Speaking ahead of his appearance at NutraIngredients’ Sports & Active Nutrition Summit Europe in London, Julian Harvie, senior brand & creative director at AG1, revealed how the 16-year-old brand has remained a global market leader largely through its digital and influencer marketing strategies.
“While most brands don’t have anything close to the level of third party certification and scientific proof we have, most consumers don’t care or they don’t understand those things,” he told NI. “So you have to find a way to do away with your ego as a brand and stop leading with ‘we’ve got 44 times gold clinical trials’ because people don’t pay attention to that.”
Instead, he said, consumers want to know why the product is relevant to them.
“If you lead with messaging like, ‘did you know the supplements industry is less well regulated than dog food?’ suddenly people start paying attention to the idea that third party certifications are valid and relevant to them.”
He noted that gaining the consumer’s interest can be particularly challenging when the brand is trying to talk to a more affluent, and typically more healthy, demographic.
Thought-provoking stats, facts and questions are a powerful tool in this regard, he said, noting examples such as “did you know that a carrot today versus a carrot 30 years ago has got a very different nutrient density in it?” Or “did you know 90% of people in the UK aren’t meeting their fiber needs on a daily basis?”
That said, he argued the product’s scientific backing is an excellent communication tool for reassuring subscribers as to why they are taking the product on a daily basis.
“Everybody knows the feeling of the benefits can become less tangible once you set your baseline to a certain level so how do we ensure that those people feel reassured that they are continuing to make the right choice every time £80-90 comes out of their bank account? The science absolutely plays a role in that.”
Advertising regulations and frustrations
Discussing the challenges of promoting the product across international borders, Harvie noted the incredibly strict rules placed on supplement firms in Europe, compared to the US.
He argued the rules are particularly frustrating when it comes to use of customer reviews. In Europe, a testimonial cannot make a claim your brand could not legally make. This relates to any claim stating or implying that a product can diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any kind of human disease, injury, or adverse condition, whether physical or mental.
“We’ve got thousands of reviews which say the most amazing things about what AG1 has done but we can’t promote those,” Harvie said.
What’s more, the brand has a ‘medical panel’ of ambassadors including high profile doctors such as Dr Rangan Chatterjee, yet health professionals are strictly restricted from endorsing or recommending food supplements in advertising if it implies medicinal effects.
At the same time, the brand needs to keep close tabs on its community of UGC (user generated content) creators.
“A creator might make a great advert but we have to tell them to re-shoot it because they can’t say so many things,” Harvie said.
These rules can feel particularly frustrating when smaller players appear to get away with more flagrant approaches to online communications, he said.
He argued that while the health and wellness industry is benefiting from “huge intent” among consumers who are investing in their health, this has led to a high number of unscrupulous brands entering the scene.
“I see a lot of brands in this space using sexy ingredients and trends to wave a flag to make people feel they need to take something with the suggestion the product has the power to transform their life in some way,” he said, “which I think is potentially quite damaging as it creates the opportunity for people to feel misled.”
Harvie argued brands also have the tendency to over-estimate the importance of their products and forget what really motivates consumers.
“What they want to achieve and what they want to get done in their life is the most important thing, whether that’s their family, their kids, whatever it is that motivates them,” he said, “the products are simply providing the tools to allow people to live an extraordinary life, the product itself is not extraordinary.”
Julian Harvie will join a digital marketing focused panel discussion at NutraIngredients’ Sports & Active Nutrition Summit Europe taking place in London on Nov. 9, 2026. To find out more and book tickets, visit the website here.
