Personalized nutrition firm Vitamin Packs goes down ‘influencer’ route to grow business
The vitamin subscription service’s affiliate program is just one tactic in Vitamin Packs' overall marketing strategy, CEO and founder Jason Brown told NutraIngredients-USA.
“What matters most to us is creating a quality relationship with health and nutrition influencers who embody our mission to provide personalized nutrition through real science and real value,” he added.
Since its launch July, more than 6,000 consumers have taken the subscription service’s health assessment, data of which is used by Vitamin Pack’s AI named Sage to recommend dietary supplements that consumers can subscribe to month to month.
Interacting with customers as a brand
The use of ‘influencer power,’ referring to individuals or groups with clout in social media (by number of active followers) or within a specific community, is an increasingly common marketing strategy for dietary supplements as a cost-efficient alternative to celebrity endorsements.
It is a trend that branding firm Interbrand Health calls ‘Healthy Selfie,’ where consumers want to build loyalty and interact with a brand through social media.
In Vitamin Pack’s case, its affiliate program members are selectively recruited. “Each affiliate request is screened to confirm they are located in the US, have a legitimate business, and are online with a positive reputation,” Brown said.
“Ideally, it is a person or company that is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle and ducating others about the power of personalized nutrition,” he added.
Brand influencer disclosures
Recruited influencers are compensated with $20-25 for every first purchase of a subscription made by one of their referrals.
Because of recent FTC crackdowns on brand ambassadors in the supplement space that don’t disclose their compensations, Brown emphasized that Vitamin Packs “[makes] it clear if someone is a brand ambassador and we require them to disclose they are a paid endorser in their social media posts and shares.”
The company hopes it will cast a wide net by collaborating with influencers, competing for a larger share of the burgeoning personalized nutrition space, where new brands are popping up frequently.
As a differentiator, Vitamin Packs consulted with medical advisors during the AI design process to include questions about prescription drug usage, thus creating outcomes and recommendations that consider drug-dietary supplement interactions.
“It is important that people understand that the medications their doctors are prescribing will mix with their nutritional products and there can be contraindications that can harm them as well as that prescribed medications can deplete nutrients in your body so it is important to find the right balance,” Brown added.
