These days, when so many yoghurts are labelled low-fat, just how much of a market remains for products aimed specifically at dieters?
A considerable one, claims Bryan Martins, customer development controller at Danone. "Weight loss is an important part of the yoghurt market and diet is still a distinctive segment within that," he says.
The company claims sales of its Shape brand have grown ahead of the market since it was repositioned late last year as a product that helps consumers feel fuller for longer a message it has been pushing in women's magazines and TV ads.
Martins adds, however, that today's shoppers often look for more than just weight loss. "Where once the market consisted of diet brands such as WeightWatchers and Shape, fat-free yoghurts can now offer functional benefits."
This is the approach Danone has taken with the latest extension to its Activia brand, sales of which grew 32.6% year-on-year to £214.5m [Nielsen 52w/e 3 October 2009], with the message that it can speed digestive transit and reduce bloating. In October, the company extended its fat-free variant, which had been available in four-packs, into a single-pot format.
"We looked at finding a two-tier position that offered fat-free with a functional benefit," says Martins.
However, Yoplait, which makes the WeightWatchers range of four-pack yoghurts, has a very different view of what the market wants.
"We believe there is no real link between the functional benefits offered by some yoghurts and dieting they are treated as separate issues by shoppers," says Yoplait UK marketing manager Jerome Labalette. "WeightWatchers attracts consumers who treat the issue of weight loss as a serious concern and want to use a weight management and diet programme."
Focus On Dieting
A considerable one, claims Bryan Martins, customer development controller at Danone. "Weight loss is an important part of the yoghurt market and diet is still a distinctive segment within that," he says.
The company claims sales of its Shape brand have grown ahead of the market since it was repositioned late last year as a product that helps consumers feel fuller for longer a message it has been pushing in women's magazines and TV ads.
Martins adds, however, that today's shoppers often look for more than just weight loss. "Where once the market consisted of diet brands such as WeightWatchers and Shape, fat-free yoghurts can now offer functional benefits."
This is the approach Danone has taken with the latest extension to its Activia brand, sales of which grew 32.6% year-on-year to £214.5m [Nielsen 52w/e 3 October 2009], with the message that it can speed digestive transit and reduce bloating. In October, the company extended its fat-free variant, which had been available in four-packs, into a single-pot format.
"We looked at finding a two-tier position that offered fat-free with a functional benefit," says Martins.
However, Yoplait, which makes the WeightWatchers range of four-pack yoghurts, has a very different view of what the market wants.
"We believe there is no real link between the functional benefits offered by some yoghurts and dieting they are treated as separate issues by shoppers," says Yoplait UK marketing manager Jerome Labalette. "WeightWatchers attracts consumers who treat the issue of weight loss as a serious concern and want to use a weight management and diet programme."
Focus On Dieting
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