Crystal Light Creates a Claim

In marketing, having a unique product claim that no other brand can make is the equivalent of gold.

Some brands come by claims naturally -- the product inherently does something good. Some brands have to reinvent themselves to get a claim -- add an ingredient so that the product does something good. And some brands have to create a claim -- come up with unique language that makes a claim where none would otherwise exist.

In most categories, most of the products can make just about the same kinds of claims. Lower cholesterol. Amount of national network coverage. Reduce signs of redness. In a sea of sameness, brands have to get clever and create more unique claims in order to stand out in the marketplace.

Enter Crystal Light. The brand just rolled out a new claim that is quite clever. It takes a few twists and turns, but it's clever nonetheless.

Crystal Light just launched a new campaign talking about how important it is to drink water. The messaging runs along the lines of water being an important ingredient for a healthy lifestyle and how important it is to stay hydrated -- stuff like that.

Kind of smart since you add water to, you guessed it, Crystal Light, to make a beverage of your flavor choice. But here's the claim that they were able to create:

Crystal Light users drink 20% more water than non-Crystal Light users. A direct statement.

So in other words, Crystal Light users are more hydrated, and therefore healthier?? More of an indirect statement, but a clever example of a brand inventing a claim and creating an overall perception. I am sure it's legitimate -- the brand probably did a survey among Crystal Light users and non-users and asked them how much water they drink. After all, staying hydrated is a healthy thing.

Pretty creative.

What's your experience? Jim