Elations juice-based drink promises improved joint flexibility
Medical News - August, 2006 Edition
A relatively new, free-standing company populated by former Procter & Gamble executives has chosen Louisville as the lead market for a new fruit juice-based supplement drink, Elations, containing compounds known to improve joint health. Elations promises “joint flexibility” and contains the nutritional supplements glucosamine, which is believed to play a role in cartilage formation and repair, and chondroitin, a natural component of cartilage that is thought to help with elasticity. The product also contains a patented, more absorbable form of calcium providing one-third of the minimum daily recommended requirement and 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C.
“Elations isn’t a pain reliever that simply masks the symptoms of joint stiffness,” says Rick Zimmerman, general manager of The Elations Company. “The ingredients in Elations are knows to actually help renew joint cartilage, cushion joints, and improve joint flexibility. Plus it comes in a delicious liquid form that’s more absorbable than supplement pills.”
Elations originally was developed and tested by Procter & Gamble, but languished on P&G’s product development shelf, says Zimmerman, a former P&G marketing director who also was involved in new business development and, as a result, was aware of the product. P&G sold the product to The Elations Company in 2004, after deciding in 2003 to divest itself of its beverage business, which included a fruit drink marketed in Germany, “Sunny Delight” that is sold in the U.S., and the Elations product. “I had a high amount of passion for the product, and simply didn’t believe it was getting the full support it deserved. It became somewhat of a mission for those of us working on it,” Zimmerman says, referring to taking Elations to the marketplace.
Elations is Subsidiary of Beverage Holdings, LLC
The Elations Company is managed by former Procter & Gamble employees and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is a subsidiary of Beverages Holdings LLC, a privatelyheld Delaware Corporation whose majority investor is J.W. Childs. J.W. Childs is a private equity firm with current and previous investments in General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Hartz Mountain (pet health), Snapple, Cornerstone Healthcare Group, Fitness Quest, Insight Health Services and Sheridan Health Care. Beverages Holdings acquired the Elations products, trademarks and technology from P&G and created a separate subsidiary to market the brand. P&G receives a royalty on Elations product sales.
Elations is Produced by a Contract Packer in the Midwest
As pointed out in a December 2005 New York Times story, marketing solutions to health problems has traditionally been the realm of drug companies. As the baby boom generation ages and Americans become increasingly concerned about their health, packaged food companies see a big marketing opportunity.
Zimmerman contends there is an emotional response in today’s society about taking pills. “Many people think that having to take pills indicates they’re sick,” so being able to get supplements or ingredients in other forms that can make them feel better and help relieve symptoms is appealing. And as “the boomers” experience more signs of aging and want to maintain active lifestyles, a product such as Elations is particularly attractive, he says.
Ads and packaging for Elations will refer to “joint flexibility” and “ease of movement,” not arthritis. In making such assertions, a company can avoid Food and Drug Administration regulations that require a rigorous approval process for health claims. Marketers are not required to get agency approval for claims that talk about the body’s “normal, healthy structures and functions,” only for references to specific diseases or health conditions.
Early Marketing Results Encouraging
P&G first tested Elations in Clearwater, Fla. in 1999-2000 and later in its company “bonus store” for its own employees. Zimmerman says results proved very positive, particularly concerning consumers’ desire to continue using the product. “In my 24 years at Procter & Gamble, I’d never seen anything like this. We’ve had consumers calling us, asking us when the product is coming out.”
Zimmerman said that while all persons using the product don’t experience the same results, most of those with moderate to severe pain reported they “did feel a benefit.”
The company also cites findings of a recent arthritis study independently conducted without involvement from Elations. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed that glucosamine and chondroitin were effective in treating pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee among those with moderate to severe pain. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study results in its February 2006 edition.
“There’s not only a lot of science but an art to it, as well,” Zimmerman says of marketing a tasteful drink with dietary supplements proven to make joints healthier. Elations is available two flavors—raspberry white grape and cranberry apple. Six-packs of eight-ounce bottles, which consumers are urged to drink one of every day, will retail for $1.39-$1.49. Zimmerman says that is less than it would cost to buy individual servings of the same four nutrients via joint supplement pills, milk and juice.
Kroger locations in the greater Louisville area began stocking Elations in July, followed by Kroger locations in the greater Lexington area, Owensboro, Ky. and southern Illinois. Meijer stores will begin offering the product in August. Zimmerman says the initial primary marketing focus will be on consumers and then physicians. The company expects to use television commercials, newspaper ads and coupons, as well as in-store sampling.
Copyright: Medical News 2006
< Back to Press
