With A Name Like Smucker’s…

Even I need a break from time to time.  And it seems like every time I get a little bogged down in predictability and banality, one of my trusty associates comes along in the nick of time.  And let’s face it, it’s the end of the year.  We’re in the Holiday Book.  It’s all over but for the holiday parties and the race to get 4th quarter put to bed (before everyone starts wringing their hands over how slow it is in the 1st quarter like it is every year).

For today’s post, you’re in the good hands and keyboard of Mike Stern, an insightful viewer of our industry, along with an ever-widening lens of observation and perception.  Mike’s had two runs with Jacobs Media, his first gig out of MSU and then back with us after several successful programming gigs in markets as diverse as Dayton, Vegas, Denver, Milwaukee, and Chicago.  Mike’s “old school radio” career progression – along with a couple decades of consulting for us – have developed his instincts and antennae.  And this morning’s post won’t disappoint.

For Paul and yours truly, we’re nailing down the final details for what is shaping up to be a momentous CES next month, full of AI, innovation, and serendipitous surprises.  Both our tours have filled in nicely (but we can always squeeze in a couple more – see the bottom of this post for a link).  This amazing show is all about pivots and innovation – the two go hand in hand – like peanut butter and jelly.

And when you make the trek to Vegas during that first week of the year, it’s simply “in the air.”  In fact, the Consumer Technology Association’s (the folks who produce CES), Gary Shapiro, has a new book out just in time for the show – “Pivot Or Die.”  The book’s title speaks for itself.  Gary challenges all of us to step up our games in the midst of exponential competition and unprecedented innovation.  It’s especially true if you’re part of a legacy industry, like Smucker’s….or broadcast radio. – FJ

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most mundane places. In this case it’s a tried and true American classic that spurred me to start writing: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with no crust from Smucker’s, a brand that’s been around since 1897, founded by Jerome Monroe Smucker from Orville, Ohio.

For the uninitiated, I’m talking Uncrustables.  The ironic part is that I’m the last guy who should be writing about this snack. Little known fact about me, I hate peanut butter. But if there’s a good analogy or two for the radio industry, I’m willing to fight through my biases.

A recent headline on the Bloomberg website read, “Smucker Lifts Earnings Guidance on Strong Uncrustable Sales.” It seemed odd to me that an increase in the sales of Uncrustables, pre-packaged frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, could be enough to lift the entire company but they are.

It turns out, Uncrustables have been around for nearly three decades, an obvious pivot for an old-line company famous for its jellies, jams, and spreads.  Originally conceived for kids (who may not like crust on their sandwiches), their popularity is now cross-generational, bolstered by a variety of flavors, bread types, and shapes.

Smucker’s has even created cartoon mascots around Uncrustables.  Look out Jake and Elmore, but here come the Bread Brothers, a whimsical illustration of this unique grocery store product.

Back to the financials, second quarter sales of Uncrustables jumped 16%. Further the CFO, Marshall Tucker (seriously!) expects growth to continue as these little frozen sandwiches look to move beyond supermarkets to convenience stores, college campuses and even sporting events.

Tucker believes the popularity of Smucker’s brand extension is due to “convenience, on-the-go nature and low-to-no preparation.” He added that Uncrustables’ popularity started in the lunch box but now, “we find the product in briefcases, in sports bags, in cars.”

And beyond the last quarter’s impressive performance, consider this:  sometime this year, Uncrustable’s became a billion dollar business for Smucker’s.  They even have their own website, and have become a standalone brand.

A great story in Fast Company from earlier this year by Clint Rainey details how Smucker’s bought a prepackaged for company out of Fargo, North Dakota for just one million dollars.

How did Smucker’s find out about the Incredible Uncrustables company?  As Rainey explains, a retired Smucker exec’s wife saw this product in a school-fundraising catalog.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

As gross as they are to me personally, let’s consider what radio can learn from Uncrustables:

• They are convenient: Life is busy, and consumers are constantly distracted by the thousands of food and grocery products. Easy is good.  And on that note, a radio station needs to be easy to use. That means playing big hits, identifying unfamiliar music, making contests simple to play, and streamlining the information you deliver for easy consumption.
• You can take ’em anywhere:  That’s the beauty of these snacks (or small meals).  They are individually wrapped and they can be noshed pretty much wherever humans go.  They don’t require utensils or plates.  Like a radio station that should be seemingly available everywhere – at home, work, or in the car – it’s also critical content is available on all platforms – mobile, web, smart speakers, and of course, “regular radios.”
• They require virtually no preparation: Too often radio shows have too many inside jokes and hidden codes. They become hard for anyone new to understand. It’s important that each time the mic is opened, stations and shows need to find a way to make it easy for listeners to follow along without having to study beforehand.
• They can be consumed on the go: It’s easy to grab an Uncrustable whenever and wherever the consumer is hungry. Radio station entertainment should be just as quick and easy. When a talent opens the mic and only teases something that’s coming up instead of entertaining the listener in the moment, it’s a missed opportunity to deliver like Uncrustables do.

And then there’s the quote about moving beyond lunchboxes to briefcases, sports bags, and cars. As Fred frequently covers in this blog, radio must move beyond terrestrial transmitters and towers. Continuing to focus on expanding onto listeners phones and other electronic devices is essential if we want to see the medium grow like the Uncrustable.

The story of this unlikely success is an ode to recognizing a great opportunity when it presents itself.  Innovation and successful pivots come from a variety of places, some of them unlikely.

In fact, company executives truly don’t know where the next great idea is going to come from.  A key is to be open to innovation, because you never know where it will originate.

It might come from someone’s spouse, a part-time host, or the traffic director.

And it could be a billion dollar idea.

Join us at CES 2025 for a curated tour designed for future-focused radio broadcasters.  Info and registration here.