How health brands are updating holiday messaging

Meanwhile, L-Nutra Health, a nutrition-tech company, is publishing a pamphlet that goes along with its diabetes remission program on how to support loved ones with the disease. It created the guide for people gifting the product so that “they know how to present this in a way that’s not offensive or burdensome,” Dr. William Hsu, chief medical officer at L-Nutra, told Modern Retail.

These personal care brands are adjusting their holiday marketing at a time in which the idea of gifting is starting to change, said Gemma Spence, chief digital commerce officer at the marketing agency VML. Because of inflation and macroeconomic factors, “many consumers and family members and friends are increasingly thinking about functional needs — things that can actually be used and be practical,” she told Modern Retail. As such, brands in this wheelhouse are tailoring their holiday messages to counteract the usual drumbeat of “consume, consume, consume” and focus more on the idea that gifting is an opportunity to express care.

The Honey Pot Company, a feminine care brand that sells wipes and body washes, isn’t typically a destination for gifting, acknowledged Jazmyn Williams, the brand’s director of brand marketing. Instead, the brand will make social media posts to encourage customers to stock up on their favorite items to keep in the bathroom for guests or to share with relatives who are coming in from out of town.

The Honey Pot Company is running a promotion of 30% off items on its site, as it has done in years past. It would like its products to be included in stocking stuffers, but it’s also leaning into the idea of self-gifting and self-care. “The holidays are a busy time, especially if you’re caring for others,” Williams told Modern Retail. Around two-thirds of shoppers in 2023 planned to shop for themselves during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, according to a Gallup survey.

Bird&Be finds that its sales are more even throughout the year, with the exception of January, when more people fold having a baby into their resolutions. Bird&Be said it is tailoring its holiday messaging to people who may find the holidays stressful due to comments from family members. Last year, Bird&Be ran a week-long Black Friday sale, but this year, it’s running a sale from November 1 to December 1. It extended the window because it didn’t want to add to the pressure some people might already feel, Hughes said.

“It doesn’t feel right to us as a brand and from our own personal experiences to be pushing, ‘Sale, sale, sale, move quickly, flash sale,'” Hughes explained. “You can’t plan your ovulation around Black Friday. You ovulate when you ovulate.” The company is offering up to 25% off site-wide.

L-Nutra Health’s Dr. Hsu also acknowledged that the holidays can be a tricky time for those recently diagnosed with diseases like diabetes. Family members may mean well, but they can hurt people’s feelings when making comments like, “Shouldn’t you not eat that?” L-Nutra’s pamphlet aims to help with this by including tips such as “avoid giving unsolicited advice,” “use positive reinforcement” and “opt for activities that don’t focus solely on eating.”

“People living with health conditions, they don’t just live the disease alone,” Hsu said. A guide for families can show how to “present your care in the most enlightening, supportive way,” he added. “With a gift, you want to show care… You want to give something good, something helpful.”