INGREDIENT CHECKLISTS ARE NOT ENOUGH

When was the last time you had a midnight craving for clean ingredients? Probably never.

Instead, chances are that you were seeking comfort, which is what made you pull the ice cream tub out of the freezer. The clean ingredients were a reassurance as you took the spoon to your mouth.

Most brands these days seem to be missing the desire part entirely. They’re focused on the background reassurance, rattling out a checklist of clean ingredients, ethical sourcing, and protein content, and stopping there. In other words, they’re making the background the hero and leaving the underlying motivation, the whole reason you think of them, ignored.

No wonder, then, that the shelf looks crowded with similar products and no clear way to distinguish one brand from another. It’s a bloody, crowded fight out there.

A handful of brands, however, are playing a different game. They’re starting with the feeling and using the ingredients or process as proof. By putting an emotional promise out there, they’re telling you why those things should matter at all. This, I would argue, is a smart way to rise above the noise and get chosen. In the process, by building an emotional bond with the brand, they’re also creating a defensible and durable moat for the long term.

Here are two that stand out.

RISE KOMBUCHA: 'ELEVATE' YOURSELF

Rise Kombucha leans hard on the word “elevate” across the pack and the website. It’s not just describing the drink and a vague, general benefit – it’s inspiring you to rise to your potential. I haven’t seen another kombucha brand stake out this emotional ground so plainly. What’s more, once you hear this message, the brand name, formulation, and ingredients all take on a greater meaning: they’re no longer just facts, they become the reason to believe Rise’s promise.

WELLNESS MONSTER: 'LET KIDS BE THEIR WILD, INTUITIVE AND MESSY SELVES'

The other brand that’s impressing me is Wellness Monster, a snack brand for kids. It’s made to ‘let kids be their wild, intuitive and messy selves’ – in other words, be themselves, fully and unapologetically. This is not a nutrition claim; it’s a promise to every parent to let their kids have the best childhood. In this light, the formulation, made with nutritious, real ingredients gains a new kind of relevance.

Both these brands are noteworthy because they don’t stop at the functional story. They put it in the service of a meaningful emotional payoff. They’re building a distinct space that touches both the heart and the mind, something that’s hard for others to replicate.

FOUNDER'S GUT CHECK

If you’re a founder, it’s worth pausing for 2 minutes to consider this question: if you were to ask a stranger what your brand makes them feel, what would they say? Try asking a few of your consumers the same thing. The responses will reveal what story you’re telling and what moat is getting built.