Back on July 30th, I blogged about Truvia in a post dubbed, "Marketing the New Sugar." In my post, I commented on this new sweetener derived from the leaf of an herb called stevia. Now, many food companies, including the major soft drink companies, are scrambling to add the "new sugar" to their consumer products, Pepsico and Coca Cola among them. For good reason: nothing like cashing in on a hot trend.


As the article states: "Consumer demand for natural products continues to grow, even in this difficult economic climate. According to Nielsen, sales of products labeled "natural" generated $21.3 billion in the past year, a 12 per cent increase over the previous year."
My post outlined what Truvia and stevia are all about and invited Marketing Profs' Daily Fix readers to submit their ideas on how to position and market this new product. A number of great ideas emerged, as always, from the Daily Fix faithful. And now, here it comes. . .
Zanna McFerson, Cargill director of Health & Nutrition: "Through research, we found that consumers are trying to live more balanced lives but have a complicated relationship with sweeteners." You think? "The marketing campaign to launch Truvia tabletop sweetener is designed to inform consumers that for the first time, there is a natural, great-tasting zero calorie sweetener that comes from a leaf, not a lab."
A new article in the restaurant industry's QSR Magazine alerts us that "Stevia Sweetener Makes TV Debut." Minnetonka-based agricultural company, Cargill, purveyor of Truvia, has chosen Ogilvy & Mather (Chicago) to launch the new product. A new campaign featuring four 30 second TV spots will air shortly on network and cable television. Print and online ads will begin to appear, also, in media that caters to women, health and wellness and epicurean topics.
The marketing approach per Ogilvy & Mather's Donna Charlton Perrin: "The advertising campaign recognizes that sweeteners often come with a healthy side serving of guilt or compromise. To atone for dessert, you run extra miles on the treadmill. To reduce calories, you sacrifice taste and forgo the natural for the artificial."
Spot on.
Questions:
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Do you think from a marketing perspective that Cargill and its advertising partner have done a good job in outlining key consumer concerns about their other natural, but caloric choices as well as the problems associated with artificial sweeteners?
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Do you think that by also taking the "natural" angle, Truvia will resonate with consumers?
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Will this advertising approach to launching Truvia be engaging to consumers? Would it make you try the new product?
I'd love to hear from you.