innovation Roadshow will be held on October 21^st in Philadelphia. To learn more or to register, click here.

Phew – last week is a bit of a blur – a marathon of Roadshow related activities. Yup, it’s that time of year again. The clock is ticking as we count down the days to the annual Innovation Roadshow®, which is just over two months away (or 68 days).The Roadshow Committee met with our global technical department for final tastings on all of the concepts that will be shown at this year’s Innovation Roadshow. And while I can’t reveal anything that we’ll be showing (so sorry!), I have to say that we’ve once again outdone ourselves.

Not only are all of the products super tasty, but we’ve got some great concepts too! After all of the products were reviewed, we went into photography mode. Committee members Denis Blais (senior account manager) and Danielle Durso (marketing coordinator), as well as Kelly DeFusco (senior food technologist, bakery & cereal) took over our board room, along with photographer, Anthony Sinagoga for an intensive photography session, styling for this year’s 27 booths!

Below are a few shots we snapped over those days, just to give you a few behind-the-scenes peeks!

All the necessary ingredients for the perfect shot.

Denis’ magic notebook - his sketches for each shot.

The man behind the curtain. Denis picks out a glass for the next shot.

Denis and Kelly

Anthony and Danielle talk angles.

Kelly bringing the sheen out on a tartlet.

Danielle and her checklist.

I had the wonderful opportunity on Monday to spend the day with my fellow Roadshow Committee members at the Hyatt Regency in Philadelphia, where this year’s Innovation Roadshow will be held.

It’s amazing, with all of the hard work and late nights (and pizza!) involved in planning this show, I still get excited during the process.

We’re changing things up a bit this year. The most obvious for past attendees will be the location. Also, we’ve moved the show a little later in the month to Wednesday, October 21^st.

There could be some changes to the show itself, but it’s still just a little too early to give away all of our secrets! (Check back between now and then for updates!)

We know that travel budgets are tighter than ever this year, so we want to make sure that you’ve got this important date on your calendar.

David Michael 2009 Innovation Roadshow

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Pre-Show Dinner on Tuesday, October 20th

Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia

Want to know more about the Innovation Roadshow? Click here.

I hope to see you there!