The Radial Group

Marketing Your Business With The New Food Guidelines

Fact: The US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services released updated dietary and physical activity guidelines in January. Download a summary from our website, or read or download the official Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2005 at http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/. You can also buy a copy mid-February from the US Government Printing Office via the same link.

While some observers would prefer more aggressive recommendations, these guidelines are certainly more specific and usable than the 2000 update. For example, the switch from "servings" to "cups" is more meaningful for consumers. The emphasis on managing caloric intake from all food sources is a shift from earlier updates which focused, for example, on minimizing fats while placing less emphasis on total calories consumed.

Our view: While the science is sound, 85 pages of guidelines is certainly information overload for consumers. Even the 12-page consumer brochure is less than user-friendly. And it devotes only a couple of paragraphs to physical activity, no detailed guidance for weight loss, and little detailed guidance for weight management. We think most consumers need specific, detailed guidelines in order to lose weight and maintain a normal weight. These guidelines are essentially policy statements, not prescriptions for maintaining health.

That's good news for your business.

First, health-related governmental policy initiatives offer a great marketing opportunity to associate your business with a highly visible program. These initiatives typically generate enormous free publicity over 5-10 years following their issuance. For example, Congress requires the federal government to update the dietary guidelines every five years. And the food pyramid has been with us for over 10 years. These programs also have tremendous credibility for many consumers because they are official government pronouncements and reflect current scientific thinking.

Second, the latest guidelines advocate extremely aggressive nutrition and fitness goals compared to most consumers' lifestyles. Numerous sources, from the Wall Street Journal to CNN to internet message boards, indicate that most adults find the latest goals unachievable and overwhelming. Even motivated individuals often find the new guidelines discouraging, simply because they feel so far away from achieving them.

These reactions create a business opportunity for you. Whether you run a health club, weight management program, or similar business, your programs can gain credibility and benefit from widespread publicity by referencing the new guidelines in your marketing and customer programs and making it clear that your programs embrace the most current scientific thinking.

At the same time, reinforce to consumers that your program takes the guidelines and puts them in an easy-to-use, can't-fail format. It simplifies the 85 pages into clear plans that they can follow. It's the best of both worlds: the official recommendations, in a friendly format.

Action: Six ideas to help you capitalize on this opportunity:

1) Free information sessions on the latest food guidelines are a great way to help potential consumers associate your business with the latest recommendations.

2) Use advertising and marketing that emphasize two themes: 1) simple, easy-to-follow guidelines based on 2) the latest scientific thinking published by the government.

3) Explain clearly how your program's exercise and/or nutrition components link back to the federal guidelines. Connect the dots for your customers so that they understand that they are following the new recommendations.

4) Partner with related businesses and professionals - grocery stores, cooking class instructors, dieticians, personal trainers, health clubs, health educators, etc. to offer integrated programs that help consumers address specific wellness goals.

5) Emphasize baby steps that will get your customers from where they are to where they want to be. Remind them that lifestyle change is a journey, not a one-time event. Incremental progress is the goal, not overnight success.

6) If you're not familiar with the stages of readiness to change, check out James Prochaska's classic Changing For Good. It's a great tool for helping you tailor programs and services to your customers based on their readiness to make lifestyle changes.