Becel’s Busted Business Strategy

Okay, the Becel strategy is actually sound, but I liked the alliteration in terms of what happened today.

Driving along I heard the current Becel commercial discussing how controlling your cholesterol level is an important first step in preventing strokes and heart attacks and talking about the two-day clinics being held across the country to test people’s blood levels. (To see the “Love Your Heart” campaign, please go to: http://www.loveyourheart.ca/proactiv/)

Ignoring the fact that this is a free service in this country anyway, it’s a good idea. The marketing plan ties a good product in with caring for the community while giving it the patina of medically-proven health enhancement.

The whole campaign is based on higher levels of cholesterol being harbingers of heart attacks and strokes. As part of its plan, Becel sponsors the Heart & Stroke Foundation – great idea, given that Becel Pro-Activ is a margarine that is fortified with plant sterols.

Plant sterols are the common name for phytosterols which are found in fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables. Phytosterols slow the body’s absorption of dietary cholesterol as well as cholesterol that is made by the liver. Research shows that two grams of plant sterols can lower bad cholesterol (LDL: low-density lipoproteins) by 10%, which means that by simply spreading Becel on your toast in the morning as part of your regular routine, you’ll get about half of what you need to lower your cholesterol. Use a little more at lunch and you’ll likely start to see a difference in your numbers.

So what’s the problem? Hard on the heels of the Becel commercial was the announcement that “research shows that contrary to what we believed before, cholesterol levels are not indicators of a woman’s likelihood of having a stroke.”

A longevity study conducted by Danish researchers over a 33-year period showed that non-fasting cholesterol is not the right marker for stroke risk. Apparently triglycerides, which are another type of fat contributing to plaque build-up, are the real indicators of potential stroke. Especially in women – and the Becel campaign is directed at women.

See the dilemna?

Does that mean that Becel needs to abandon its campaign? Less-than-savvy marketers might, but in my opinion, that’s not the right approach.

If it were my client, I would include the info about the Danish study (http://bit.ly/eFV7Tx ) on the “Love Your Heart” site, alert woman to the need to have their triglyceride measured, while continuing to reduce LDLs to help with plaque build-up that can damage their hearts.

Handled properly, it’s still a win – and a good PR person can even use the news to get more air time!

Until next time, have fun, take calculated risks and watch your cholesterol!