Even after shining a spotlight on arguably one of the largest “blue oceans” just over two years ago, it seems inattentional blindness continues to plague most supplement brands. But within the supplement industry…maybe the phenomenon of missing something so obvious could be attributed to being distracted by the same old way or even disbelief that there’s a simpler opportunity. The “sports nutrition” niche of the supplement industry is a graveyard of once-buzzy brands that abruptly stopped growing…at least in part because they never had a solid strategic plan to turn anyone into a customer who wasn’t already relatively fit. In July 2022, I explored a related topic, showing through a collection of different statistics that spanned race signups, connected fitness average workout by subscriber data, wearables activity levels, and even national/state park visitation numbers…that there was widespread growth across endurance activity type, interest, and competitive level. Additionally, I presented several other "Great Shutdown" accelerated “drivers of demand” that showed how drastically different the fitness landscape became, thus providing the needed shifts in consumer behavior that could fuel new commercial opportunities within the supplement industry. But while change absolutely happened from 2020 to 2022...these last two years have been an equally chaotic period for the fitness landscape. So, I'll re-examine a few previously utilized statistical trends for their stickiness level and then also explore a few new data stories (like the rise of run clubs, longevity and healthspan trend, fit lifestyle sports nutrition shift) that encompass today’s fitness vibes. But does this compelling data storytelling around potential long-term consumer behavior change justify a strategic action by brand owners within the “sports nutrition” niche of the supplement industry? Because oftentimes the best approach is to let others better serve that market. That being said, I'll re-examine two sports nutrition brands (Science in Sport and Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN)) that are authentically serving the endurance activity market. Plus, I'll add a new dynamic to this discussion with Raw Nutrition recently launching a subline of sports nutrition products called Raw Endurance. Additionally, I'll tackle key strategic elements like product strategy because it’s important to meet the endurance activity consumer where they are right now (and consider future adjacencies). Finally, I remind supplement brand owners that the biggest “blue ocean” opportunity is through incrementality. That’s why I talked about the foundational human movements of walking, hiking, biking, and running…as it provides you with a chance to turning a “beginner” into a customer. And what I mean by a “beginner” isn’t the typical fitness industry definition of someone relatively young (and capable) who wants to become more conventionally attractive, get swole, or learn a trendy workout. I’m talking about most adult Americans who don’t currently hit the CDC’s recommended minimums for regular exercise. More than ever, humans are beginning to realize that movement is an essential component in quality of life…but what the supplement industry doesn’t understand is that being distracted by the same old way or even disbelief that there’s a simpler opportunity is leaving significant underserved audiences of true beginners (with enormous demand).

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