Yeah, I get all of those things. It is just when they try to use slick tactics to hide the increase in cost that just pisses me off. I don't like to be manipulated, and it is just insulting to me to see how stupid they think the average consumer is. If costs go up them bump the friggin price. Same quality, same amounts just bump the price.
Like you said, you can't make everyone happy and I am sure there are plenty who are blissfully ignorant of the fact they are getting less for more, and will be for as long as the price doesn't go up even if the servings continue to get smaller.
That is why I like your companies. I know there is not going to be BS like that to deal with. You are going to make a solid product, and sell it for a solid price, and if people pay attention and are loyal they can get in on some great deals on top of that. There is a reason my supplement cabinet is full of staples from your companies.
I really appreciate what you said in that last paragraph. I really do. And I hope my posts aren't coming off as disagreeing with you, I'm just trying to explain that there is another perspective on the situation when it comes to a lot of these things.
From a business perspective, I would actually be better off just to agree with you and not try to explain any of this because the more people dislike other protein brands, the more likely they are to buy a protein from us when we launch it. I'm just all about honesty and just as there are some deceptive reasons that some brands make changes like that, there are sometimes legitimate reasons that they do as well - and I'll commend the ones that are at least honest and meet label claims.
I agree that some brands do try to use slick tactics - that's part of marketing in general, and why I always try to support non-marketing based brands. But again, with wanting to buy the cheapest brand options available, you're supporting the mass market brands that are doing exactly what you're saying you hate rather than spending what amounts to very little more to support small business owners who actually are trying to do things the way you're asking for them to be done.
^^^ Please don't take that personal - I'm just offering a perspective of how your expressed buying decisions and habits play into the marketing that you say you hate.
For example, for me - I do trust Optimum Nutrition on quality; they are a massive company and owned by a milk conglomerate - I trust that their products will meet label claims, but I don't drink Whey concentrate and also I don't like the taste of their products. But even if I did, I would still have no problem at all paying a couple more dollars per container to support smaller businesses that make top quality products that I trust as well and that taste better (like Body Nutrition Trutein and Ketogenics). They may be a couple dollars more - but its not because the owners are putting the money in their pockets, its because they aren't owned by huge corporations or marketing companies and it costs them more to make these items - but they have great quality, taste much better (important to me), and I like supporting businesses that are owned by individuals that do things the right way.
Also though, in fairness, when the protein prices first went up a few years ago, back before Optimum did change from the 2 lb. and 5 lb. sizes, they did just try upping their prices. Their sales dropped substantially and that's why they made the changes that they did. That's what I mean about it being a no win situation for brands - they tried keeping it the same and raised prices, sales plummeted. So they change sizes and bring down prices and people complain and feel deceived - yet there was no deception because they didn't lie - the supplement facts and weight of the container clearly expressed the changes. I don't think in Optimum's case that they tried to deceive their customers or thought their customers were stupid - I think they actually listened to their customers and made changes to be able to continue to hit the prices points that they wanted.
There are brands that do do things like that deceptively to increase profits - but its unfair to lump all brands into the same categories because there are many brands that made these changes bc it was more important to their customers for the product to be sold at a certain price point for them.
To me - changing a label and the label meeting label claims is not being deceptive - and a customer on a budget that is okay with losing x amount of grams per serving or servings per container because they can't afford to spend over __ price isn't ignorant of them. We all have different financial situations.
I think its ironic that we are having a conversation here on AM about brands being deceptive when there are brands that are not meeting label claims at all, brands not following GMP guidelines, not even doing basic quality testing including even basic safety testing - and a personal pet peeve of mine - claiming to use branded ingredients in products when they aren't.
Yet, stuff like that gets a free pass oftentimes on here and people act like it isn't happening - but companies that do label things correctly (even if they may change their labels, serving sizes, etc.), meet label claims, do all appropriate testing, etc. are viewed as or called deceptive because they change a serving size because prices go up.
^^ To me - that's the real deception in this industry is brands not meeting label claims and all, in many cases not even trying to, and the ones that care so much about profits and so little about their consumers that they don't even do basic heavy metals and microbial safety testing.
Either way, I want to try to switch this thread back to being fun and discussing flavors and ideas hopefully.