Danone is repositioning its cholesterol-lowering drink Danacol with a more gene­ric heart-health claim in a bid to broaden its appeal as an everyday product.
From late next month the brand will contain the ingredient of the moment, Omega-3, as well as cholesterol-lowering plant sterols, to appeal to what the company described as a wider group of consumers concerned about the general state of their heart.
Revamped Danacol will contain 200mg of Omega-3 per 100g and will be the only drink to contain two active ingredients with heart health benefits, according to Danone.
The relaunch will be supported by a £4m marketing campaign, including TV advertising from July through to October, with a redesigned heart-shaped logo to communicate the brand&'s new benefits. Pack sizes will rise from four to six 100g bottles (rsp: £3.38) to fit in with weekly shopping patterns.
According to Danone, heart health is the number one concern for consumers 50 years and older. It said that while 10% of adults had been diagnosed with high cholesterol, 52% were concerned about heart health.
Brand manager Pam Levin said: &"Adding ­Omega-3 to Danacol enables us to make a valid heart-health claim and differentiate the brand from its competitors.
&"By moving from a cholesterol-lowering platform to a much broader heart-health positioning, we have the opportunity to treble the value of the sector and attract new consumers.&"
Cholesterol-lowering drinks account for only a minor part of the functional drinks market, which is driven by probiotic products. Danone&'s leading brand Actimel, for example, was worth almost 20 times that of stablemate Danacol in our Top Products Survey for last year.
Levin said Danacol&'s new generic health positioning would enable it to start to bridge the gap.
She added: &"Healthy-heart spreads outsell choles­terol-lowering spreads by four to one, so we anticipate that we can create a similar improvement in active health drinks.&"
Stefan Chomka