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1. Strategic Message Planner: Ensure Original Nutrition Drink
Advertising Goal
To transform the brand image of Ensure® Original from a nutritional supplement
drink used solely by people older than 50, to an effective and delicious drink for
people of all ages and all activities (athletes, people on the go, young parents, etc.).
Client: Key Facts
• Ensure is headquartered in Granite Falls, MN
• Ensure makes nutritional supplement drinks (primarily nutrition shakes)
• Among doctors who recommend liquid nutritional products to their patients,
Ensure markets itself as the number one recommended brand (Ensure)
• Ensure was introduced to the market in 1973
• Slogan: Take Life In
• Ensure is owned by their parent company, Abbott Nutrition, headquartered
in Chicago, IL
• Abbott has a global team of scientists who work to find nutritional advances
in order to develop better nutritional products for people of all ages (Abbott).
• Abbott is behind these other brand names: Glucerna, Similac, PediaSure,
Pedialyte, EAS and ZonePerfect
• Annual Sales in 2014 for Ensure was estimated at $343.5 million, according
to Statista.
Product: Key Features
What is the product?
• Ensure Original is a nutritional drink
• Ensure has a range of flavors and models of their original drink, catering to a
wide range of dietary needs such as:
o Wanting to maintain an active lifestyle
o On the path to getting well
o Caring for someone special
• Ensure original is sold in 6-count packages, each plastic bottle containing 8
oz. and selling for $7.97 a package or $1.32/bottle. Compared to competitors
in the nutritional drinks market, Abbott Laboratories (Ensure’s parent
company) is ranked 2nd, making up 18.4 percent of the market share, behind
PepsiCo Inc. (Gatorade’s parent company).
• Ensure claimed 37% of sales of nutritional drinks in the 52 weeks ending Oct.
5, 2014 (Mintel).
• Ensure Original comes in 6 flavors: milk chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, dark
chocolate, butter pecan and coffee latte
• Ensure Original also comes as a powder, to put into other drinks
What is the purpose of the product?
• Ensure created Ensure Original to provide a “complete, balanced nutrition
for everyday health”
2. What is the product made of?
• Ensure Original contains 9 grams of protein, 26 essential vitamins and
minerals, including antioxidants, 220 nutritional calories and 25 percent of
the daily value of B vitamins (B12 and folate) to support brain health.
• It contains 22 grams of sugar and 6 grams of fat
• Ensure Original is made up of primarily water, corn maltodextrin, sugar, milk
protein concentrate and soy protein
Who and what made the product?
• Ensure Original is made in the U.S. and is sold in U.S.
• It’s contents/recipe was formulated by Abbott Laboratories
Target Audience: Demographics and Psychographics
The target audience for this ad is men and women ages 25-40 who are physically
active (runners, bikers, swimmers, hikers, climbers, walkers, etc.) and often turn to
supplements to gain the proper nutrition they need for a balanced diet. They are
people who do not always get the adequate amount of nutrition they need from the
meals they eat on a daily basis (Medical Daily). We are aiming to target those who
are, for the most part, more physically fit/conscious of their health than others in
their age group.
The average age of the target audience is 32.5. We consider our target audience to
have a median income of $65,000. We see most being married and having on
average, two children. We are targeting those who have been physically active for
15 or more years and have made it a priority to remain healthy by getting physical
exercise and consuming a relatively healthy diet.
More are non-Hispanic, white adults. More (52.1 percent) are men (CDC). Most have
college degrees(CDC). Adults with more education are more likely to meet the
national Physical Activity Guidelines (CDC). The target audience is more likely to
live in the West, Northeast and Midwest regions of the country due to the fact these
regions consist of more physically fit individuals (CDC).
Product Benefits
• Ensure Original is wholesome in its ingredients, providing one with a
complete and nutritious diet.
• Ensure Original is pre-made and ready to drink, providing consumers with a
meal supplement that will do away with hunger.
• Ensure Original will save one the time involved with preparing a meal.
• Ensure Original may help dieters for short-term support (Diet Spotlight).
Direct Competitors and Brand Images
Direct Competitors are other supplement drink brands: