NMI's 2012 Strategic Trends and Insights in Health and Wellness report is a
compilation of 13 years of trended consumer data since 1999 based on consumers
in the U.S., and has now been expanded to include consumer data in over 20
countries. This research seeks to examine consumer attitudes and behaviors
toward health; how these behaviors and attitudes have transformed, adjusted,
and realigned over the past decade in response to the ever-changing and
uncertain world.
The past few years have shaken consumers; they have had to deal with a
turbulent economy, corporate mistrust and global political turmoil. Consumers
are taking inventory and realizing that aspects of their previous way of life
may be unsustainable which is prompting a reorganization of priorities and
formation of innovative behaviors realigned with a more frugal, sustainable
and healthier lifestyle. While it may appear that many healthy attitudes and
even behaviors have flattened, it is more likely the case that consumers are
re-grouping, rethinking, and making a more strategic plan for how best to
traverse the health landscape.
This report seeks to provide insights into how today's consumer is confronting
their own health and wellness, uncover factors that are creating health
challenges, and reveal some underlying dynamics that may help to provide a
glimpse into what lies ahead.
Some examples of the issues which are discussed....
The healthiest segment within the population, identified as the
WELL-BEINGS by NMI's proprietary health and wellness segmentation model,
continues to set the bar for healthy behaviors. They are considered a highly
influential segment and the healthy standards they set provide the benchmarks
for the more aspiring mainstream segments.
From continued expansion of functionality across food and beverage, to
cosmeceuticals, to growth of comprehensive health and wellness centers, the
whole anti-aging phenomenon will infiltrate the lifestyles of even the
youngest generations as it moves from a niche opportunity to a mainstream way
of life.
From the impact a product has on the planet to the impact it has on our
own health, consumers are demanding more transparency and a clearer view of
how a product or service truly fits with their value system. The brand
relationship will undergo a metamorphosis from that of the typical brand icon
to one which nourishes a deeper values experience, where the required return
on investment is no longer one-dimensional, but multi-dimensional.
Consumers' lack of distinction between organic and non-organic is pushing
the organic industry to develop a clearer understanding of how organic fits
into the consumer lifestyle. The new “organic” will need to go
beyond the organic definition and emphasize the quality and regulated benefits
of organic under the umbrella of a healthier option for people and the planet.
Consumers believe in different paths to health and they are impacted by
different challenges - from budgets to babies and even to being an aging
Boomer. In effect, consumers are compartmentalizing information and taking the
pieces that apply to their beliefs and lifestyles to formulate their
individual plan towards health. Marketers will need to understand their
desires and provide the features, benefits, and communications that have
greatest relevance to their target. Come see what consumers are thinking and
doing in the latest health and wellness trends report from NMI.
