One of the best examples of supplement content marketing I've seen.

Jenna Blumenfeld, Freelancer

May 25, 2017

It’s rare that marketing can incite true and tangible positive change in one’s life. But after stumbling across this video from Hanah, makers of Ayurveda-inspired botanical supplements, featuring the morning rituals of professional outdoor photographer Jimmy Chin, I was impressed.

First of all, I didn’t even realize that it was a marketing video until later. I had never heard of Hanah, so I assumed the video was produced by some hip website or blog. Additionally, while the video depicts Chin adding a gooey spoonful of Hanah’s signature blend to a morning smoothie—the product isn’t called out. Chin never talks about the health benefits of Hanah. In fact, it’s barely mentioned. Instead, he meditates, rolls out his muscles, checks the snow conditions and prepares his backcountry ski gear. The 2:43-minute video concludes with some serious ski-porn of Chin bombing down a slope and busting through powder. The short film was published on May 16th and already it has over 5,000 Youtube views.

More natural food companies should take note: content marketing is not the same as advertising. Whereas most marketing videos I’ve seen in the natural products industry focus almost exclusively on the benefits of the product—which somehow rings hollow—Hanah takes a different approach by putting its product on the periphery of the plotline. The real story is about inspiring viewers to eat mindfully and live bravely. Hanah’s adaptogenic formula is just one ingredient to achieve this goal.

After watching the video I checked out the product, curious about the ingredients that made this dark paste so viscous. I was blown away by the sheer amount of adaptogenic and Ayurvedic ingredients inside, including well-known botanicals such as ashwagandha, turmeric, gotu kola, mung beans and cinnamon, and plants I have never heard of like punarnava, bael, yellow snaketree, chebulic myrobalan and more. I enlisted New Hope Network’s whip-smart supplements editor Todd Runestad to comment on the product, and give it a 1-to-10 score based on the ingredient list:

“Sesame oil is de rigeur for any self-respecting Ayurvedic product. Throw in some ghee ('artisanal' at that!) and local honey, and you’ve got a nice base for absorption. It’s kind of an Ayurvedic super-product, what with the turmeric, ashwagandha and shatavari. There are a couple of blood-sugar-balancing ingredients in there. Indeed, it looks like your basic Ayurvedic product, not least because you take it by the spoon. Yum. I’m sure it tastes good. I can’t make out the specific dosages, but dosages—pshaw!—what a Western concept! I bet this is a carefully formulated product, and I’d be very interested in taking it by the spoonful for a month to see if I could feel a difference (testimonials on its website suggest I might). I will tentatively give it an 8 because I want more Americans to discover the value of Ayurveda, and this could be a good entry point.”

Hanah’s motto is "Ancient wisdom for modern living." Highlighting the concept of morning rituals is a win for its brand because at its core, a "ritual" is mindful repetitiveness to help you better handle the inevitable stressors of the day ahead. This video shows that consuming Hanah could do the same thing.

About the Author(s)

Jenna Blumenfeld

Freelancer

Jenna Blumenfeld lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she reports on the natural products industry, sustainable agriculture, and all things plant based. 

Subscribe and receive the latest updates on trends, data, events and more.
Join 57,000+ members of the natural products community.

You May Also Like