Nutrition Marketing: A Brand Perspective

Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D.
VP, Nutrition, Luvo

Healthcare professionals agree that eating healthfully and deliciously can and do go hand-in-hand. And certainly there are social media enthusiasts who post beautiful images of kale salads and whole grain quinoa all over their feeds.

Yet marketing nutrition to a broad consumer base, who may view healthy eating as sentence to starvation or deprivation or bland food, is much more challenging.The complex regulatory environment makes it even harder. Words that evoke great nutrition—including the very word nutrition itself—are off limits.

That goes for healthy, and many claims about sodium, sugar, and so on. Claims that can be made are often clunky and clinical—feeding into the general perception about nutrition.

The regulatory environment is likely to change in the near future, but in the meantime, there are some key ways to market healthy eating. And in fact, many healthcare professionals have already discovered them and are using them on their personal platforms.

Building a content strategy that supports a healthy lifestyle is one way to tap into consumers who are looking for easy ways to eat better. People are always searching for recipe inspiration, healthy eating tips, entertaining advice, and so on, and content is a great way for brands to connect with an audience in an authentic way. Great content supports the brand mission and tells the brand story without being so brand-centric.

Developing an influencer platform is another way to reach consumers on a healthy eating journey. People looking for healthy eating advice trust credentialed professionals. Sharing through these advocates represents an opportunity to connect with an audience of people who are looking for great-tasting ways that make it easy to eat well. 

Finally, you can’t overlook great photography when it comes to marketing around healthy eating. Taking a cue from social media, beautiful imagery and hero shots of food and fresh ingredients can go a long way toward amplifying a nutrition message while also conveying freshness and flavor. 

Dietitians and other healthcare professionals have always been in the business of marketing nutrition. It’s no surprise that brands are now using similar strategies reach their consumers.

Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D.

Samantha is Vice President of Nutrition at Luvo, a forward-thinking food company creating the next generation of frozen food with a focus on great taste, convenience and most importantly, nutrition. At Luvo, she develops nutrition standards, spearheads nutrition communications and strategy, and acts as a brand ambassador and expert voice, both internally and in the media.

Samantha formerly served as Nutrition Director at Good Housekeeping where she reached millions of people with her healthy eating advice. An author of The Girlfriends Diet and contributor to the New York Times bestseller 7 Years Younger and 7 Years Younger: The Anti-Aging Breakthrough Diet, Samantha’s approachable style has helped empower people with food and lifestyle solutions that make it easier to eat well.

Samantha has appeared as an expert on television and radio shows, including The Today Show, Dr. Oz, and CBS Sunday Morning. She can also been seen on The Cooking Channel’s “Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping,” where she served as the Nutrition Correspondent.

Samantha received a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science from Boston University. She completed her dietetic internship at Boston Medical Center. Samantha resides in New York City with her 13-year-old son.