The role of sugar substitutes

News about the World Health Organization (WHO) listing the sugar substitute aspartame as a “possible carcinogen hazard to humans” (Business Standard, July 18) brought back memories of trying to market a sugar substitute to a consumer who was not yet ready to embrace a new concept.
 

As a young group product manager at Boots Company in the mid-1980s I was tasked with the job of revamping the sugar substitute Sweetex (a global brand of Boots Company UK) and relaunching it in India. The brand had been marketed in the 70s but the controversy around saccharin sodium (the active ingredient in Sweetex) made the company slow down and put the brand on a go-slow mode.
 

But by the mid-1980s, indication was that the controversy had died down and the affluent consumer was showing signs of becoming calorie- and weight-conscious. The brand’s packaging had to be changed to make it more consumer-friendly. Consumer research showed that the diabetic did not need to be told about sugar substitutes (they would anyway get exposed to the television message being beamed); the key target consumer was the youngish weight-conscious metro men and women.
 

The ad that that got made (ad agency Trikaya; film producer/director: Prahlad Kakkar) had a nice jingle that went “No squeeze. No wheeze. No sugar in my coffee please. It is a sweeter life without calories”. The ad had a very urban upmarket swing to it. After sorting out the roadblocks laid by Doordarshan (captured in my book Nawabs Nudes Noodles: India through 50 Years of Advertising), Sweetex ad went on air. After investing in the brand for a year, we realised that the brand sales did not amount to much. The increase in sales in year 2 did not justify continuous investments. Two years later, the company decided to cut all above-the=line support. The brand’s promise was ahead of its time.
 

The brand that managed to crack the sugar substitute market in India is Sugar Free from Zydus Wellness. Right from the brand name to the packaging, various variants and focused advertising, Zydus managed to build Sugar Free into a Rs 150-plus crore brand (according to industry reports). I suppose from 1985 to 2020 we are talking about a time span of 35 years and a lot has happened around us. Affluent consumers are today a lot more calorie- and weight-conscious. And they are digitally savvy and exposed to international trends. Diet drinks have grown in size, too, and they have added to the noise around calorie consciousness.
 

We all know that to manage your weight and your calorific intake you need to do a lot more than just switch from sugar to Sugar Free. But still what role does a sugar substitute play?
 

B J Fogg’s model of consumer behaviour could provide an answer. Fogg is the founder director of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford. His model proposes that our behaviour is governed by our motivation and our ability, with the right triggers (B=MAT). We still do something we are highly motivated about, even if the effort is demanding. For example, taking the Covid shot when it first became available needed effort, but motivation was high so all of us got the shot as soon as we could. But there are many things where motivation may not be that high. For instance, losing weight may be on our New Year resolutions. But the effort needed is huge: change dietary habits, cut out sugar/rice/high-calorie foods, exercise regularly etc. Fogg’s model says that there are several triggers that help get ahead of the motivation/ability curve. Marketers know this well. Hence, when a new product is introduced, they give you samples to try out. They reduce the effort (improve your ability) to try the product.
 

I think a sugar substitute plays a similar role in the life of someone who is trying to cut down on his or her calorie intake. The mere fact that users have switched from sugar to a sugar substitute is a constant reminder to them to watch out on their calorie intake. Carrying a small pack of Sugar Free in their bag calls for little effort, but it is also a gentle nudge not to over-indulge. Hence, these products play a useful role in helping those who are so inclined to manage their calories.
 

Tiny Habits, a wonderful book by Fogg, tells us that good habits can start with tiny steps. It is likely that someone who is using a sugar substitute as a token will one day truly become calorie-conscious. And it is here that warnings like those from WHO, though well-meaning, can cause a setback to the weight/calorie control movement. It is easy to say “avoid sugar”. But we all know that we need the sugar shot. And we also crave for that “sweeter life without calories”.

Ambi Parameswaran is an independent brand strategist and founder of brand-building.com, a brand advisory. He can be reached at ambimgp@brand-building.com