Science-based Marketing Cited

La Grange, Ill., Oct. 27, 2005 – Tonalin® CLA consumer product sales are selling three times faster than the CLA category average, according to new data from Information Resources, Inc.   Sales for Tonalin® CLA are up 29.2 percent over last year in the food, drug and mass (excluding Wal-Mart) channels, while all other CLA brands combined decreased 8 percent.  The CLA category as a whole climbed 10 percent.
           
"Sales of CLA products containing Tonalin® far outpace those that don't.  Consumers want a guarantee of quality and product performance, and that comes with a branded ingredient versus one that is private labeled or generic," said Nina Likins, Tonalin® CLA Marketing Manager, Cognis Nutrition & Health.  “Our branded ingredient strategy for Tonalin®  is based on quality and efficacy, which is quite important  in the diet market.  Consumers are rightfully concerned in light of the ephedra ban and the many fraudulent claims associated with products that lack credible science and proven results.”
           
Ms. Likins explained that Tonalin®, the most clinically tested CLA on the market, is backed by 10 published studies.  “Clinical science sets Tonalin® apart from the competition and drives our marketing and advertising efforts. It’s evident from the sales figures that consumers continue to connect with our science-based messages and have confidence in the Tonalin® brand.”
            
As an example, she referred to the success of Cognis’ “No Regain” campaign, based on the findings of a recently published Tonalin® study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition *.  Articles related to this study generated nearly 75 million impressions in widely circulated publications including O, the Oprah Magazine; Prevention; LA Times; Health; Runner’s World, and Men’s Health.  A radio news release was aired on 270 stations nationwide.  Radio ads included tags for Tonalin® CLA brand marketers such as Naturade and for retail outlets including Vitamin World, Vitamin Shoppe and GNC.

In the Journal study, overweight subjects who took 3.4 grams of Tonalin® CLA per day, lost body fat in the first 12 months of the study, and were able to avoid regaining that fat in the second 12 months.

“Dieters work so hard to reduce their body fat, but keeping it off can be even more of a challenge. Our “No Regain” message was very much embraced at the retail level by many trying to achieve or maintain their diet goals,” Ms. Likins said.

As part of Tonalin®’s ongoing, integrated consumer marketing campaigns, creative new ads and public relations programs continue to demonstrate how this top-selling brand of CLA helps reduce body fat, increase or preserve lean muscle mass, and prevent fat regain. 

About Tonalin® CLA:

Tonalin® (www.Tonalin.com) is the original brand of CLA and is an exclusively licensed product of the Cognis Group.  CLA is a polyunsaturated, conjugated fatty acid that is a natural part of the human diet found primarily in meat and dairy products.  Cognis produces Tonalin® CLA through a new proprietary process that converts linoleic acid from safflower oil into CLA, providing the highest quality of CLA available.  Tonalin® CLA contains the lowest amount of non-naturally occurring isomers, a patent-protected attribute that provides food manufacturers with the highest levels of ingredients known to be beneficial.  Tonalin® CLA is available in several product forms – oil and water-dispersible powder – that offer food manufacturers a broad range of options for their new products.