How big brands can help consumers shift to healthier lifestyles through right marketing?

How many of us really prioritize nutrition over taste when it came to food choices? Did not enough of us take gym memberships on January 1 for several years only to stop using it by Valentine’s week? And how many of us stopped actively playing our favourite sports because we got too busy with raking in the moolah? Perhaps, the COVID-19 pandemic hit us with a warning that, for want a better word, can only be described as ‘timely’.‘Health is the key to happiness’ – we needed a reminder of the age-old mantra. Now, where do brands come in the mix? Well, don’t they all want to ultimately be associated with spreading happiness in one way or the other? And what would be a better tactic to achieve this than to tie your brand to the message on ‘healthy living’? But then: Is it sensible from a business perspective to do so? We believe it is. Because in general, brands that are seen to have a strong sense of purpose are likely to witness a considerably higher level of customer loyalty and brand advocacy – both of which are the end-goals of every marketing effort. Even more importantly, customers are increasingly showing preference for brands which market themselves around health and wellness. And therefore, creating a brand association with the purpose of healthy lifestyle,either through messaging, rebranding, repositioning or most importantly through consumer activation, seems to be a logical no-brainer when it comes to marketing strategy in the post-pandemic times. Ultimately, it makes absolute business sense for encouraging healthier lifestyle! Here’s how you could do this: Identify a consumer health objective your brand/product/service can rightly associate with: Fitness/physical activity, hygiene, or nutrition awareness A robust 360 degrees marketing campaign often begins with the right affiliation with the social change brand can directly impact. Additionally, it should bring a sense of fulfilment to you as a brand, and your team, apart from the desired marketing benefits. Safety at the core of Customer-Brand Interaction One aspect that customers do not want to compromise upon is safety. Thus, brands need to adapt their product strategy, service processes, and delivery with a view to ensuring perfect safety at every stage of their interaction with customers. Re-adjusting the brand positioning to accommodate the safety aspect Brands could also try to focus their marketing communication to have a focus on safety. This is perhaps, one of the best ways to get your brand to form an association around the ‘health’ aspect in the minds of your target audience. Marketing campaigns with a focus on health and nutrition If a marketer is empathetic enough with the target market segments, it is easy to recognize a ton of opportunities that lie ahead to tie up their brand with the message of health consciousness. Many FMCG brands that integrated ‘health, hygiene or nutrition’ as part of their offering or messaging have an exciting opportunity to bring about real impact in the communities through effective delivery ofATL & BTL campaigns while achieving a multitude of brand goals. Trust the power and impact sports can offer as a marketing platform Promoting sports (and effectively, fitness) by itself is a very worthy cause as playing sports is directly linked to physical fitness, mental development, better immunity, and lifestyle. On the other hand, sports as a platform can generate a high level of engagement with the target customer. Overall, customers demonstrate a higher level of brand loyalty with brands that are seen to be socially conscious. From organizing sports tournaments while strictly adhering to all COVID-19 safety norms (it’s possible to do that on a local level with the lockdowns eased up in most parts) to organizing online competition events that revolve around demonstrating physical capability, the possibilities are nearly endless. At Sportz VillageXp, we have through our experience over the years been able to identify the high level of effectiveness of marketing campaigns that have a hybrid online + offline customer engagement strategy.  We were not surprised to see why brands have been enthusiastically embracing the phygital approach when it comes to engaging with kids. To conclude: As consumers increasingly take charge of their well-being, brands of every kind need to track their changing desires and concerns to stay a step ahead of demand and build close relationships with their customers seeking health impact.