A Category Vision is the single sentence that explains your vision for the evolution of the category to both external customers and internal functions.

It should describe the way you believe value can be created in the future through delivering what the shopper and ultimately consumer will desire.

For example:

                “Changing the way people think about Bread …”

Then the addition of a supporting sentence that describes the vision in more detail; for example

“ by extending the Functional and Emotional benefits of everything bread can be, so that people will pay more for familiar experiences, more often.”

The vision itself can be tested against 4 questions:

1. Does it call out the prospect of growth for the retailer and manufacturer?
2. Is it consistent with the longer term strategic priorities of the manufacturer?
3. Is it a vision that the manufacturer can execute against?
4. Does it bring clarity and alignment to the internal functions at the manufacturer?

Here are some examples of category visions:

• From Finsbury Foods: To Make Cake even more relevant to more people, more often (1)
• From Kelloggs: To make cereal the breakfast of choice, everyday (1)
• From Danone UK: Inspiring Hydration for Life: A bottle for every need (2)
• From Twinings Tea UK: The contemporary drink of choice, creating a new generation of tea lovers (3)

There are many inputs that can be used to help write a category vision but the 3 that are most helpful are a Category SWOT coming from the Category and Shopper Insight review, High Level trends and their implications and a Functional / Emotional map of the category to show the need states that exist and those that are either under developed or yet to be developed.

The Vision should be supported by a set of valued growth drivers that will fuel the expansion of the category.

(1)  (2011). Category Management and Shopper Marketing. IGD.

(2) Medford, C. (2014). Seeing Water Differently. Category Management and Shopper Marketing.

(3) Taphouse, Z. (2014). Re-igniting peoples passion for tea. Category Management and Shopper Marketing.