Lutein supplement maker Kemin Foods has received an award from market research firm Frost & Sullivan for its promotion campaign for the FloraGLO brand.
US-based Kemin entered Europe through the UK market, setting up an alliance with The Macular Disease Society. It also sponsors a website run by the organisation offering patient-support information. In July this year it announced it was backing a charity-led campaign to teach doctors about the role of lutein in preventing blindness among the elderly. It has also launched a brand promotion campaign in Italy, targeting the medical community there.
The firm's FloraGLO lutein is currently the leading lutein brand in Europe and is included in over 150 products globally, around 30 of which are currently on sale in Europe.
Frost & Sullivan said it had chosen the firm for its Brand Awareness Development Award 2003 because of its strong customer loyalty, superior brand recall, and higher margins as well as other competitive advantages, such as trade leveraging and brand extensions.
Anna Ibbotson, programme manager for Frost & Sullivan, said: "Kemin has developed this awareness in the face of strong competition and has used a number of key strategic alliances to further develop the brand. Kemin sponsors a website, www.luteininfo.com, and has used it effectively to create brand awareness among consumers as well as supplement and fortified food manufacturers."
Pedro Vieira, marketing manager for Kemin Foods, added: "This is an exciting award for us as it recognises the hard work we have put in to raising the profile of lutein, and specifically FloraGLO, across Europe."
Kemin Food's awareness campaign was also shortlisted for an award from PR Week magazine in the UK.
The company will be exhibiting at Food Ingredients Europe next week.