The Story behind ‘The Whole Truth’
Picture this: you’re at a supermarket looking for a protein product that’s healthy and trustworthy.
You pick up a package, read the label, and find a list of ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. You begin to question if it’s worth it to consume something that you don’t even understand.
This was the exact moment when Shashank Mehta, a former Unilever India marketing manager, realized that there was a need for health products that offered transparency and honesty to the Indian consumer.
The result was The Whole Truth, a premium protein product that offers a clean label brand to the Indian consumer.
Interestingly, The Whole Truth was started as a blog before it became a product. Shashank Mehta found that most food products did not declare their ingredients, leaving consumers in the dark about what they were consuming.
As a result, he started a blog to educate people about the importance of clean eating and the risks of consuming processed foods.
His blog gained popularity, and he soon realized that there was a demand for clean label products in the market.
Investigative Journalism in Content Marketing
What sets The Whole Truth apart from other conventional brands is not just the quality of its product, but its communication strategy.
TWT’s content marketing is more of an investigative journalistic style than just educational or entertaining content.
The brand’s communication is the antithesis of every trick in the health food marketer’s playbook, and it aims to educate consumers about the dishonesty in food advertising.
This approach resonates with consumers who are tired of being misled and are looking for transparency and authenticity from the brands they choose.
The Whole Truth’s blog, “Truth Be Told,” is one of the brand’s most significant content marketing assets. Launched in 2018, it was an essential element of the company’s communication strategy before they even had a product to sell.
The blog has always been an investigative platform, exposing the truth about the food industry, and the articles are not afraid to tackle controversial topics such as misleading food labeling, the use of artificial sweeteners, and the hidden dangers of processed foods.
But what exactly is investigative journalism?
Investigative journalism is a form of reporting that involves in-depth research, analysis, and verification to uncover the truth behind a story. It requires not just a significant investment in resources, but also deep expertise to dig down into a topic.
Above all else speaking the truth necessitates courage.
Investigative journalists often question the status quo, challenge assumptions, and expose wrongdoing.
Investigative journalism & brand strategy
If you are a challenger brand that questions the status quo of a category, investigative journalism can be particularly useful.
By adopting an investigative approach, brands can act as industry watchdogs, exposing the shady practices of established players. By doing so, they can earn the trust and loyalty of customers who value transparency and honesty.
However, Brands should prioritize making changes in their own products and practices before pointing fingers at established players in the industry. Failure to do so may lead to backlash and ultimately damage the brand’s reputation.
