MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Award-winning communications consultancy Vero is putting the spotlight on millennials and Gen Z, and how they are living a divergent lifestyle from previous generations. In the agency’s recent white paper, “How Brands Can Adapt to Filipinos’ Evolving Focus on Health and Wellness,” they explore how millennials and Gen Z shaped the food, health, and wellness industries and what brands can learn from that.
In a recent study into healthy eating trends in 11 markets in Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked highest at 62% in their openness to plant-based foods. A majority of those surveyed belong to the millennial and Gen Z age groups in the country. 88% of participants said they felt a positive change in their health since they started to eat healthier during the pandemic, and 83% plan to keep up their dietary changes post-pandemic.
Filipino millennials and Gen Z are adopting a healthier and more frugal lifestyle, from choosing locally-sourced natural ingredients for their home-cooked meals, to making conscious efforts to make their budgets work by preparing their own baon. They also prefer plant-based food or food with no preservatives or additives to get all the nutrition they need, take vitamin supplements to boost their energy and immunity, and exercise to maintain their physique. These choices add up to help them nurture their bodies, as well as their minds.
They rely on people they trust, such as family and friends, for information on healthy eating. They also follow accredited content creators on social media to be more educated on living a healthy lifestyle, whether it’s for new healthy recipes, workout routines, and tips on budgeting. Along with eating a balanced diet and physical activity, millennials and Gen Z are practicing mindfulness and attend to their mental and spiritual well-being. They also understand the chemical effects of food in their bodies and minds, using that as fuel to be in tip-top shape. All of these factors create a holistic way of life for them.
From this research, there’s a unique opportunity for brands to see how the health, wellness, and food and beverage industries have been changed by the market, and what consumers need from brands now. To further explore this topic, Vero will be holding a roundtable discussion held by accredited panelists from these industries: “Whole nutrients, holistic lifestyle: How millennials and Gen Z changed the way they eat.”
Through this event, brands from food and beverage, kitchenware, food storage, pharmaceuticals, and activewear can tap millennials and Gen Z by communicating their products’ strengths according to the current lifestyles of these consumers, highlight how consumers can benefit from their brand, and how their products can be easily integrated into their new lifestyles and budgets. This is also a chance for brands to show that they can build authentic connections with consumers by sharing content that appeals to the market through the use of influencers or informational engaging content. Health and fitness influencers can also join the discussion to help give insight on the physical activities being adopted by these consumers, how exercising can contribute to people’s overall well-being, and how being fit also affects their diet.
- Nicole Briones, Vero Philippines’ Operations Director
- Mishka Rafael, Decathlon Philippines Content & Community Manager
- Nguyen Thanh Cao, Decision Lab Associate Director
- Kimi Abapo, Synnovate Sales & Marketing Head
- Inka Magnaye, content creator, influencer, podcast host of Spotify’s Sleeping Pill with Inka
Tune in to the livestream happening on Facebook and Youtube on June 12, Monday. RSVP here.
You may also download Vero’s white paper “How Brands Can Adapt to Filipinos’ Evolving Focus on Health and Wellness” here to better follow the discussion: https://vero-asean.com/how-brands-can-adapt-to-filipinos-evolving-focus-on-health-and-wellness/
