insight

While the largest Natural Products Expo West ever was taking place in Anaheim two weeks ago, another even larger event was happening in Austin Texas – the South By South West (SXSW) film, music and interactive show. At SXSW Google announced that is has been working on a new tweak to its algorithm.  Basically, those sites that over-optimize or try to outsmart the system with too many keywords will be penalized.

We love Vitamin Angels — the great work they do in the world and the people making it happen — and are proud to be sponsoring their second annual Expo West event at (where else?) Angel Stadium. Join us for this lively cocktail event from 6 to 8:30 pm on Thursday, March 8, and step up to the plate! Vitamin Angels is committed to connecting essential nutrients to children in need worldwide, so that they may enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life. We invite you to join our team and rally with us on March 8th for a winning cause! Complimentary round-trip shuttle service from the Hilton/Convention Center will be provided. Sign up for tickets here. Questions? Please contact Jessamyn Wead, jwead@vitaminangels.org or (805) 564-8400.

We’re pleased to announce some new members of the growing Pure Branding team.

Forget natural. Think New Natural. The New Natural is all around us, and if you're not seeing it, it's because you're not looking outside the natural products industry.

We’re no strangers to the packaging conundrum that plagues many of us in the natural products industry. Packaging, especially in an industry focused on sustainability, can often seem contradictory to a natural company’s core values.  So is packaging merely a necessary evil needed to market your product? Not necessarily. In fact, packaging can actually play a significant role in reducing pollution. Eco-friendly cleaning products company Method demonstrates how its packaging can actually benefit the environment with its newest technological innovation, Ocean PCR bottles.

I will be the Guest Editor for Sustainable Brands' "Green Chemistry Issues in Focus" and want to hear your stories! A topic of enormous magnitude, as chemistry touches nearly every aspect of our lives and effects every stage of the product lifecycle. LCAs, corporate sustainability goals and public/environmental health initiatives must pass through the emerging lens of Green Chemistry. However, industry is struggling with how we communicate Green Chemistry — within the supply chain, to customers or outward to the public. What are the benchmarks? What are the market drivers? How is industry getting aligned?

Natural products companies get the "moment of truth" at shelf when a consumer makes a purchase decision. Unlike corporate brand managers removed from the retail experience, the smaller natural products brand often has direct relationships with retailers, visits stores and operates live demos where they meet consumers. They experience firsthand that moment of truth when a consumer reaches for their packaging — or their competitor's. Analyzing human behavior in this crucial moment through in-store intercepts has been some of the most revealing research we've conducted at Pure Branding. 

Although the Pure Branding offices are located west of Boston in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, we can't wait to be back in Baltimore for Expo East next week. Boston just never was able to capture the connection and community that one experiences in Anaheim, and certainly it never quite jelled in Boston — enough to have New Hope break their contract. Chalk it up to Yankee reserve.

Join us in celebrating the vision that has brought millions of at-risk children around the world the essential nutrients they need to attain good health and have the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives. The 6th Annual Celebration of Angels is being held at the American Visionary Art Museum in downtown Baltimore. Pure Branding is proud to be a sponsor of this event and of Vitamin Angels' work, and we encourage you to take part in this visionary celebration and support us in reaching more children worldwide with essential nutrients. For sponsorship or ticket purchase inquiries, please contact Jessamyn Wead, jwead@vitaminangels.org.

If, like me, you spent this past Sunday safely nestled away from the ravages of Hurricane Irene reading the Sunday New York Times, then you will have seen yet another report from "the newspaper of record" questioning the legitimacy of the supplement industry. The article, "Here’s to Your Health, So They Claim — Ingredients of Shady Origins Posing as Supplements," by Natasha Singer, appeared as the cover story of the Sunday Business section.