This month, Jamieson Natural Sources Vitamins launched what is only the second tv campaign in its 70-year history.
Frank Lucchetta, Jamieson’s director of marketing and product development, says the new campaign is designed solely to create awareness of the company’s line of products in a market that has expanded rapidly in the last few years.
As drugs, vitamins fall under strict Health Protection Board regulations when it comes to advertising.
Manufacturers cannot claim benefits to health from vitamin or mineral supplements to the daily diet, or quote studies that tout health benefits.
As a result, Jamieson’s three spots present a list of statements such as ‘Homeless people prefer the outdoors,’ ‘The G.S.T. was a good idea,’ ‘Politics is an honest business,’ and, ‘All families are the same,’ followed by ‘All vitamins are the same.’
The next statement that appears on the screen, in response to the previous phrases, is ‘Nonsense,’ or ‘Don’t buy into it,’ followed by the product name and a beauty shot.
Additional copy reads, ‘If you feel your diet occasionally requires additional support, you may wish to consider a vitamin and mineral supplement.’
As well, further copy explains the product is ‘made in small batches for freshness,’ and ‘Quality assured for purity. Trusted for over 70 years.’
So far, Lucchetta says response to the ads, developed and produced in conjunction with Ron Oliani of The Hand Company, has been good.
In the past, Jamieson has concentrated mainly on co-op advertising, for example, a four-page supplement prepared for Shoppers Drug Mart’s in-store beauty and healthcare magazine, Images.
As well as general information on what individual vitamins are best for, and how to effectively add them to a diet, the supplement would contain information on Jamieson products.
Wendy Brown, former product manager for vitamins at vitamin manufacturer Wampole, and Michele Swan, the present product manager, agree with Lucchetta the market for vitamin and mineral supplements has grown rapidly.
They see growing media attention being paid to scientific studies regarding the benefits of vitamins in the diet, citing the recent press coverage free radical neutralizers (anti-oxidants) got as a big boost to the market.
And Brown and Swan echo Lucchetta when they say advertising restrictions mean extra creativity in marketing.
When Wampole launched its anti-oxidant product, it used some recently published articles on the subject in the background of a print ad.
Even that was seen as a violation of the Health Protection Branch restrictions.
No one in the industry believes government regulation of its advertising will relax soon, and, in the meantime, they mean to do their best to maintain and boost awareness of their product lines.
