Companies do a great job in advertising these days. They spend millions of dollars on television, newspaper and magazine ads trying to convince you that their product is better. And the more we hear it on TV, the more we are likely to blindly believe whatever it is that the company is endorsing. Remember, these companies hire professional public relations firms to make us believe that their product is the best!

This caught my attention when I saw a new commercial on TV that compared itself to Activia - which is a yogurt that promotes a healthier digestive system. You know the one, with actress Jamie Lee Curtis. This new product claimed that it was better than Activia and stated it had more vitamins and fiber, and costs less!

Have you ever noticed that Copy-Cat branding is getting more popular every day? If there is a strong market for a product - and we'll use the yogurt example above, another company will come along using the same idea, food type, and packaging, then tell you that they are better, and sell it for less. Should you automatically believe them "because they said so?"

I was curious about this, so I did a little research. I found that Activia has clinical studies regarding their health benefits on their website. Clinical studies are a good thing. That means that there is scientific research and evidence linked to their product. Does the competition have, or even offer clinical studies? I didn't see anything when I looked.

Now, I do not use or endorse either of these yogurt products. But if I were interested in them, I would believe the clinical studies behind a product before I would believe an unsubstantiated claim by a competitor trying to cash in on someone else's hard work and research.

Another good example these days are goji berries (pronounced gogee). These berries have become incredibly popular because of their natural healing properties. Matter of fact, The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated talk show in television history, recommended goji to maintain high energy levels and prevent post-workout crashes. Calling the goji berry "...the most potent antioxidant fruit that we know," Dr. Mehmet Oz, gave the recommendation on the October 1, 2007 episode. Dr. Oz also stated that goji "grows in the Himalayas."

One company in particular went out and did the research, identified which particular Himalayan berries had the most nutritional properties, discovered how to extract the specific nutrients from the berry, packaged it in pharmaceutical grade bottles in a juice form, did the clinical studies, had the clinical studies published in scientific journals and now makes the goji berry juice available to consumers for their health.

So what happened? Other companies trying to cash in on their hard work and research came along with a 'similar' product, similar packaging, said it was better, and sold it for less. Sounds good, right?

Think again. This is another classic example of copy-cats. But there is one critical piece of information that the copy-cat companies neglect to tell you. The clinical studies performed by the original company were done on the specific brand of their goji juice called GoChi - not the generic goji berry. The copy-cats simply do not contain the same nutritional value.

In other words, goji berries differ from region to region. Just as there are many varieties of wine making, there are many varieties of goji - as many as 41 species growing in Tibet alone! Just because a product claims they have "goji" in it, doesn't mean you get the same quality or nutritional value.

So keep an open mind when you listen to advertising. Remember that you can't believe everything that you hear. Sometimes you just have to do a little research about a product to determine if it is right for you.

For more information on my recommended goji supplement to improve your health, or to view clinical studies on antioxidants and the immune system, please continue to my website at http://www.gojihealthappeal.com/

Labels: Copy Cats