One of the biggest marketing advantages a product can have - and the surest way to create brand loyalty - is to deliver a benefit that the consumer can quickly see or feel. As we predicted last year, offering a benefit the consumer can feel has becomeeven more important in an economic environment in which people are becoming more careful than ever about how they spend their hard-earned cash and more focused on value-for-money. Having a benefit that consumers can feel is already the underpinning of many successful brands and the categories that deliver a tangible benefit quickly, such as digestive health and energy drinks, are already the largest segments of the functional foods market, worldwide. We are not suggesting that a quickly-felt benefit should be your only strategy - there are many, many benefits that are not immediate but which motivate consumers strongly and have growth potential, such as the perceived benefits of antioxidants, but a tangible benefit is a good insurance policy. Productsthat offer tangible benefits are already able to earn premium prices and this will continue. In addition to digestive health and energy, products connected to weight management, sports nutrition and joint health all have "feel the benefit" marketing potential. If your benefit is longer-term in effect and/or can't readily be seen, invest in marketing techniques that demonstrate the effect, such as the Anlene Bone Scans.
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