McNeil Benecol Promotional Campaign "Redefined" To Focus On Physicians
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is "redefining" its promotion of the Benecol line of cholesterol-control products by focusing marketing efforts towards physicians who, the company hopes, will talk up the products to patients.
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Salad dressings discontinued
McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Unilever/Lipton have discontinued shipments of their respective cholesterol-lowering salad dressings, Benecol and Take Control, after less than a year on the market. Although the firms say they want to focus on the brands' spreads, lower-than-expected sales of the premium priced dressings undoubtedly contributed to the decision to discontinue the products. McNeil recently launched Benecol softgel supplements and redefined the focus of its marketing campaign to concentrate on physicians (1"The Tan Sheet" Dec. 6, 1999, p. 4)
Benecol ad agency
McNeil Consumer Healthcare hires NCI Advertising (New York) to handle the U.S. consumer advertising for its Benecol line, replacing Saatchi & Saatchi (New York). NCI has handled direct-to-physician and direct-to-patient promotions for Benecol for about two years. The switch is part of McNeil's plan to shift the promotional focus for Benecol from consumers to health professionals, the company said (1"The Tan Sheet" Dec. 6, 1999, p. 4)
Nutraceuticals Market Potential Still Piques J&J's Interest
Johnson & Johnson remains committed to building a presence in the nutraceuticals market despite the slow start of its Benecol franchise in the U.S., Chairman and CEO Ralph Larsen reaffirmed during an analysts' conference call on year-end financial results Jan. 25.