Rich Piana is gone: Will 5% Nutrition be next?
The public face of 5% Nutrition, Rich Piana, passed away earlier today. Within the supplement industry, our running joke was that the name of the company represented Piana’s ownership stake. But regardless of equity distribution, the company hasn’t skipped a beat since he lapsed into a coma a few weeks ago.
And in 5% Nutrition’s latest missive to their retailers, fired off before the body was cold, reassures everyone that a steady supply of (mediocre) 5% supplements will remain available. All things considered, the email is pretty impersonal and cold, given the fact that every product sucks and they only sold because of their founder:
“We are reaching out to you, our retail partners, to let you know that our dear friend and 5% Nutrition Founder, Rich Piana, has passed away. As our retail partners, we want to ensure you that business will continue to move forward with our team of 70+ employees managing your needs.
Our products will continue to come to you in a timely manner and our marketing team will work relentlessly to continue our positive promotion efforts.”
They assure us that their marketing efforts will continue, but given the fact that their prior marketing consisted of pictures of Piana himself, I can’t imagine what their new marketing will be. And it remains to be seen whether a company built on the star power of a now-deceased founder can survive the amputation of their customer base from his cult of personality.
Source: https://medium.com/@anthonyroberts/rich-piana-is-gone-will-5-nutrition-be-next-f6f55f2baed7
Here’s the email:
The public face of 5% Nutrition, Rich Piana, passed away earlier today. Within the supplement industry, our running joke was that the name of the company represented Piana’s ownership stake. But regardless of equity distribution, the company hasn’t skipped a beat since he lapsed into a coma a few weeks ago.
And in 5% Nutrition’s latest missive to their retailers, fired off before the body was cold, reassures everyone that a steady supply of (mediocre) 5% supplements will remain available. All things considered, the email is pretty impersonal and cold, given the fact that every product sucks and they only sold because of their founder:
“We are reaching out to you, our retail partners, to let you know that our dear friend and 5% Nutrition Founder, Rich Piana, has passed away. As our retail partners, we want to ensure you that business will continue to move forward with our team of 70+ employees managing your needs.
Our products will continue to come to you in a timely manner and our marketing team will work relentlessly to continue our positive promotion efforts.”
They assure us that their marketing efforts will continue, but given the fact that their prior marketing consisted of pictures of Piana himself, I can’t imagine what their new marketing will be. And it remains to be seen whether a company built on the star power of a now-deceased founder can survive the amputation of their customer base from his cult of personality.
Source: https://medium.com/@anthonyroberts/rich-piana-is-gone-will-5-nutrition-be-next-f6f55f2baed7
Here’s the email:
