Brands should reconsider the ‘penetration is king’ mantra that has prevailed in marketing up until now, according to Nomad Foods Group CMO Steve Axe.

Axe said that Nomad, the world’s largest frozen food brand, has “doubled down on continuing to speak to new customers” who have started buying frozen food brands such as Bird’s Eye for the first time during the pandemic.

“We have the data, we have the tech. We can identify consumers and personalise the message,” says Axe.

“Nudge for the repeat buy is suddenly a more attractive proposition than filling the leaky bucket.”

Axe said that an increased emphasis on repeat purchases will help Nomad Foods to grow sales by 1% year-on-year.

The shift towards loyalty and repeat purchase to drive growth is at odds with the ‘penetration is king’ theory offered by the likes of marketing commentators such as Byron Sharp. 

In a candid MAD//Anywhere keynote, Axe also said that “the stats say it’s time to go big or go close on innovation” and called for advertisers to “reflect and mirror society” during the pandemic.

Axe was speaking alongside industry leaders including Sir Martin Sorrell, Patagonia EMEA Marketing Director Alex Weller and Not On The High St CMO Ella D’Amato.

 All MAD//Anywhere sessions are now available on the MAD//Fest YouTube channel.