Activation Gallery: Health & Wellness
As health and wellness shoppers’ needs and purchasing patterns evolve, the category has grown substantially — as has what is considered a health and wellness purchase, including more non-traditional items and alternative medicines, food options and personal care items. With that in mind, CPG brands and retailers are taking an attribute-driven approach to deliver what’s important to their target consumers, from clean labels to cruelty-free, vegan ingredients and beyond.
GSK ran an “All for Wellness” campaign at Target this spring, uniting its Advil, Emergen-C, Tums and Sensodyne brands for a cause effort touting an unspecified contribution GSK made to Remote Area Medical (a nonprofit providing healthcare to underserved communities). In stores, shelf trays stocked SKUs on a dedicated endcap outfitted with a header depicting an image of multiple hands in a range of skin colors. A QR code on the signage linked to a related promotional page within Target.com that touted the effort.
Baby and mother care brand Frida promoted its postpartum products for mothers on Amazon through sponsored display ads under related search results and product detail pages on Amazon.com. Under searches for “postpartum,” the brand ran ads promoting “Recovery Essentials” from its Frida Mom line, including its hospital packing kit, and linked to its Amazon brand shop.
Ahold Delhaize’s Giant Food has dedicated a permanent spot in its weekly circular to promote plant-based food options on the “Natural & Organic” page. Near the top of the page, a small, outlined ad spot depicts a “Try Plant-Based” message around two different products from national and/or private-label brands accompanied with a special deal for loyalty members, such as $2 off.
Welly Health PBC in August deepened its relationship with Target, expanding its lineup from first-aid band aids to medicine and dietary supplements, including SKUs for pain and fever, digestive issues, allergy, cough and cold, sleep and mood — available exclusively at the mass merchant. In stores, the new items enjoyed secondary merchandising space on a dedicated endcap display that promoted how the SKUs are free from artificial flavors, synthetic dyes, parabens and talc. A home page carousel ad on GetWelly.com and multiple Facebook, TikTok and Instagram updates from Welly promote the brand extension at Target.
Unilever partnered with actor Mindy Kaling to create a self-care-focused, limited-edition collection for its Walmart-exclusive Find Your Happy Place line. Available June through August, the collection included bubble bath, scented candles and body mist. In stores, the collection had prime secondary merchandising space on a colorful, dedicated endcap outfitted with shelf trays. A carousel ad within the “Bath & Body” category page of Walmart.com promoted the collection, linking to a brand showcase hosting multiple promotional videos starring Kaling.
Haleon (owned by Pfizer and GSK) and CVS Pharmacy this fall promoted a decked-out hub, called “The Haleon Shop for Women’s Health,” within CVS.com as part of the retailer’s ongoing commitment to women’s health. The shop spotlights and details the benefits of multiple products and brands from the manufacturer, including Centrum, Advil, Nexium, Voltaren and Sensodyne, while also listing pages of related products. Various display ads scattered throughout CVS.com linked to the shop, using “Take on change” and “Embrace the ever-evolving you” messages.
Walmart united probiotic products from brands such as Fortify, Procter & Gamble’s Align and Amerifit Brands’ Culturelle on a dedicated endcap display outfitted in educational signage to help shoppers decide if they should take probiotics and which ones are right for them. The vertical signage affixed to the display asked a series of questions, such as “Why should I use probiotics?” and “How should I use [them]?,” followed with brief explanations.
At the Sephora at Kohl’s store-within-a-store concept, Hum Nutrition recently received a dedicated endcap display with branded signage positioning the vitamin and supplement brand also as a beauty product with clinically proven ingredients for skin, hair, body and mood. Shelf signage highlighted product benefits under each related product, including boosting collagen, managing stress, reducing bloating and strengthening hair.
Walmart’s website became the exclusive retail partner of socially conscious medicine brand Betr Remedies back in 2021. This year, it rolled out the full line to 2,000 stores in the U.S. In addition to a dedicated brand shop on the website, the digitally native brand co-founded by actress Ellen Pompeo is merchandised on a colorful endcap display boasting a cause program and a “Medicine on a Mission” message. Wrapped in what Betr calls “design-forward packaging,” the brand aimed to stand out in the cluttered supplement category.