Admit it, you've thought about how cool it would be to start your own supplement brand. Hell, most people in the fitness world would love too! You scroll through Instagram and you see the lives these CEOs are living. Let me be the first to tell you that it is NOT that easy. There is much more to starting a supplement brand than a formula you "formulated" via your research on Google or prior experiences with supplements. Quite frankly, as much as we love efficacious formulas here at FI, it's not the most important thing when it comes to sales numbers.
I am a geek for branding and marketing. My MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota embedded how important branding is to the DNA of a business. Think of your favorite supplement brands. I would venture to guess that many of them have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about things such as brand colors, fonts, overall hierarchy of design elements.
What do we mean by design elements? Take a pre-workout powder for example. What is the most important factor? It's not the formula. It is the look, design and feel of the container. Do you use flavor cues? Do you call it something unique? Do you call out crazy absurd claims like "extreme energy" and "skin tearing pumps?" These are all things to consider on individual package design, but it should stem from the overall brand design.
A flaw I see with many brands is inconsistency in their brand design, which then leads to inconsistencies in package design. If you are serious about being successful in sports nutrition, you better invest time and money in your brand story, design and asset guide. A reputable source, who has designed a lot for big brands, is Gerart Media.
Gerart Media has done work for brands such as RedCon1 and NutraBio. Thiago, the CEO of Gerart Media, has paved his way in the sports nutrition industry with unique eye catching designs and colors. He has also developed several brand stories to help brands move forward.
Thiago started designing at the young age of 13. He found himself taking on projects for local businesses in Brazil. It was only a little time later he fell in love with bodybuilding. At the age of 15 he was creating graphics in exchange for supplements at local retailers. This work ethic eventually led him to a job working for a US based supplement retailer who introduced him to a US based supplement brand.
Working in the supplement industry is something that I really have a passion for. It's something that I spend all day thinking about new ideas, studying every day about news and market trends. Everyday I try to see something new or discover something that nobody see; sometimes I feel a little crazy about it, but it is because it really is something I love to do and that is why I always try to do more than what is supposed to be done for all my clients.
Thiago enjoys all types of work from brand creation to rebrands. He's done it all. His favorite project to date has been his work with the mega-brand RedCon1. Thiago was pinned with the task of creating the RedCon1 logo...a logo that is on display all over the world with the fastest growing supplement company right now.
The only thing I feel about the last 12 years is GRATITUDE for everything I’ve ever learned in the industry, for the experience of having work with the biggest companies of the world and being working side by side with the most brilliants CEOs of the industry.
So why don't more companies invest in branding? Thiago believes it is because they invest in formula and sales first, branding second. We agree that many small companies try to use their formulas as their marketing engine, but branding is something that should be invested in and considered.
The packaging communicates the importance of what the customer is about to receive. The presentation of your product determines the value that your customer imagines he or she has.
So...you want to start a supplement brand? Consider branding as an investment to your success. If you want to contact Thiago and Gerart Media, you can email him at: [email protected].
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