Test Campaign to Revive Omega-3 Sales Is Working

A consumer-focused campaign to reverse omega-3 sales slippage is working, according to the campaign’s first test market. The Always Omega-3 consumer campaign, led by an industry coalition of omega-3 suppliers and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED; Salt Lake City), completed its first test market in Charlotte, NC. Results show average weekly sales increases between 2.2%-2.6% following the test market’s run from mid-September 2014 to mid-October 2014. By contrast, sales in Charlotte during the previous year had consistently declined.

“In just four weeks, the integrated marketing campaign increased sales 5.8%, significantly above the 3% campaign goal, and also showed a positive increase for the first time in many months. In fact, Charlotte was lagging behind much of the rest of the country prior to the campaign, but by the end was the best-performing region in the country,” GOED reports.

These sales increases likely to resulted from the campaign itself, GOED notes, as data determined that sales increases were not driven by discounts or other sales promotions.

Weekly sales increased across the board for a broad range of EPA and DHA omega-3 ingredients, including 18:12 fish oils (2.2% weekly growth), concentrates (2.6% growth), and krill oil (2.4% growth).

The test-market campaign comprised television, print, and digital advertising; an educational consumer website (www.AlwaysOmega3s.com); billboard ads; and in-store retail signage. Consumer surveys before and after the Charlotte campaign indicate that an estimated 28,000-61,000 new users entered the omega-3 category due to the campaign, GOED adds.

GOED emphasizes that there is still more to be done, as efforts continue to take the Always Omega-3 campaign national in early 2015. The Omega-3 Coalition continues to accept support, financial and otherwise, from stakeholders in the omega-3 industry.

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com