Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is supporting yet another social media-focused healthcare campaign.
Bayer’s One A Day brand announced this week that it is teaming with the Super Bowl LIII MVP to launch #WellnessConfessionals, a campaign targeting wellness fads and medical misinformation.
For his part, Edelman is letting people in on the variety of wellness trends that he tried and determined did not live up to the hype.
“I’ve tried a lot of strange wellness diets — gator, bison, everything under the sun,” he says in an Instagram video posted Wednesday afternoon.
Edelman, who dons the classic workout attire of a grey hoodie, sweatpants and a red sweatband while standing over a glass filled with raw eggs, says that he ultimately found the best thing for him was nutritional support from a One A Day multivitamin.
He ends the video by asking viewers about a wellness trend they regret trying.
The campaign’s goal is to spur these candid wellness confessionals from people across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Participants who use the hashtags #WellnessConfessionals and #OneADaySweepstakes in their caption and tag One A Day by June 30 are entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a five-night stay at an American wellness resort.
In the increasingly crowded space of dietary supplements and nutritional vitamins, Bayer is trying to differentiate itself. Not only is the German healthcare giant competing with the likes of fellow drugmakers like GSK and Pfizer, it also has to account for a coterie of less-known, disreputable rivals.
The supplements industry is recognized as being largely unregulated and prone to the impact of medical misinformation on consumers. Recent research attests to concerns many have about the vitamins and supplements people take on a regular basis.
A research letter published in JAMA last summer found that a sizable portion of sports and dietary supplements weren’t accurately labeled for ingredients, while 12% consisted of ingredients banned by the Food and Drug Administration.
“In the battleground of wellness and nutrition, new trends often promise quick fixes, whether it’s detox teas, extreme diets, or trendy workouts. Many of these fads lack scientific backing and may even be harmful in the long run,” Lisa Perez, GM and VP of marketing for nutritionals at Bayer, said in a statement. “One A Day is a multivitamin and supplement brand rooted in nutritional science, supporting consumers’ wellness for over 80 years. In a world inundated with wellness noise, One A Day is committed to help consumers navigate the wellness noise and provide them with scientifically designed products to support their health and wellness.”
In addition to Bayer, nutraceutical manufacturer Metagenics and agency partner R/GA have taken steps to combat misinformation around dietary supplements.
The two companies debuted The Science That Creates Balance campaign in September to tout the clinical composition of Metagenics’ offerings and contrast it with the unproven claims and questionable quality of rival products.
For Edelman, #WellnessConfessionals represents the latest health campaign he has participated in.
Just before the start of the 2023 NFL season, he partnered with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on a season-long fundraising effort to support cancer research.
