NBTY, the manufacturer of vitamins and supplements formerly known as Nature’s Bounty, has selected Droga5 as its agency of record. As such, the agency will be tasked with handling NBTY brands, including Nature’s Bounty, Sundown Naturals, Pure Protein, Osteo Bi-Flex and Met-Rx, as it attempts to raise the profile of the brands with consumers. NBTY spent approximately $74 million on measured media last year, according to Kantar Media. Media buying and planning will remain with Havas Media.
The decision follows the arrival of NBTY chief marketing officer Andre Branch from L’Oreal in April. “We have used a number agencies in the past, but we’re looking to build stronger relationships with key strategic partners, so we’re streamlining our agency relationships and looking to really leverage their expertise,” Branch told AdAge, adding, “NBTY is looking to build deeper more engaging relationships with consumers, so we want to give our brands more meanings.” As to why NBTY selected Droga5, he said that the agency as “respected and admired in the creative world” with “a proven track record of success” and “a very similar approach to brand strategy as we at NBTY have.”
Branch described the agency’s challenge as overcoming low brand loyalty in the category.
“Because you are starting with brands with such low awareness, even relatively low increases in media spending can have a big impact,” added Kurt Jetta of the Tabs Group. “Most consumers would struggle to name four or five brands of vitamins across all the various segments, because it’s just not one of those categories that’s heavily advertised.”
For Droga5, the appointment follows the agency being tasked with creative work for Chase in July and the recent appointment of its first chief marketing officer.