Changing faces

What was on the prescription some years ago is now available over-the-counter. The OTC market witnessed quite a few swaps from prescription to OTC. However, there is a catch in executing these moves. Nandini Patwardhan looks into the fine print of such switches.

Strepsils, Revital, Calcium Sandoz Woman. What is the odd one out? Neither. All of these are similar in a unique way. They were all prescription brands at one point of time and have made a successful move to the OTC segment. And it is not just that, they have also become the biggest brands in their respective categories. However, this was not an easy journey. Smart marketing and appropriate choice of brands by pharma companies have made these switches a huge success. "It is like you are launching a completely new brand when you move from prescription to OTC," explains Gauri Chaudhari, Brand Consultant, FCB-Ulka Advertising. "The brand changes not from the point of view of the character or the formulation; but almost everything around it has to undergo a change and hence you need to be prepared with the four Ps all over again," she adds.

Some bitter truths

"The brand changes not from the point of view of the character or the formulation; but almost everything around it has to undergo a change" - Gauri Chaudhari Brand Consultant FCB-Ulka Advertising

For instance, in case of tablets and pills, while the patient might still purchase and consume a particular brand (even though it is bitter) because the doctor prescribed it. But once the same brand goes OTC, the company needs to think from consumer’s point of view, who given a choice will not buy something that is as bitter, especially when there are substitutes available in the market. The pharma company has to take key decisions with respect to the taste, smell, appearance and the dosage form. If it is a tablet in question, then its size needs to be considered. If it is a liquid in a bottle, then the attractiveness of the bottle matters to the consumer. "It is not mandatory that you have to change everything but if you do this, the OTC brand will 110 percent get benefited," asserts Chaudhari.

"When you have a prescription brand, your life revolves around that doctor. With OTC, you move to a completely different world of consumer marketing" - Susan Josi Managing Partner Sorento Healthcare Communications

Also, once the brand moves to the OTC arena, its focus moves to the consumers from the doctors. "As a result, the entire focus of your brand and related activities shifts from inside the clinic to outside the clinic," elucidates Susan Josi, Managing Partner, Sorento Healthcare Communications. Thus 90-95 percent of all the activities that are undertaken are done in an interesting manner, and through innovative media like film shows, and the usual above-the-line media like TV, print, radio and cinema halls. Then there are accreditation programmes implemented at different touch points with the consumers depending on the budgets available for them. "I mean the entire focus changes to an integrated 360 degrees way of communicating. When you have a prescription brand, your life revolves around that doctor and what you want to do with him, how you want to pacify him and his ego. With OTC you move to a completely different world of consumer marketing," emphasises Josi.

Marvellous makeovers

When marketers speak of such switches, it is very rare that they do not mention the most famous and successful switch, that of Revital, an adult health supplement from the Ranbaxy stable. It is a combination of vitamins, minerals and ginseng for the doctor (when it was a product that was being prescribed by the doctors) but a brand that ensures Jiyo Jee bhar ke for the end consumer. The brand's switch strategy had a three point agenda—that of creating an appeal for the product, moving away from its serious image, and rejuvenating sales for the product. Ranbaxy chose Grey Worldwide to work on the brand during its transition from prescription to OTC. On the basis of an extensive market research undertaken to understand consumers and doctors across urban and rural India to augment insights, a four-pronged switch strategy was zeroed in for Revital. The plan was to leverage the scientific edge into a functional benefit to acquire a huge part of the OTC pie. This was done through the following four stages:

Shift from a molecule towards a consumer solution: A need gap analysis of the product presented Ranbaxy with an unmet need of its target audience. Today's lifestyle is characterised by stress and fatigue and Revital was positioned as a solution, one that helped in sustaining energy levels and promoting overall well-being Building emotional assurance: In order to develop emotional assurance, the company had to undertake advertising that would help consumers to make an informed choice. This was an assurance that was based on educating him, creating relevance and familiarity instead of making a blind choice based on prescriptions. Grey Worldwide came up with a series of TVCs for the same. The first phase of ads looked at creating awareness about the benefits of Revital, while the second phase of TVCs aimed at building relevance and moving the product away from a problem-solution image.

The final and current phase of ads focused on building familiarity and creating a feeling that many people are consuming Revital today as a part of their daily health regime. Some of the noteworthy ads are the wakeup commercials, Hasmukhbhai commercials and more recent testimonials.

Creating brand authority: This involved building channels of trust for Revital both professional as well as personal. With a view to induce trials, the target customer was looked at the places where person feels tiredness the most.

A consumer contact programme was launched in 75 cities across India. Direct consumer promotion was done in anaaj mandis, wholesale food markets, chemist outlets and high traffic areas where consumers were informed more about Revital and its benefits as a daily health supplement.

Enhancing accessibility: With an intention to be accessible and available to the consumers in their moment of need, the distribution network of the company was expanded. Both pharma and FMCG distributors were brought into the trade ambit of Revital along with efforts made to make Revital available in more chemists outlets through enhanced geogra-phical spread and also alongside make it available in all kinds of outlets (chemist and select retail stores).

Whilst a prescription product, Revital's story revolved around the doctors and how it is a co-prescription in infection management. So doctors who were treating infection had to co-prescribe Revital as a part of lending strength as a part of immunity boosting. It was more of a problem-solution approach. "When moved to OTC, the entire brand took a switch to the wellness area. The Revital communication spoke about how you should be living it up, Jiyo jee bhar ke, that's the rally cry that you are giving," states Josi. "In the doctor's clinic you were talking about problem-solution and the brand was illness-related. Once outside the doctor's clinic, you are talking about wellness and about how you have to lead an active and a productive life," she adds.

A woman's touch

Another company which managed a successful switch of sorts is the drug-major, Novartis. Not all maybe aware of the fact that Calcium Sandoz Woman, was actually Sandocal Chew, indicated for osteoporosis in women and promoted to gynecologists. When the company decided to take this brand OTC, it was decided to change the name of the brand and treat it as another brand. "They said it is about the woman and about her decision.

So it was called Calcium Sandoz Woman," comments Chaudhari, who had worked on the brand. While Sandocal chew continues to be promoted to doctors, Calcium Sandoz woman is promoted to women above 35 years.

After the brand's name, it was the packaging that had to undergo a change. "The entire concept was, what do we do with the package so that the woman feels closer to the brand as it being for her? The crown was put," adds Chaudhari.

The most critical aspect was defining the consumer benefit. The company was not just selling Calcium. They were giving her a compelling reason to consume the product by telling her that she cannot stop as the entire family depends on her; hence the tag line—Mein ruk nahi sakti which implies that she wants to be strong from within. That will be the emotional need which Calcium Sandoz Woman actually tried to fulfill. As far as availability is concerned, the brand did a lot of below the line activities in the retail shop. "In the retail shops, there were bottles kept and specially made crowns, which one would put further on the cap and the women were actually called and detailed about the product," adds Chaudhari.

The brand was also placed in the well-known Bollywood movie Viruddh. This was an excellent opportunity for the brand to get maximum exposure because it fit in with the story line completely. "Sharmila Tagore's age was something where she would need Calcium. The director understood the brand very well and he used the product twice in the movie—once in a very normal scene and once when the protagonist, Amitabh, goes to the prison," asserts Chaudhari.

Switching shocks

While these two brands have met with stupendous success in their marketing efforts, not all of them might be able to taste success. This is because OTC brands face quite a few challenges with respect to availability, marketing regulations, managing media costs and deploying the personnel. Additionally, if the switch is not handled in the most appropriate manner or if the doctors are kept out of the loop during such a switch, there are chances that the doctors may not give positive feedback about the same. This will throw all the marketing efforts in the drain.

OTC medicines face competition from other brands that may be in the prescription arena, FMCG space or in OTC itself. In the case of milk food supplements, there are some quasi ethical ones like the Protinex, and nutraceuticals which, in a way, have the look and feel of the doctor prescribed medicinal product and then you have your FMCG counterparts like say Boost. In such a scenario an OTC brand has to fight off competition from the FMCG players, who have the highest of ad budgets and marketing spends. They also have to tackle the issue of being available where needed. While the FMCGs are available at the grocers, OTC brands cannot be available there.

Doctor dilemmas

Another area of concern is the fact that a typical pharma representative meets 10 doctors and three to five chemists everyday. But when the brand has to be taken OTC the chemist becomes extremely important and thus the representatives should be visiting a lot more chemists now and not just 5-10 per day, to ensure availability, point-of-purchase activity and window display. "All these things are not possible if the medical representative officer is more used to detailing. With respect to OTC, the medical representative is actually making the brand available and actually pushing it to the retailer. And this is a completely different mind set," explains Chaudhari.

"The biggest challenge that companies face with OTC products is managing the media. Getting the frequency, getting the OTS (opportunity to see the product) are some of the challenges faced by OTC marketers, which are similar to those faced by marketer of any other product," opines Josi. Another challenge for marketers is understanding the manner of presenting the product to the end consumer without intimidating him or scaring him, yet making him a part of your entire marketing story and bringing the product to him in a more engaging manner. "It cannot be the same detailing story that we do in the doctors clinic, it can’t be the same postering that we do, where we just use subtle messaging norm. We have to find a lot more interesting and involving manner or ways of getting the consumers involved with your brand," states Josi.

Lastly, the doctor, if he is not handled properly may pose a big challenge to the brand when it goes OTC. "The doctor essentially plays the role of an endorser. He wont be a prescriber, he may not even be an influencer but still he endorses," states Josi. This is because when a consumer (patient) goes and tells that doctor that he is using a particular brand that has gone OTC for his ailment, there are chances that the doctor will be okay with it. So he endorses it. "The worst is when he goes negative. Now the moment he voices an opinion that is negative, the consumer's entire confidence in that brand is washed out," she adds. So it is important that the brand holds on to the doctor as a passive endorser of the brand.

An ethical to OTC switch sounds like a rosy idea for any pharma marketer. However, the journey to building a great brand is full of hurdles, which if not overcome appropriately, will transform a great prescription brand into an OTC disaster. While a successful switch may make an interesting marketing case study, a failure too will be etched in the minds of all the stakeholders.

nandini.p@expressindia.com
(With inputs from Sonal Shukla)