Linking Back-to-School & Back-to-Health: Not So Simple.

After a summer filled with too much sun and too many funnel cakes, it’s only natural that back-to-school signals a return to healthier living.

Each year, as awareness of health and wellness increases, more and more marketers are seeking to leverage this psychological fresh start to promote their brand as a simple solution for back to health.

Result? A baffling clutter of information, claims and hype—much of it conflicting.

In response, we’re seeing a shift in marketing communications from vague “good for you” positions to more specific messaging where brands attempt to make a clear and immediate connection to a relevant health benefit.

But specific is not always simple. In order to break through the clutter, a successful “simple” health marketing effort needs to meet these four criteria:

1. Brand Relevance: Health benefit relates directly to brand usage.
2. Target Relevance: Addresses a true consumer need or insight.
3. Credibility: Brand is perceived as a legitimate, reliable source.
4. Ownability: Messaging distinguishes the brand from competitors and makes sense as a long-term proposition.

Here are six major advertisers who have chosen to “go simple” with health messages for this back-to-school season. Some succeed. Others simply leave us confused.

Zip-Lock

Yes, it’s a simple message: “Easy Lunch Lessons.” But meal ideas from a plastic bag brand? No credibility here. Rather than build their offer around free online menu plans, the brand could build a more ownable platform linked closely to their brand identity. Zip-Lock could credibly solve the consumer dilemma of how to store and transport healthy meals, whether to school or to work, showing how clever use of Zip-Lock storage can save the day. That’s a message Zip-Lock could own all year long.

Kleenex Brand Tissue

Simple product, simple message. The product innovation is clear: Sneeze Shield “keeps stuff off kids’ hands.” Hands are used as a visual and verbal cue through all the program elements. The content—information about staying healthy in a germ-filled environment—is totally relevant to the product and reinforces the logical link between hygiene and health. And owning clean hands is a strong long-term position – totally appropriate for a category leader.

Bounty Paper Towels

This concept strains the simplicity standard. The message “Because cleaner schools can help kids become better learners” begs the question: How?
The connection between paper-towel tidiness and scholastic achievement feels like a stretch, and there’s no clear link to how the product legitimately solves the problem. And even if consumers were to buy the improved learning halo, it’s too school-specific to be a sustainable, extendable position for the brand.

Nestlé Juicy Juice

Wonderfully simple and compelling, in both visuals and language: “Send them off to school with a full serving of fruit.” The benefit is specific—a full serving of fruit in every glass. It speaks to a need that virtually every parent can relate to, and echoes messages from government and medical organizations encouraging consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables for healthy living. The communication is quick, with a comparison photo so impactful you hardly even need to read it. Since the product is a natural for brown bags or lunch boxes, the connection with back-to-school is airtight. It’s also a position so strong, clear and ownable, it can stand by itself.

Johnson & Johnson Listerine Smart Rinse

Relevant branding resonates during back-to-school season with a message that speaks directly to the benefit—a healthy mouth. Humorous analogy (“Do Your Kids Brush Their Teeth Like They Clean Their Room?”) rings true for parents. Listerine’s strong antiseptic heritage lends credibility to this new communication: the crucial link between oral heal and overall health and the importance of going beyond brushing.

Post Cereal Partnership with Milk

Smart connection for Post—partnering with a high velocity product that can provide a healthy halo. Message is simple and does not over promise: “A good breakfast can help kids do their best.” Online instant-win sweepstakes features a quiz, which further educates consumers about health benefits of Post cereals. This program gives moms concerned about giving their kids a healthy start a reason to choose Post over the competition.

Clearly, back-to-school is no longer just about pens, pencils, notebooks and a fresh set of clothes. Now it’s a season for re-emphasizing healthy routines
and starting new ones, which can provide opportunities for advertisers and genuine benefits for kids and families.

However, in the growing crowd of companies exploring this area, it’s easy for a brand to get lost or ignored. And some advertisers seem so desperate to get a piece of the action that they over-reach or complicate their message, violating the cardinal rule for executing a “simple” message: Simplicity.