Cellucor recently launched a new Peanut Butter Marshmallow flavoured whey protein product in South Africa .
Caramel
Popcorn is one of USN ’ s most popular flavours and is part of four unique whey flavours that have been developed by the consumer , for the consumer .
LOCAL INNOVATION
A supplement company at the forefront of this whey flavour revolution is undoubtedly Ultimate Sports Nutrition ( USN ). The company recently introduced a consumerbased research programme under the USN BlueLab™ initiative first used to develop a new pre-workout product .
“ It has always been USN ' s strategy to give consumers what they want ,” explains Donato Colangelo , Marketing Director at USN . “ With this approach , we believe that we can grow the industry and therefore the brand , too .”
Having said that , Donato explains that brands often go wrong by assuming they know what consumers want . “ It ' s important to determine if you ' re really giving your consumers what they want , or if you ' re forcing them to take what you offer , and that requires clear two-way communication between a brand and their customers .”
To open these channels of communication , USN used the BlueLab™ product development platform to engage consumers with a number of new taste and tactile changes the brand was planning to introduce to their whey protein range .
This consisted of rigorous consumer taste testing performed in South Africa ' s leading supplement retailers , which helped USN to develop a range of products that include the premium ingredients sourced from the world ' s best suppliers , with the added appeal of consumer-influenced flavours .
“ It ' s true that it is becoming increasingly difficult to innovate in the supplement market as there have been few breakthrough developments in the sector over the last few years . However , as a market leader , USN always aims to set the trend , which is why we chose to focus on putting a spin on an old category by innovating whey supplements
“ IT ’ S IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE IF YOU ’ RE REALLY GIVING YOUR CONSUMERS WHAT THEY WANT , OR IF YOU ’ RE FORCING
THEM TO TAKE WHAT YOU OFFER .”
Donato Colangelo , Marketing Director at USN
www . muscleevolution . co . za
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