New Hope Natural Media Finds "#Young4Ever" and "Chief Health Officers" to Be the Best Bets for Consumers of Natural Products

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- New Hope Natural Media's Market Innovation Consumer Segmentation published by New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton, was created to help brands and retailers identify and target consumers most likely to be early adopters of natural products.  Five key consumer groups were created from the research, redefining traditional market segmentation. 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/CL14771LOGO)

"Since the health and wellness arena is in a constant flux we thought an in-depth understanding of the continuum of consumer attitudes and behaviors regarding the acceptance and adoption of more healthy consumption habits was missing," said Len Monheit, Executive Director of Strategic Development.  "Our report helps natural products companies more effectively target interested, passionate consumers with new products and provide them with concepts and marketing strategies to optimize product success."

Two of the five groups -- #Young4Ever and Chief Health Officers -- have the most potential for marketers and companies targeting the natural product marketplace. 

#Young4Ever:  This segment is committed to organic foods and dietary supplements as well as vegan and vegetarian diets.  They are most likely racially diverse, young, married males that worry about getting old.  They are not price sensitive making them a great new product target.  A bit faddish, they move with the crowd and are reachable and influenced by social media, mass media advertising and direct sales.

Key Characteristics of the #Young4Ever Segment:

• Suffers From: Little; lowest incidence of health issues
• Worries About: Everything; especially ailments that are associated with aging
• Diet Behavior:  Relatively higher proportion of vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free dieters
• Shopping Skews:  Lowest proportion of chain grocery shopping.  Relatively higher proportion of shopping in smaller classes of trade.
• Early Adopters:  Impulsive brand switchers, don't think a lot about choices.  Move with the crowd.  What others think about their choices is very important to them.
• Where They Are:  Less likely to be in the Midwest, otherwise spread evenly
• Ideas they Like: Anything that says organic, natural, gluten free, or vegan is more likely to be appealing.
• Ingredients Paid Attention To: Average on most. Least on artificial sweeteners.  Higher attention on gluten and folic acid.
• Increasing Usage:  Antioxidants, calcium, fiber, natural, organics, proteins, vitamins/ minerals, whole grains

Click here to watch a video of the #Young4Ever segment.

Chief Health Officers:  Relative to the other segments, this segment is predominantly married professional females with young children.  They are goal-oriented health managers that are active information seekers, who will pay more for a food or health products that are backed by research.  Once they are sold they serve as influencers passing along their knowledge and recommendations.

Key Characteristics of the Chief Health Officer Segment:

• Suffers From:  Average incidence of most conditions
• Worries About:  Average level of concern on about most conditions
• Diet Behavior:  Second highest level of dieting behavior. Relatively higher proportion of vegetarians.
• Shopping Skews:  Highest use of BFY (Best For You) food channels.
• Early Adopters:  Satisfied with current choices but highest propensity to try new things given credible support.
• Influenced By:  Label readers, professionals, online research, friends
• Where They Are:  More likely to be found in the West and Northeast
• Ideas They Like:  Average on most
• Ingredients Paid Attention To:  Pay attention to all ingredients, especially sweeteners, natural & organic, whole grains, and trans fats.
• Increasing Usage:  Antioxidants, calcium, fiber, natural, organics, proteins, vitamins/ minerals, whole grains
• Decreasing Usage:  Calories, carbs, fats, sugar, HFCS, trans fats, sodium, artificial sweeteners

Click here to watch a video about the Chief Health Officer segment.

The three additional segments can appreciate new health and wellness benefits but are likely to be slower to adopt.

• 4 Out of 5 Doctors: Mostly older consumers, they listen to doctors and actively follow their advice.  Infrequent shoppers, they like their current choices and are less likely to try new things, especially more-expensive natural and organic products.
• Guilty and Defeated: Pressed for time, this is a mostly female and largely married group who desire a healthy lifestyle but don't actively pursue it. As shoppers, they tend to be low-energy, and focus on convenience and price.
• Life Tastes Good: Have a "live in the moment" attitude and are motivated by taste.  Generally married males, they are conscious of healthy-lifestyle decisions, but do not make them a priority.  Tend to steer clear of natural foods.

The study evaluated over 5,000 consumers -- representing over 90 percent of the U.S. population -- based on their feelings, opinions, habits and usage of health, nutrition, lifestyle and healthy products, as well as their affinity for new product concepts representing over 50 percent of a typical grocery/retail store basket.    

New Hope Natural Media's Market Innovation Consumer Segmentation is overlaid within the recently launched NEXT Trend solution providing the ability to cross-map segments from their proprietary and/or traditional segmentation models onto this new model.  Concept affinity scores are a data set in the Next Trend solution allowing subscribers to leverage rich behavioral data to streamline product development and detailed information about the segments.

About New Hope Natural Media
New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton, is the leading media resource and information provider for the natural, organic and healthy products industry, with print, in-person/event, and e-business products and services.

About Penton
For millions of business owners and decision-makers, Penton makes the difference every day. We engage our professional users by providing actionable ideas and insights, data and workflow tools, community and networking, both in person and virtually, all with deep relevance to their specific industries. We then activate this engagement by connecting users with tens of thousands of targeted providers of products and services to help drive business growth. Learn more about our company at www.penton.com.

Penton is a privately held company owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.

CONTACT:
Kate Spellman
SVP, Marketing
Penton
Phone: 212.204.4351
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Penton