I'm doing quite alot of NPD in this space at the moment for clients, and boy is it a complex topic 🤔
So I joined an enlightening panel discussion yesterday as part of thefoodpeople trends summit, hosted by The Gut StuffAlana Macfarlane KempnerLisa Macfarlane and panellists included Karen Poole , Sophie Medlin and Jen Thompson Having all these experts together was amazing. Thank you ladies (& Charles Banks )
TOP LINE
Consumers have a limited understanding gut health. And with no major guidelines or government support to demystify it, then it is the role of brands and retailers to make it easier for consumers to make good gut health choices.
Some of the golden nuggets included
💡 Treat it like a LENSE INTO THE WHOLE BODY, as opposed to its own category. Gut health is related to so much in our bodies from immunity, energy, heart health, etc...
💡Consumers are often coming to gut health at DIFFERENT LIFE STAGES & with different health issues. Menopause, joint swelling, irritable bowel to name a few.
💡 Fibre is a key ingredient to good gut health. And bran fibre is well understood by consumers. 25% of global consumers look for fibre when looking at packs.
So with that in mind, I'm focusing on 4 key things
1. Keep Messaging on Gut Health products super SIMPLE. Need to take it back to the basic level. Think of "heart health" as a benchmark. Whilst this took a long time to take affect in consumers minds, there is a high awareness of heart health now. The most simple marketing will be most effective.
2. Think about why? Help people to understand it in a really TANGIBLE way. No one can see their arteries and yet they know the importance of taking care of their heart
3. Assess your current products for fibre. Does any of your products have HIDDEN FIBRE. Have you considered calling out fibre on your packs? Can any of your products be reformulated to increase fibre content? But more importantly, maintain the same price point? Small changes can have a big impact.
4. Reframe it in consumers minds – It’s about ADDING IN, not taking stuff out.
With the right messaging and small amounts of education, people will begin to see their gut health benefits every day.
And it goes without saying that Government need to get on board. A really strong public health strategy would really help this. Strong TV adverts, etc... but we may be waiting some time for this to come into play
In the meantime, the Gut Stuff are launching a new 6 part series called "know your Sh*t" on Channel 4 early 2023. That should draw some attention to the subject!!!