The Hindu Business Line : Heinz waves study report to prove ‘superiority’ over Horlicks

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Heinz waves study report to prove ‘superiority’ over Horlicks

The brand battle gets to the next level

Our Bureau

Mumbai, Dec. 11 Taking the malted drinks battle between Horlicks and Complan to the next level, Heinz, the makers of Complan, has conducted an independent research to prove the superiority of its brand over Horlicks to justify its premium pricing.

An independent study has been commissioned by the FMCG company to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Avinashilingam University, Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu. According to the study, “children served Complan with a regular diet grow twice as fast compared to those only on a regular diet, because Complan contains 100 per cent milk proteins and 23 vital nutrients.”

Conducted on 900 Indian children in the 7-12 year age group over a period of 12 months, this independent research is in addition to the study by the National Institute of Nutrition that has shown that milk protein is a complete protein and is far superior to incomplete proteins from other sources like barley and wheat.

Recently Heinz has launched a new Complan television commercial based on the study.

Ms Seema Modi, Vice-President (Marketing), Heinz India said, “This study reiterates the product superiority of Complan which is fortified with 23 vital nutrients and 100 per cent milk protein that is essential to maximise a child’s growth potential, combined with a regular diet.

“The quantity and quality of protein makes a significant difference to the way children grow. It has been proven that milk protein is a complete protein and is far superior to incomplete proteins from other common and cheaper sources like barley and wheat.”

Case pending

In fact it was GlaxoSmithKline’s Horlicks brand which first launched a comparative ad against Complan in its TV commercial. This led Heinz to retaliate with a print ad to reinforce its superiority and at the same time file a case against its competitor which is now pending in the Bombay High Court.

“Our 2 times faster statement has been validated, unlike claims made about Horlicks. We were surprised to see the misleading claims about Horlicks. We wanted to tell consumers the facts and about the Complan advantage. We are confident that they will recognise that Complan offers excellent value, given all the nutrients it contains. Also, the basic difference between both the health drinks is that Complan is “milk based” whereas Horlicks is a “Malt based” health drink and hence Complan’s nutritional delivery is superior to Horlicks,” added Ms Modi.

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