insight

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.

Chipotle, the fast food Mexican grill that's been rapidly expanding across North America and England, has released a great animated short that's been making its way virally around email inboxes in the last few weeks. If you're a natural products marketer, it's worth checking out.

Earlier this month, when we first wrote about the USDA’s revamped food pyramid, we poked fun at recommended glass of milk towering over the rest of the MyPlate model. Though aimed at curbing obesity and fostering a balanced diet throughout the country, the plate falls short in helping some to make healthier eating decisions.

For industry insiders and true believers, the decision to eat organic is no decision at all. We might think of it as a responsibility, a right or a statement. But certainly not a “tough choice.”