I recently attended a webinar about how everything is now health related . The idea is that every brand and service is somehow connected with health, mental or physical. Or at least it should be. Then I saw an article that shares connecting with wellness, responsibility, and empowerment are how to reach Millennials in 2014.

Certainly 2013 had a focus on the Affordable Care Act and its impacts that are already spilling into 2014, but has this translated to a need to discuss everything in terms of health?

Certainly, as marketers, we want to communicate in ways that connect with our audience. And, yes, many are thinking about health and wellness right away. But all the “sin” brands will have some difficulty talking about health. Although, it’s not impossible. Some of these are probably familiar:

• Dark chocolate is full antioxidants
• Gambling can help relieve stress
• eCigs remove tar from smoking
• Alcohol helps people relax
• Wine is full of antioxidants

There are many others…

And yet, there are brands that should probably avoid the conversation. For example, foods high in fat/cholesterol/sugar should be eaten in moderation. Even Cookie Monster says cookies are a sometimes food.

Does every brand need to find their wellness angle? Many will. Some will do so just in case it connects with prospective customers. Others will do market research to support or abandon this angle for their products/services. I highly recommend market research as the first step.

As with many marketing message trends, this too will cycle through popularity with some brands experiencing success and others moving quickly to new trends.