Integrated Marketing Strategy for…a New Protein Bar
In the fitness community, there has been increasing concern that protein bars -- traditionally marketed as a healthy source of fiber and protein for the fitness-obsessed -- are too full of sugar and are nothing more than glorified candy bars. However, bars with all-natural ingredients like Lara Bars and Kind Bars often lack adequate amounts of protein for a full 'recovery' meal. This new product is a protein bar that will be marketed as all natural, healthy, and yet a true meal replacement bar, not a candy bar. An integrated marketing strategy will be suggested to market this particular good in which all facets of the advertising, marketing, and promotions of the product will stress its naturalness and its healthy qualities (IMC, 2014, Medill School of Journalism).
Product or service description
PowerNatural Bars will be marketed to health-conscious people who work out, need a quick meal replacement bar after a hard workout, yet who want to live an all-natural lifestyle. The bars will use nuts, dried fruits, powdered egg whites, dark chocolate, honey, and other unprocessed substances that pack a nutritional punch yet leave the user satisfied. The bars will come in a variety of flavors and sizes, spanning from snack-sized 100-calorie servings to full meal replacement bars in 300-calorie sizes.
The bars will be available in a variety of retail locations. They will be available in conventional 6-pack boxes at supermarkets, and in even larger 'bundles' of boxes at big box stores. The flavors will consist of boxes in unitary flavors and mixed flavors. At drug stores and through vending machines, the bars will be available for single-size purchases. The single sizes will be ideal for gyms, where the bars can be purchased by consumers looking for the perfect protein-carb ratio to fuel or recover from their hard workouts. They will also make good snacks for people looking to lose weight who are seeking an alternative to candy bars at their offices.
Because people have a wide variety of nutritional needs, the bars will have slightly different ratios of nutrients and ingredients. Some bars will be vegan (i.e., no dairy, eggs, or honey). Others will be nut-free (for allergic consumers) and some others will be peanut-free (for people following a paleo diet that forbids legumes as well as people allergic to peanuts). There will also be a low-sugar variety for people who are diabetic or extremely calorie conscious.
Target market
Today's busy lifestyles lead many consumers to reach for the convenience of meal replacement foods. However, the popular fitness press as well as serious, peer-reviewed fitness journals question the nutritional claims made by meal replacement bars. According to one fitness website on the subject: "with sales of nutrition bars skyrocketing tenfold to $1.7 billion over the past decade, there are literally thousands of brands [of protein bars] to choose from" (Owen 2014:1). Bars, in contrast to shakes and other supplements, are particularly popular. "Sales of health and wellness bars leaped 32% last year [in 2012] to $583 million, according to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel U.S. That's twice the growth rate of the overall nutritional food and drink market" (Sweeney 2013).
Consumers are selecting bars as an alternative to a variety of meals, including fast food, candy, and other 'meals on the go.' Now "nutrition bars were originally designed for serious athletes but are now perceived as healthy, nutritious snacks or meal replacements by consumers. They may be better choices, but they are not necessarily good choices. Most contain hidden sugars, low-quality protein and a lot of additional ingredients that may not be healthy if consumed regularly" (Owen 2014:1). These new bars will be intended to offer consumers 'good choices.'
These bars will satisfy the needs of several target markets. First and foremost, they will address the needs of serious athletes (both professional and amateur) who are concerned about the artificial ingredients in traditional protein bars and meal replacement snacks. It can be very difficult to get in the right ratio of protein and carbs in the 'window' after a hard workout without resorting to supplemental bars. But often supplements have questionable components that healthy people are counseled to avoid like sugar and unnatural substances created in a lab rather than in nature. "Whey or soy concentrates are fine but are frequently used as fillers and shouldn't be listed too high on the ingredients list. Gelatin (or collagen) is often added to protein bars to improve texture. Since it is a type of protein, it contributes to the total number of grams in the bar" (Owen 2014:1).
To make bars more palatable, there are often additional added sugars and too many simple...
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