Is Whole Foods Fumbling Its Marketing Play for Millennial Health & Nutrition Dollars?

Whole Foods

After losing 20 percent of their value in the last year, Whole Foods is hoping to tap into the buying power of the “thrifty” Millennial generation by opening a less expensive chain of stores in 2016.

Unfortunately, the famously overpriced health food store brand that is referred to nationwide as “Whole Paycheck” may be facing an uphill climb. Here’s why:

Millennials Shop Differently
In my last post 5 Ways Millennials Shop (and How It Affects Health and Nutrition Marketing) I explained that Millennials are less brand and channel loyal than other generations of shoppers. This is true whether they are buying household goods or organic produce. They want convenience and quality at a fair price, and they don’t care where they find it. Continue reading

Challenging Consumer Assumptions with Health Nutrition Marketing

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3 reasons to tell customers what your brand isn’t

Conventional advertising wisdom dictates that brands should stay positive by talking about what they are, not about what they aren’t. Lately, I’m finding very good reasons to do just the opposite. In a marketplace brimming with gluten-free, fat-free, sugar-free (and the list goes on) options that contain unnatural substitutes, consumers are becoming VERY interested in what isn’t in their Health Nutrition products.

Health-conscious consumers have had to learn to read between the lines, so when they see a product advertised as “sugar-free”, for instance, they no longer take that at face value. Instead, they mentally substitute the artificial ingredient they know is there: sugar-free = aspartame, Fat-free = more sugar, etc. Continue reading

Marketing Health Nutrition Products to People with Allergies

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3 ways to increase your brand presence in the allergen-free market

Millions of Americans have allergic reactions to food, and there is no cure other than eating foods that are allergen-free. Though this is a growing problem for consumers, I see it as a great opportunity for Health Nutrition marketers to develop more and better allergen-free products.

The allergen-free nutrition market used to center on simple things like leaving out peanuts and soy, but it is expanding all of the time. According to a new report from the Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the global market for foods developed for those with food allergies and intolerances is expected to grow to more than $26.5 billion over the next five years.

Most of the new growth in the allergen-free marketplace is stemming from wheat-free, gluten-free, and lactose-free diets. Numerous celebrities now try out the benefits of gluten-free and wheat-free diets for weight loss and general health. Others are convinced that going gluten-free can help treat diseases and disorders such as autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, infertility, migraines, and more.

With such a huge opportunity in the allergen-free marketplace, it is a great time to get into the act if you haven’t already. Here are the 3 steps you can take to make sure your customer knows about your existing or new allergen-free HNM product:

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The Role of Celiac Disease in Health Nutrition Marketing

Gluten Free Aisle

4 reasons major HNM brands take gluten-free seriously

A reader of mine recently requested that I write about celiac disease and gluten-free eating. I was surprised at myself for not having broached the subject before. After all, gluten-free is now as common in the health nutrition market as sugar-free or fat-free.

Not long ago, grocery stores were debating whether it was even worth it to stock health foods. Today, Whole Foods is a major retailer, and they now have a section on their website dedicated to educating customers about celiac disease (a digestive disorder caused by an allergy to wheat, barley, and rye) and gluten-free eating.

If you haven’t been paying attention to how gluten-free is impacting the Health Nutrition market, here are 4 reasons you should: Continue reading