Activia is launching a free tool called Gut Health Tracker to improve the gut health of Canadians.

The company is promoting the tracker with a national campaign, “Gut Health Program & Challenge,” which aims to address what the brand sees as a growing volume of confusing information about the topic in Canada.

The tool, which is available in English and French on Activia’s website, provides information on users’ intestinal health. It asks 29 questions about habits that affect digestive health, including diet, sleep patterns, stress levels and exercise habits, and provides a personalized score out of 100. It also offers curated advice from experts on how to maintain or improve your gut health score over time. The tips provided by the tracker include eating habits with the brand’s yogurt.

Activia developed the tracker and the campaign in collaboration with expert dietitians in gut health and symptom management, who have helped the brand strengthen the message and encourage consumers to try the tool, says Activia brand manager Marie-Andrée Jauron.

Jauron tells strategy that the campaign highlights the brand’s new strategic approach, which is to promote gut health education, while acting as a platform to emphasize the company’s connection with healthy habits. The team is adopting this new focus in response to consumer demand for clear actions that can improve gut health, Jauron says.

“Canadians want to track their progress, which is proven to be vital to one’s overall health,” she says. “We feel it is our responsibility as leaders in this space to launch informative and innovative tools, so Canadians can continue improving their health through healthy foods such as yogurt and take a holistic approach to their overall well-being.”

Opinium conducted research on behalf of Activia between March 28 and April 5 among a sample of 2,000 Canadian adults, and found that many lack knowledge about gut health. The study showed that 43% of respondents want to improve their gut health but don’t know how, while 57% believe they would have better digestive health if they knew how to improve it. About 60% regularly think about their overall physical well-being, and 53% consider their mental well-being. Nearly all respondents (93%) said they take gut health into account when choosing what they eat.

The research also showed that 96% of Canadians have a digestive health score of less than 50%. More than half (56%) experience symptoms of digestive disorders, a figure that reaches nearly two out of three women aged 18 to 34.

The campaign is supported by public relations, TV commercials, OLV, point-of-sale promotion, social networks and digital media. Carl Social Club was behind the creative, with National handling PR and Wavemaker overseeing the media buy.