Got Milk, Got Problems Says Nature's Best - Brief Article

Brandweek, Feb 19, 2001 by Sonia Reyes

Aiming for the 60 million athletes and bodybuilders in the U.S. who can't tolerate dairy products, Nature's Best is launching a $3 million campaign for its Iso-pure lactose-free protein supplements that spot-lights uncomfortable side effects of milk-based category rivals.

The first of three print ads, via McCaffery Ratner Gottlieb & Lane, New York, breaks in May with a four-page spread in titles like Muscle & Fitness, Flex and Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness. The execution features a black-and-white, knees-down shot of an athlete sitting on the toilet with shorts bunched at his ankles and a roll of toilet paper nearby.

Copy explains that milk-based supplements, which comprise most of the market, can cause cramps, nausea, flatulence, bloating and diarrhea--but not Isopure, which is made from "100% pure whey protein isolate."

"We want to heighten awareness to ... lactose-intolerant athletes that with our light and easy digestible product, they don't have to suffer gastric disturbances and discomfort," said Hal Katz, pres/CEO of Nature's Best, a Hauppauge, N.Y-based maker of nutritional products.

Nature's Best's stable includes products like Carbo Power and Isopure powder, made with a full 40 grams of whey protein isolate and touted as the purest form of protein with no side effects.

The products are sold in health food stores, General Nutrition Centers and gyms.

Though it is highly concentrated, Nature's Best touts Isopure as so light and easy to digest that company execs are hoping to broaden its reach beyond athletes and bodybuilders to more general health-conscious consumers.