The Power of 3

With the growing number of food supplements on the market, how can you identify the leading brands? Many brands use the “power of three” in their advertising to capture consumer attention and stand out from the competition.

The “power of three” is a communication principle that suggests information presented in groups of three is inherently more engaging, memorable, and impactful. It is widely used in marketing, writing, and public speaking because our brains tend to process and retain triads of information more effectively.

Using the power of 3 online

In the beauty industry, consumers frequently seek out innovative and compelling claims on packaging. With easy access to the internet, they often research ingredient benefits themselves. Therefore, the front of the packaging must capture attention and ignite curiosity to encourage further exploration.

With consumers becoming increasingly busy, they are less inclined to read extensive information before making a purchase, leading to minimalistic, sleek packaging that quickly conveys key messages becoming the norm.

Brands often use the “power of three” to communicate the base information within the short time a consumer looks at the web image. OUAI, for example, have perfected this with their oily hair supplements, using a modern clean carton, with three key bullet points:

• It is a hair supplement
• Specific to an oily scalp
• Number of tablets per carton

This small and concise amount of information is enough for the consumer to tick off their needs vs the product’s use and decide if they would like to click and find out more.

Sports Nutrition

While in sports nutrition the “power of three” is less visible, it is still very much present within the industry. It is typically found within the consumer’s journey through the key products advertised to promote better physical output:

• Pre-Workout

Pre-workout sports nutrition products, often packed with caffeine to boost motivation, are a go-to for those looking to enhance their workout performance. Other popular options include energy blends, amino acid formulas, and products designed to stimulate muscle growth.

• Intra-Workout

Intra-workout sports nutrition supplements are great to take through the duration of a workout, helping individuals to reach peak performance. Often containing products such as electrolytes, BCAAs and carb blends, they help keep the consumer hydrated and fuelled during a workout.

• Post-Workout

The post-workout sports nutrition category completes the workout and helps the body to recover. Post-workout formulas often contain blends of protein, amino acids, creatine and essential vitamins.

These three distinct categories give consumers the confidence that they are purchasing items with unique benefits, encouraging them to experiment with different combinations, or “stacks,” to find their personal preference. As a result, 75% of consumers buy multiple products at once.

Weight Loss

Supplements are also usually split into three within the weight loss world: morning, afternoon, and evening. 

As products like BoomBod gain popularity in the weight loss category, consumers are increasingly seeking convenient, on-the-go supplements that support weight loss. BoomBod, which uses glucomannan as an appetite suppressant, offers a simple regimen with morning, afternoon, and evening doses.

Fat binders are also advised to be consumed before morning, afternoon and evening meals. This process of remembering capsules before meal times not only drives the consumer into a routine, making it easy to remember to take the product but also distracts from snacking during the meal preparation process.