Exploring the Basque Region: A Journey of Numbers and Culture

The Basque Region where 3+4=1

Have you ever wondered about numbers in brands, like why is there RubA535™ or a BMW® 330i™ or Joint Formula14™? Or why in the Basque region of SW France and NE Spain, they have a saying that 3+4 =1?

I'll come back to the numbers, but I’ll start by sharing that Lesley and I had a wonderful trip to the Basque region in May. We signed up for our first BackRoads® hiking trip, a holiday that started in Biarritz, France and ended in Bilbao, Spain. The hike was led by Mathilde and Cristian and ably assisted by Ignacio (from France, Spain and Spain respectively). They were charming, helpful and resourceful (and funny too, especially Ignacio), and along with 18 other hikers and sometimes additional local guides, it was a fantastic experience for Lesley and I. We made new friends, learnt a lot, ate even more, and thanks to the great hikes, I don't think we put on any weight!

We visited wonderful towns including our starting and finishing places, and others like Saint-Jean-De-Luz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Laguardia (a walled city in Spain). We ascended roughly 10,000 feet (and descended too!) while hiking about 50 miles and had a few bus shuttles as well. We went through varied geography from ocean-side walks to grassy and craggy mountains and then the arid vineyards of the La Rioja region. Lesley and I are happy to highly recommend this trip.

So about numbers? Well on our first day of the hike, we were asked what's 3+4? Well obviously 7. But not so for the Basque people, whose answer is 1. 3 and 4 represent the provinces within two countries that form 1 Basque region! Confusing without an explanation, right? Same for some numbers applied to brands. So I thought I'd take a moment to explain the numbers in our brand.

Joint Formula14™ was the first product we gave a number to. Originally, it was called Joint Formula, but we market in a sea of hundreds of 'joint formulas' so we wanted to differentiate. The 14 represents our promise, feel better within 14 days or less. We feel a claim or promise should represent the experience that the vast majority of consumers should have. Not a maybe, or perhaps for some. While some Joint Formula14 customers start to experience results within a day, most take longer. Some 3 or 4 days, some 7 and some need more time, while a very few who don't feel results within 14 days can contact us for a refund. While no single product will be the best one for everyone, we truly feel that SierraSil® is among the fastest acting natural joint health ingredients and distinguishes itself as the most consistently and the most significantly effective natural ingredient for most people with sore joints or muscles. The SierraSil minerals also have the bonus of chelating heavy metals.

Joint Formula Curcumin3™ was our second numbered product. The 3 represents the excellent bio-availability of the 3 important curcuminoids. These are curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bis-demethoxycurcumin (or BDMC). The bonus is that our JFC3 also includes a 1/2 serving of SierraSil minerals. The curcumin that we use, Meriva™ has extensive clinical studies and the most rigorous quality testing that we have seen among the curcumin ingredients.

The third product to be given a number was our Pain Relief Topical Spray 01™, with the One representing results within a minute. A new friend from our Backroads hiking trip tried it and was over joyed by how much more effective it was than the brand he had been using daily, and yes the really fast results!

Our final product with a number is Joint Formula Glucosamine5™. It features a full dose of vegan glucosamine along with a full dose of our SierraSil minerals (something we need to better articulate). The 5 represents our fifth product.

But wait, I’ve only mentioned four products, so how can the JFG5 be our fifth? That’s because we haven’t given numbers to our canine product, Leaps&Bounds™ which was introduced before JFG5. Maybe we should fix that. How about a 4 so we could reference it 4 a K9? (with dad joke apologies).

Not to be left out, our toll-free (North America only) number is 1-877-743-7720 does have a number strategy. It spells 1-877-Sierra-0 (0 as in no more pain!). So paraphrasing slightly the late Paul Harvey 'Now you know the whole story' when it comes to SierraSil numbers.

Now for some more numbers! I'm happy to report the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute National Health & Fitness Challenge that I focused on last month, was a success. The Let’s Move Canada Challenge community collectively logged over 344,695 hours of movement, surpassing the goal of 243,042 hours (representing the kilometre length of Canada's coastline)!

Finally do enjoy Canada's 156th birthday and America's 247th coming up in just a few days. And please share with us, on our toll free line or on our website app, your SierraSil story. We love hearing from you.

Michael

PS I hope you enjoy the pictures from the Basque region

1. San Sebastian