How Athletic Greens Dominated the Powdered Green Market

As health and wellness become a greater priority in consumers’ lives, powdered greens have introduced a quick and convenient way to get in essential daily vitamins and minerals. These powders promise an impressive array of benefits including improved digestion, boosted energy, supporting the immune system, and balanced hormones. Competing with dozens of brands offering powdered greens with varying quality and ingredients, Athletic Greens has

managed to break through the saturated market and become a top contender while providing “75 vitamins, minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics and adaptogens.”

TikTok heavily contributed to the powdered greens craze as health and fitness influencers and every-day users began to hear about the brand and share their own testimonials and reviews. Adam Trouncer, the CEO of Athletic Greens explained on the Minds of Ecommerce Podcast how they utilized this user-generated content to maximize their success. He explained that understanding how their product worked into the lives of their target audience was crucial to their marketing and public relations strategies.

The Athletic Greens AG1 greens powder is sold as a monthly subscription service, meaning that they rely on customer satisfaction and loyalty to generate repeat sales. Being the newest TikTok trend is great for bringing new consumers to your brand and achieving first-time sales, but it is extremely important that the customer has a “wow factor” when they receive their product.

Trouncer said that the company leverages every “touch point” they have with their customers because they believe that adding a personal touch and a strong personality helps retain customers. Athletic Greens created a Facebook group where consumers could talk about the product, ask questions, and learn more about what makes AG1 unique. They also added handwritten thank you notes to the boxes they send out thanking their customers. By putting in the extra effort, consumers see a stronger brand identity and build more trust in Athletic Greens.

The first subscription box now comes with a reusable ceramic container and a scoop to store the AG1 powder and a shaker bottle. This change came from an effort to distinguish themselves from their competition and to provide the “unboxing” experience that leads to more user-generated content.

When a package is exciting to open because it has a cute aesthetic, interesting packaging, or unique contents, influencers and general users are more likely to share their experience opening and using the products inside. A New York Times reporter described their experience opening the box as “ceremonial.” Athletic Greens noticed a significant spike in consumers posting similar content once the ceramic container and shaker bottle gifts were added. Athletic Greens reposts these videos on their story, promoting user-generated content to future and current consumers and strengthening their business-to-consumer relationships.

Utilizing social media, Athletic Greens has partnerships with influencers to create brand awareness in the health and fitness world. TikTok and Instagram partners use #agpartner to share their Athletic Greens content. Health, wellness, and fitness influencer Callie Jardine uses AG1 to make her “hot girl green smoothie” which she claims improves her digestive issues.

On the paid side, one strategy the brand used to attract new audiences was the use of advertising on podcasts. They promote their brand on hundreds of podcasts, and have been the third largest podcast advertiser by total show count in the past year. Initially they bought advertising space on strictly health and fitness podcasts to target their central demographic of athletes and people who are focused on their health. Now they have rebranded and broadened their audiences because all people, whether they are a D1 college athlete or a 70 year-old woman searching for an energy boost, can benefit from Athletic Greens. This led them to tailor their messaging on different shows that cover a range of topics to attract all types of consumers.

Athletic Greens further developed their reach and brand identity by starting their own podcast called Inspiring Lives where they interview health experts, nutritionists, entrepreneurs, athletes and professionals who can inspire their audience of consumers. By expanding into this area, they established themselves as a brand who wants to better the lives of their consumers and are committed to their mission of helping people live healthier lives.

Since social media, and especially TikTok have made it easier for brands and products to “go viral,” there is more competition and saturation in markets than ever before. Athletic Greens is an excellent example of how a brand can dominate their market by establishing clear brand identity and prioritizing earning customer loyalty.

Photo and Video Credits to AthleticGreens.com