How do you market the potential health benefits of a product?

I was speaking to a potential client the other day about their product. Without giving away the details it is a product that can offer a healthier alternative to a product line currently on the market. Think of this as diet soda to soda with sugar.

Now the issue is that the health benefits are not medical ones. We do not lower cholesterol or improve your heart rate. This is simply a better way to live your life and offers a number of benefits when compared to the alternatives. This is what makes it such a challenge because the marketing of this product needs to be forceful enough to capture the attention of the audience while not stepping on any of the myriad of land mines that exist.

What I have recommended and would recommend in this case is that the client pursue a policy that stresses the unique benefits of the product. Don't simply market it as product X with these benefits but instead stand up and claim that this product stands out in the market place because it can offer you the following benefits that no other product can. Be brave, be bold and stand apart from the crowd.

As for the health benefits themselves, they should really not be the focus of a non-medical product. They can be a secondary element of the marketing strategy, but the focus should be on what unique benefits the product brings to the market. If the health benefits are one then fine, but health benefits are so transitory that one needs to be careful and remember the graveyard of all health fads when going down this route. Instead focus on the tangible product advantages.

I did watch the all-star game yesterday and was sad to see Tim Wakefield not make it into the game. Supposedly he was there to eat up innings if the game went into extra innings but after waiting so long it would have been nice to see him pitch one inning.

The weather was so nice yesterday that I took a long lunch and went to Sullivan's in Boston for lunch and ate what had to be the sweetest clam strips ever made! God they were great!

Well back to work and I have a few other online discussions with potential clients which should prove interesting.

Recovering from July 4th!

July 4th is without a doubt one of my favorite holidays! For one thing it celebrates the founding of the greatest country in the history of the world! But I also like the fact that it is a holiday where the focus is also on having fun without getting dressed up or having to do a lot of shopping or anything like that. Yesterday was a day that was so ultimately perfect one couldn't have hoped for anything better. After nearly a solid month of drizzle and downpours and temperatures more often found in April, we had a solid, sunny and warm day that made you realize how gorgeous a summer can be in New England.

The other great thing about July 4th is all the fireworks. Newton usually has a great show and while I will say last night's show was fun and interesting, it was much more restrained than in years past. Maybe it was budgetary but I think it was yet another example of Mayor Cohen's getting even with the voters who refused to push through another tax increase last year. I also can not believe that the fair at the playground did not have a french fry stand. I was really looking forward towards a random dose of heart stopping deep fried starch.

There were lots of items on the menu but the best by far was the brisket we received from Tennessee BBQ. It was moist and very succulent and the sauce added just the right compliment to the brisket. The usual holiday desserts were there and boy they were good as well!

So luckily today is a day to just relax and take things easy. I think digestion is the word of the day! I will not ruin the day by talking about the Red Sox!