Strategic Message Planner

Product: PediaSure

Your name(s): Michelle Geiser

1. Advertising goal

The goal is to rebrand PediaSure as a healthy, value conscious company that will
appeal to millennial moms.

2. Client: Key Facts -

 PediaSure is a brand from the company Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Laboratories, 2017).
 PediaSure was introduced in 1988 as product for children, not just infants or just adults
(Abbott Laboratories, 2017).
 PediaSure is part of Abbott nutrition. Abbott Nutrition is Abbott’s biggest sales division,
representing 31% of sales in 2013. (“Abbott Nutrition’s history”, 2017).
 As of 2012, PediaSure has a 14.6% market share and $127 million in sales (“Brand Share
– Meal Replacements” 2013).
 PediaSure is a nutrition drink that is aimed at promoting growth in children.
 PediaSure features four drink products that come in 5 flavors (PediaSure, 2017).
 PediaSure is one of 28 nutrition and health based brands from Abbott Laboratories
(Abbott Laboratories, 2017).
 Abbott’s annual revenue is $23.61 billion (Yahoo Finance, 2017).

3. Product: Key Features

a. What is the product?

 The product is a series of nutritional items. There are three liquid shakes and a powder
shake product.
 All the shakes are kosher, halal and gluten free. The powder is also suitable for lactose
intolerant children (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 The packaging is re-closeable bottle, that is suitable for children. It is easy to open and
easy to close (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 Each of the shake bottles are 8 fluid ounces and are sold in packs of 6 – 24 (“PediaSure
Products”, 2017).
 Packs of 24 can go for $45 on the Abbott website, while packs of 6 will go for around
$11 (Abbott Laboratories, 2017).
 The Grow and Gain powder comes in a 14 ounce containers and include 10 servings.
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 The shakes come in a variety of “kid approved” flavors. Grow and Gain comes in 5
flavors: Vanilla Chocolate, Banana, Berry, Strawberry. Grow and Gain come in vanilla
and strawberry. Grow and Gain Powder come in vanilla. Sidekicks comes in chocolate,
vanilla, and strawberry (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure is the #1 pediatrician recommended brand and is a complete source of nutrition
designed for children 1 to 13 (Abbott Nutrition, 2017).

What is the purpose of the product?

The main purpose of this product is to promote growth and nutritional health in children.

 Each of the shakes offers a supplement for children’s growth.

 PediaSure Grow and Gain shakes and powders promotes growth in children 1 to 13
(“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure Grow and Gain with fiber supports regularity (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
PediaSure sidekicks act a nutritional supplement for an unbalanced diet (“PediaSure
Products”, 2017).
 The Grow and Gains are to promote weight and height growth in children (“PediaSure
Products”, 2017).
 The sidekicks can be used for children who are picky eaters or on an unbalanced diet
(“PediaSure Products”, 2017). A
 ll the shakes are kosher, halal and gluten free, and the powder can be used for lactose
intolerant children (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure can also be used as an ingredient in other foods for children. They can be used
to make items like pancakes, muffins, shakes, ice cream, popsicles, etc (“Recipes for
Kids”, 2017).

b. What is the product made of?

 The ingredients in PediaSure Grow and Gain (vanilla) are: Water, Corn Maltodextrin,
Sugar, Blend of Vegetable Oils (Canola, Corn), Milk Protein Concentrate, Soy Protein
Isolate, Nonfat Milk. Less than 0.5% of: Natural & Artificial Flavor, Cellulose Gel,
Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Tuna
Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid,
Monoglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Carrageenan, Potassium Hydroxide,
Inositol, Taurine, Stevia Leaf Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, Monk Fruit Extract, dl-Alpha-
Tocopheryl Acetate, L-Carnitine, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacinamide,
Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin,
Lutein, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin,
Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenate, Sodium Molybdate, Phylloquinone, Vitamin D3, and
Vitamin B12 (“PediaSure Products”, 2017)
 PediaSure Grow and Gain (Vanilla) contains 240 calories, 80 calories from fat.
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 All flavors provide 7 grams of protein and 25 vitamins (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
These 7 grams of protein and 25 vitamins are for the purpose of supporting healthy
growth and diet in children ages 1-13 (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure can be used as a sole source of nutrition or as a supplement to a diet
(“PediaSure Grow and Gain”, 2017).
 They also have antioxidants to support the immune system and DHA Omega-3 for brain
and eye heath (“PediaSure Grow and Gain”, 2017).

c. Who and what made the product?

 PediaSure is made by Abbott Nutrition as a division of Abbott Laboratories (Abbott

Laboratories, 2017).
 Top competitors in the market category of nutrition and performance drinks are PepsiCo
and Nestle (“Nutrition and Performance Drinks,” 2017).
 Compared to Nutren Jr., PediaSure is more readily available to mothers or the “everyday”
consumer. Nutren is mostly available at medical websites or in drugstores (Nutren
Science, 2017).

 PediaSure can be bought at most grocery stores, drugstores, big box stores and club
warehouse stores in the baby/toddler aisle (“FAQ”, 2017).
 Products can also be bought directly from the company at the Abbott Nutrition Store.
 PediaSure is SNAP/EBT eligible (formerly food stamps) (“FAQ”, 2017).
 PediaSure is also part of the WIC program that provides nutritional help and services to
low income mothers and children up the age of five (“Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC), 2017). Coupons are available online (“FAQ”, 2017).

4. Target Audience

 The target audience for PediaSure are moms.

 PediaSure’s target audience should be towards millennial mothers.
 More than 16 million millennials are mothers (Livingston, 2017). 83 percent of new
moms are millennials (Carter, 2017). Millennial women are aged 18-33 with 42 percent
of them being mothers (Livingston, 2017).
 This new group of mothers is also the most diverse with 67 percent being multicultural,
half are Hispanic (Lynn, 2016). These women also aren’t fitting the typical image of a
nuclear family. Four in 10 are single parents, live with extended family, and are the main
wage earner for their kids (Lynn, 2016). They are also women who might choose to
continue working and allow their partners to become the primary childcare giver (Kulp,
2015).
 They are also having younger children, meaning their children are the prime target for
PediaSure.
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 In terms of psychographics, millennials mothers are a growing target audience.

Millennial mothers want to buy things built more on a system of trust (Carter, 2017).
46% of these moms trust the recommendations of other parents and want to become the
key advisor in their friend group (Carter, 2017). These moms look to each other for
advice, especially on purchasing decision, with 90 percent of them sharing information
on retail, apparel, food and drink (“Millennial Moms: The Connected Demographic”,
2017).
 These moms also spend more time online, about 8 hours a day, and use social media to
seek advice from social influencers (Carter, 2017). On average millennial moms have an
average of 3.4 social network accounts and spend more hours online than the average
mom (“Millennial Moms: The Connected Demographic”, 2017).
 This also means these parents are more informed shoppers, with product safety and
convenience as a top priority, as they have a wealth of information online (Kulp, 2015).
 Millennial moms are also changing their opinions on which brands they choose to buy
from. Millennials tend to gravitate towards companies that show an authentic narrative
that aligns with their own views and values (Kulp, 2015).
 Companies like TOMS or Warby Parker are good examples of brands that excel at
reaching millennials, by presenting clear company values and pairing up with social
causes (Kulp, 2015). This gives startups or boutiques companies an advantage as they can
use digital marketing to push their value and health conscious brands towards millennials
(Kulp, 2015).

5. Product Benefits

 PediaSure has several benefits. PediaSure’s key features: easy to open and close
bottle, “Kid Approved” flavors, 7 grams of protein and 25 vitamins, Gluten free,
halal, Kosher, and lactose intolerant.
 The easy to open bottle and close bottle make it easy for both parents and children to
open the bottles, as well reclose them (“What is PediaSure”, 2017). Parents can
control how much their children are drinking, especially if they’re worried about
sugar intake. And the product won’t be wasted since it does not have to be taken all at
once.
 Five kid-approved flavors with kid-friendly packing (“What is PediaSure”, 2017)
allow for the product to become more kid friendly. Kids can choose the flavor they
enjoy. It also becomes more of a drink choice for children versus feeling more like a
medicine or required supplement to them like a vitamin.
 With 7 grams of protein and 25 vitamins, parents can provide their children with a
complete source of nutrition (“What is PediaSure”, 2017). It gives parent’s
confidence that they are providing nutrition to their children inverse of the sugar
content in the drink. It also does a little more than vitamins, such as providing fiber,
protein, and dietary supplements (“What is PediaSure”, 2017).
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 PediaSure is gluten-free, halal, kosher and lactose intolerant (“PediaSure Grow and
Gain”, 2017). This allows parents to use PediaSure if they are Jewish or Muslim.
They can also use it if their child has a lactose intolerance or celiac disease. It allows
more health-conscious parents to use PediaSure if they don’t eat a gluten diet or
prefer to use dairy milk alternatives. It also allows for a wider range of families to use
their products.

6. Direct Competitors and Brand Images

 The biggest direct competitor is Nestle. They have two brands for children’s
nutrition supplements: Nutren Junior and Ovaltine.
 Nutren Junior is part of the Nestle brand (Nestle, 2017). Nutren Junior is a
nutrition supplement for children 1-13 (“Nutren Junior”, 2017). This product
provides 50% whey protein, Calcilock (a blend of essential nutrients to build and
maintain strong bones) and meets IOM guidelines for calcium and vitamin D
(“Nutren Junior”, 2017). Nutren Junior also has a fiber rich product, called Nutren
Junior Fiber (“Nutren Junior”, 2017). Nutren Junior is also lactose intolerance,
gluten-free and kosher. It aids in growth failure, malnutrition, and tube feeding
(“Nutren Junior”).
 Nutren Junior’s brand is more medical than PediaSure. Unlike PediaSure, Nutren
Junior can be bought in both a bottle and for tube feeding (“Nutren Junior”,
2017). Nutren Junior also cannot be bought in as many physical stores. PediaSure
can be bought at Target or Walmart, but Nutren Junior is sold form Nestle or on
medical websites.
 Ovaltine is another product from Nestle. It is a chocolate powder mix with 12
vitamins and minerals in it and half the sugar of chocolate syrups (“Ovaltine”,
2017). Ovaltine tries to appeal more to mothers and encourages mothers to focus
less on nutrition and more on enjoying moments with their children (“Ovaltine”,
2017). Ovaltine provides recipes and alternative uses for their products on
Facebook and is more kid and mom oriented (“Ovaltine”, 2017).

7. Indirect Competitors and Brand Images

 One A Day Kids Complete Multivitamin Gummies are an indirect competitor for
PediaSure. Made by Bayer, these vitamins feature a complete multivitamin, that
supports growth and development, bone health, immune health and eye health
(“One A Day Kids Complete Multivitamin Gummies”, 2017). These come in a
gummy form and three different types of shapes: Batman, Trolls, and Hello Kitty
(“One A Day Kids Complete Multivitamin Gummies”, 2017). These vitamins
look more like candy, have cartoon characters on the packaging and are easier to
consume, which can make them more appealing to children and mothers over
PediaSure.
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 Another indirect competitor is homemade PediaSure. A lot of blogs by parents

and even some pediatricians warn against giving PediaSure to children. Health
conscious mothers are creating natural alternatives to PediaSure, since they are
concerned about the sugar content and the ingredients they don’t recognize
(Parker, 2017). These recipes will include things like fruits, vegetables, proteins
(or protein powders), milk alternatives and various superfoods (hemp seeds, kale,
chia seeds, etc.) (Kilbane, 2017).
 Although there is no specific brand or person creating these recopies, moms these
days are looking more online for parenting advice. Bloggers can be powerful
social media influencers and healthy or natural alternative recipes are popular
online.

8. Product and Brand Image

a. Current Brand Image

PediaSure’s current brand image relies on their solidified reputation as pediatrician

recommended (“Brand Analysis: PediaSure,” 2017). PediaSure is also seen by many moms
online as being unhealthy. Many online blogs from mothers deem PediaSure as the worst thing to
give your children, too full of sugar, or having too many unpronounceable ingredients (Palvanov,
2015).

PediaSure is also less accessible online. They do have a Facebook page, but don’t use
Twitter or Instagram to further promote their products.

b. Desired Brand Image

The desired brand image is to relate to a newer audience. Most new moms are millennials
and they’re seeking something that is healthy for their children, while also looking at the brand
itself. PediaSure needs to represent itself as a trusted, relatable, and modern brand. They need to
position themselves as a brand that is genuine, real and reachable. Brands like Starbucks or Ben
and Jerry’s are not creating the healthiest or most natural products, but they why they relate and
interact with customers is what draws people in.

c. Brand Image Challenge:

PediaSure is not utilizing resources for moms online. Online blogs seem to dictate that
PediaSure can be unhealthy or unwell for children. PediaSure is not active online and does not
try to engage with a younger set of mothers, who rely on their peers for advice and want more
relatable, genuine brands. They need to start relating to a new audience that no longer falls into
the one category. PediaSure will need to better promote benefits over features. Talking about
having 25 vitamins is not enough, they need to stress the benefits of the product. They also need
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to better address the use of sugar, as it is a main concern for parents when thinking about
PediaSure.

9. Strategic Message: The Promise

PediaSure is a value based and inclusive brand that will help children grow and maintain a
balanced diet, no matter their race, gender, or religion. PediaSure is a brand that moms can trust
to take care of their child’s needs.

Supporting Evidence: The Proof

 PediaSure is the #1 pediatrician recommended (“PediaSure”, 2017).

 PediaSure has five kid-approved flavors. (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure can be saved or stored for later. This is convenient and allows parents to
control PediaSure intake in their children, especially if they’re worried about the
sugar (“PediaSure Products”, 2017).
 PediaSure is can be used as a supplement to a diet or as a sole source of nutrition. This has
been evaluated in 16 studies. This shows that PediaSure has multiple, proven benefits for
children (“FAQ”, 2017).
 PediaSure is gluten-free, lactose intolerant, halal and kosher. This can show that PediaSure is
available to a wider range of families both medically and religiously (“PediaSure Products”,
2017).
 PediaSure can be used for more than just drinking. PediaSure can be used in various recipes
or mixed with other drinks. This can be more appealing to children or give parents more
control over how they give the product to their children (“FAQ”, 2017).
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10. Bibliography

“Abbott,” Abbott Laboratories Website, online: http://www.abbott.com/about-abbott.html

“Abbott Laboratories,” Business Insights: Essentials, online:
http://bi.galegroup.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/essentials/company/1000601110?u=ksst
ate_ukans
“Abbott Laboratories,” Yahoo Finance website, online:
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ABT/key-statistics?p=ABT
“Abbot Nutrition’s History,” Abbott Nutrition website, online:
http://www.nutritionnews.abbott/our-history.html
“Brand Analysis – PediaSure,” Mintel, online:
http://academic.mintel.com/display/651253/?highlight#hit1
“Brand Share – Meal Replacements,” Mintel, online:
http://academic.mintel.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/display/651249/?highlight#hit1
Carter, Christine Michel, “Millennial Moms: The $2.4 Trillion Social Media Influencer,”
Forbes, 15 June 2017. Online:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2017/06/15/millennial-moms-the-2-
4-trillion-social-media-influencer/#6e20f6542261
“FAQ,” PediaSure website, online: https://PediaSure.com/nutrition-questions-answers
Kilbane, Sheila, “Is There a Natural Alternative to PediaSure®?” 100 Days of Real Food,
9 July 2014. Online: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/natural-alternative-
pediasure/
Kulp, Patrick, “90% of all new American mothers are millennials, and they buy things
differently,” Mashable, 14 May 2016. Online:
http://mashable.com/2015/05/14/the-millenial-mom/#u1VGQ.0azmqB
Livingston, Gretchen, “More than a million Millennials are becoming moms each year,”
Pew Research, 3 January 2017. Online: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2017/01/03/more-than-a-million-millennials-are-becoming-moms-each-year/
Lynn, Michelle, “MARKETERS: IT'S TIME TO RETHINK THE MILLENNIAL
MOM,” Ad Age, 12 February 2016. Online:
http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/marketers-time-rethink-millennial-
mom/302614/
“Millennial Moms: The Connected Demographic,” Weber Shandwick, online:
http://www.webershandwick.com/news/article/millennial-moms-the-connected-
demographic
“Nutren Junior,” Nestle Health Science website, online:
https://www.nestlehealthscience.us/brands/nutren-junior/nutren-junior-hcp
“Nutrition and Performance Drinks,” Mintel, online:
http://academic.mintel.com.www2.lib.ku.edu/display/827999/?highlight#hit1
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“One A Day® Kids Complete Multivitamin Gummies,” Bayer website, online:

https://www.oneaday.com/products-kids
“Ovaltine,” Nestle website, online: http://www.nestleusa.com/brands/drinks/ovaltine
Palvanov, Dorit, “Why PediaSure © Is The Worst Thing You Can Do For Your Picky
Eater?” Health Begins with Mom, 25 February 2015. Online:
http://healthbeginswithmom.com/why-pediasure-is-the-worst-thing-you-can-do-
for-your-picky-eater/
Parker, Angela “DIY Meal-Replacement Shake – like “Pediasure,” Whole New Mom, 27
September 2017. Online: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/diy-meal-
replacement-shakes-pediasure/
“PediaSure,” PediaSure website, online: https://pediasure.com/
“PediaSure Grow and Gain,” Abbott Nutrition website, online:
https://abbottnutrition.com/PediaSure-grow-and-gain
“PediaSure Products,” PediaSure website, online: https://PediaSure.com/nutrition-
drinks-for-kids
“Recipes for Kids,” PediaSure website, online: https://PediaSure.com/healthy-eating-
kids/healthy-recipes-kids
“What is PediaSure,” PediaSure website, online: https://pediasure.com/what-is-pediasure
“Women, Infants, and Children (WIC),” United States Department of Agriculture
website, online: https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children-wic