IKON
Case studies

* about ikon
what we do
clients
comment
case studies
contact us
*

 

 

*

EQUOLOGY
ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH
T1PS.com
DREAM LEAGUE
ENTERPRISE OIL
BNP PARIBAS
SCOTTISH HYDRO-ELECTRIC
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
APV
UNITECH
JOHNSON MATTHEY
ENTERPRISE INNS
FITNESS FIRST
DREAM DIRECT
TEEMCO
KRYOTRANS
PROTEOME SCIENCES
CANTALOUPE GROUP

 
*


ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH
Widespread media coverage, championing a cause in the face of EU legislation

IKON was approached by an assortment of individual interests in the natural health industry in March 2002. They felt was threatened by a pending EU Directive on Food Supplements, which looked to pose a serious threat to their industry in its proposed form.

At very short notice, to raise media awareness in the UK of the food supplement industry, the harmless nature of vitamin and mineral supplements, and the threats to consumer choice posed by the EU legislation. This was, and is, a highly fragmented industry, and many small businesses proliferated. They faced large and well organised opponents.

With only two weeks to go before the vote in the Council of Ministers, the brief came too late to affect the majority of the MEPs' voting, who were mostly in favour of the legislation. However, despite this almost impossible task, spectacular results were achieved. IKON first succeeded in bringing together many manufacturers, distributors, health food shops, practitioners and various trade and consumer associations to form the Free Choice for Supplements Association (which has since become the Alliance for Natural Health to oppose two further and broader EU Directives). Working around the clock, often putting in 15 hour days, we succeeded in gaining extensive media coverage- every national newspaper (including the editorial lead in The Daily Telegraph, single or double page features in The Sun and Daily Express); at least six TV broadcasts (BBC and independent TV); extensive regional coverage, including over 75 local radio interviews. The media coverage in the UK helped sway a number of MEPs voting against the Food Supplements Directive to 135- at 40%, many more than had been expected. It also raised public awareness significantly, which may be instrumental in shaping the detail of the Directive in its implementation.