This paper presents an integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategy for a new natural protein bar product called PowerNatural Bars. The paper identifies a gap in the nutrition bar market between high-protein bars laden with artificial ingredients and whole-food bars that lack sufficient protein. It profiles primary target markets including serious athletes, women, and older fitness consumers, then outlines a comprehensive marketing plan covering advertising, public relations, promotions, internet marketing, and direct marketing. The strategy emphasizes the product's all-natural ingredients and meal-replacement quality as core differentiators against established competitors such as Clif Bar, Balance, and Kind.
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-focused — are too full of sugar and are nothing more than glorified candy bars. However, bars made with all-natural ingredients, such as 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 a true meal replacement option rather than a candy bar. An integrated marketing strategy will be used to bring this product to market, ensuring that all facets of advertising, marketing, and promotions stress the product's naturalness and its health-promoting qualities.
PowerNatural Bars will be marketed to health-conscious people who work out, need a quick meal replacement after a hard workout, and want to maintain an all-natural lifestyle. The bars will use nuts, dried fruits, powdered egg whites, dark chocolate, honey, and other unprocessed ingredients that deliver strong nutritional value while leaving the consumer satisfied. The bars will come in a variety of flavors and sizes, ranging from snack-sized 100-calorie servings to full meal replacement bars at 300 calories.
The bars will be available across a range of retail channels. They will be sold in conventional six-packs at supermarkets and in larger bundle packs at big-box stores. Flavor options will include single-flavor boxes and mixed-flavor assortments. At drug stores and through vending machines, bars will be available for individual purchase. Single servings will be ideal for gyms, where consumers can pick them up as the perfect protein-to-carb option to fuel or recover from a workout. They will also serve as a convenient office snack for people seeking a healthier alternative to candy bars.
Because people have a wide variety of nutritional needs, the bars will be formulated with slightly different ingredient ratios. Some will be vegan, containing no dairy, eggs, or honey. Others will be nut-free for allergic consumers, and some will be peanut-free for those following a paleo diet that excludes legumes as well as for peanut-allergy sufferers. A low-sugar variety will also be available for diabetic consumers or those who are highly calorie-conscious.
Today's busy lifestyles lead many consumers to reach for the convenience of meal replacement foods. However, the popular fitness press as well as peer-reviewed fitness journals have questioned the nutritional claims made by meal replacement bars. According to one fitness resource, "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, p. 1). Bars are particularly popular compared to shakes and other supplements: "sales of health and wellness bars leaped 32 percent 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 fast food, candy, and other meals on the go. Yet "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, p. 1). PowerNatural Bars are intended to offer consumers genuinely good choices.
These bars will satisfy the needs of several target markets. First and foremost, they address serious athletes — both professional and amateur — who are concerned about artificial ingredients in traditional protein and meal replacement bars. Getting the right ratio of protein and carbohydrates in the recovery window after a hard workout can be difficult without turning to supplemental bars, but many supplements contain ingredients that health-conscious people are rightly advised to avoid. As one source notes, "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, p. 1).
To make bars more palatable, manufacturers frequently add extra sugars and simple carbohydrates that cause blood sugar spikes. Even supposedly whole-food alternatives such as chocolate milk — commonly suggested as a recovery beverage — are problematic because of their sugar content, or insufficient because they are too heavily weighted toward carbohydrates, fat, or protein alone. PowerNatural Bars will combine a variety of whole ingredients with no added sugars or artificial proteins.
Natural bars will also help capture women and older fitness-focused consumers, which are among the fastest-growing segments in the supplement market. According to Food Navigator, women now make up 20 percent of the meal replacement bar market. Consumers over the age of 55 are likewise purchasing more nutritional bars. These demographic groups tend to prioritize overall health rather than maximizing protein and carbohydrate intake, yet they want more nutrition than a standard candy bar or a Lara or Kind Bar can offer.
"Competitive positioning and sample ad campaign"
"Fitness partnerships, sampling, and shelf placement tactics"
"Social media, email, and CRM segmentation strategies"
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