• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 29, 2012

New York-based media shop R.J. Palmer has been awarded media planning and buying duties for a new line of dietary supplements from ChromaDex called the BluScience line.

The product line was just launched earlier this year and the media campaign will include TV, radio and digital media.

Both the client and agency declined to say what the billings were for the product. But one source said the current campaign had a budget of under $5 million.

Asked for comment, Jeffrey Himmel, CEO of ChromaDex, replied: “Our goal is to have our messages stand out so that we can be top of mind with the consumer.”

For Palmer, it’s the first disclosed win since the agency was acquired earlier this year by MDC Partners, the Toronto-based advertising and marketing services holding company. Previously, Palmer had been an independent media shop.

Ads for the BluScience campaign were created by Omnicom’s Alcone Marketing Group. The product line includes supplements that purportedly support heart health, anti-aging, and weight-management as well as focus and energy enhancers.

The product line was launched in January, while the TV and radio campaign kicked off this month. The BluScience label is a reference to the primary active ingredient in the product line, a compound that replicates an antioxidant found in blueberries.

ChromaDex reported sales in 2011 of a little more than $8 million, with net losses of slightly under $8 million.  When it reported year-end 2011 results earlier this month, ChromaDex’s Himmel stated: "Going into 2012, we are poised to leverage our product and service offerings related to BluScience…and other novel ingredients. Our goal is to build ChromaDex into a leader in the natural products industry."