Which claims should you include or avoid on your packaging?

As a brand, you carefully choose which health- and sustainability claims to place on your packaging. But how do you find out what works best? This blog provides with 3 useful tips, specifically for FMCG marketers. 

The societal role of manufacturers is becoming more significant. They must be accountable for social issues and communicate transparently. After all, the – also critical – consumer has the right on transparent communication about nutritional values and sustainability. 

For FMCG brands it is even more complicated to communicate the right claims. How do you choose a claim that aligns with your brand values and meets the consumer’s needs? Discover the 3 tips to help you navigate this challenge. 

Tip 1: Know your audience 

Don’t start with what you want to tell as a brand, but listen carefully to the needs of the consumer, and specifically the target audience of your product. This may seem like an obvious point, but we see that our clients don’t always have this clearly defined.  

For example, the choice between the claim “25% more vegetables” or “25% less fat”. Perhaps as a brand, you want to communicate that your product contains more vegetables than before, but maybe a low-fat percentage is more important to the consumer.  

• What you want to communicate as a brand is not always what the consumer wants to hear or read.  
• And as a brand, you can’t always fulfill what the consumer wants to hear.

Tip 2: Substantiate your claims 

The consumer’s critical attitude towards claims is also evident during our research for A-brands. In fact, sometimes claims can even create distrust, especially if a claim seems too good to be true. 

Make sure to remove doubts by substantiating your claims with concrete benefits for the consumer. Also, critically examine the wording: are the claims immediately clear for the consumer standing in front of the shelf and making a decision within a few seconds? 

Tip 3: Make choices 

Occasionally, we come across clients who wish to communicate multiple claims on a single package.  This approach can pose a risk of overwhelming the consumer with information, potentially undermining the credibility of the claims being made. We always recommend limiting the number of themes you want to communicate. Choose a key message that you can invest in for a longer period of time. This way, you can only make your brand positioning stronger.   

Honesty prevails

Transparency and honesty are more important than ever. Consumers have the right to truthful information and will use their voice when deception is at play. This is often brought to light through social media and initiatives such as the "Gouden Windei" (Golden Egg) award in the Netherlands. On the other hand, brands can also gain positive attention by being honest and transparent. 

One brand that has made transparency their strength is the Dutch food brand UPFRONT. UPFRONT aims to fight against deception in the food industry. The brand lists all ingredients on the front (‘upfront’) of its packaging in simple language. UPFRONT also exchanges a lot of knowledge and feedback with consumers. Their tagline is "what is genuine wins." 

Did you find this interesting? 

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