Instead of attacking the low-carb diet, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) has decided to focus its ad campaign on promoting orange juice’s health benefits. Today’s health conscious consumers are increasingly aware of the effects of consumption choices on their health. As such, the FCC is trying to regain consumer loyalty with its informative ads.
The FCC has been forced to switch tactics after its initial three ads attacking low-carb diets tested poorly. Instead, the commission has gone back to basics and has approved the testing of four new television ads that focus on the health benefits of orange juice.
Sales of orange juice, Florida’s largest selling citrus product, have declined 5% in the past three years. Citrus industry officials blame this decline on the growing popularity of low-carb diets that advise against the drinking of orange juice due to its high sugar content. The low-carb dieting phenomenon has been sweeping the US over the past 12 months, despite being introduced by Dr Atkins in the 1970s.
With a budget of US$7.2m for TV advertising, the FCC is hoping to reverse its sales trend by highlighting the nutritional ingredients in orange juice that make it a necessary part of an everyday diet. It is trying to bring education back into its product messages to promote health as a primary focus of consumers’ dietary decisions.
PepsiCo’s Tropicana has also centred its advertising and product development on promoting public health. In the last few years, it has developed and created five new product extensions to address specific health concerns such as heart disease and the common cold. As a result, a recent study showed that 55% of consumers rated Tropicana to be “extremely or very healthy”. Clearly, PepsiCo is also hoping that such positioning will help it ride out attacks from the low-carb factions.
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