For OTC And Supplement Success Stories, Firms Need Multiple Writers

Gaining market share in the increasingly competitive and regulated OTC and supplement sectors requires a collaborative approach with R&D, legal and marketing teams working together from the start, says Novartis Consumer executive Rosanne Rotondo.

Gone are the days when OTC drug and dietary supplement firms could rely on only their marketing departments to learn what consumers want and how best to advertise it, says Novartis Consumer Health Inc. executive Rosanne Rotondo.

Gaining market share in the increasingly competitive and regulated OTC and supplement sectors requires a collaborative approach with research and development, legal and marketing teams working together from the start, Rotondo said at the Consumer Healthcare Product Association’s recent Annual Executive Conference in Amelia Island, Fla.

Drug and supplement firms “need to take a holistic approach” to product and claim development and include representatives from their businesses in conversations with consumers because each division listens to consumers through different filters and can identify different key insights, said the New York City-based new growth switch R&D franchise head at Novartis Consumer Health.

“Having multiple functions listen directly to consumers really helps us have the best approach to our pipeline innovation” and create products consumers want and claims that are clear, effective and compliant, she said. Collaboration across departments also decreases the risk of a missed opportunity.

For example, Novartis used this strategy to expand its Voltaren pain relief line, which is Rx in the U.S. but nonprescription in other countries. Marketers asked consumers why they did and did not use the pills and discovered some worried about the potential for upset stomach when taking the medication orally. Rather than tweaking advertising to educate consumers on how to reduce this risk, R&D responded by creating a topical gel version of the product that consumers could apply directly on the pain without the risk of gastric bleeding.

When consumers next complained about the inconvenience of reapplying the product throughout the day, R&D created a longer-lasting gel in a higher concentration, a change that further confirmed the value of their conversations with consumers, Rotondo said.

Marketing stepped in from there to ensure the strong equity of the core brand was reinforced across the product line. Rotondo explained Novartis uses consistent messaging across all the Voltaren products to remind consumers about “the joy of movement” and encourage them not to let pain hold them back. The products all also feature an image of a blue person in front of an orange circle to represent to consumers that each product in the line would provide the same pain relief.

Create Compelling Claims

Just as she advocates for a new approach to identifying new products, Rotondo encourages inter-department teamwork to develop new claims.

“Sometimes we forget to look in places for claims that aren’t so traditional,” and a firm more likely will come up with a fresh claim by combining different departments’ points of views, she said.

She added that marketers typically will ask R&D or a clinical trials staff for claims based on data. While those claims can be rock solid and resonate well with consumers, a firm could need 10 years and a lot of money to develop one if a clinical trial is necessary.

“There are other ways to get claims” that might not be so obvious, such as conducting surveys, gathering recommendations and analyzing sales data, which is easier when a firm taps experts from different departments, she said.

For example, a consumer survey revealed a Novartis brand was the No. 1 brand in its category sold at Walmart – a claim Rotondo said surprised her but resonated well with Walmart shoppers because it reinforced the message the product provided value.

Analyzing sales data also revealed claims that another Novartis brand was the No.1 selling nasal decongestant globally, which reinforced the brand’s worth to other consumers.

Nonetheless, basing claims on traditional clinical studies “will never go away,” Rotondo said.

For example, the claim Excedrin Extra Strength relieves pain in 15 minutes for some people was based on a clinical trial and stood up to a National Advertising Division review, even though other claims from studies did not (Also see "Sodium phosphate drugs" - Pink Sheet, 29 Mar, 2004.).

Role Of Legal

Just as increased competition can fuel creative claims, it also prompts increased enforcement from self-regulators, the Federal Trade Commission and FDA.

The risk of incurring regulatory enforcement makes it important to involve the legal team from the beginning to review both explicit and implied claims, Rotondo said.

“Make sure you have a standard way to review claims, a very robust review process, that is standardized for all brands, that is efficient so it doesn’t take too much time” and that organizes all supporting material in one place in case a regulator requests substantiation, she said.

Rotondo added that firms also can breathe life into old brands by revamping packaging, adding new colors or formats that create something new to discuss and demonstrating the brand can keep up with the changing times.

If an older brand does not have anything new to tout, a firm can base new claims on its heritage – such as positioning Triaminic pediatric products as a traditional choice used for generations – or discuss how a product differs from competitors, she said.

Product differentiation claims “really resonate with consumers who are looking for something different than what they have used or what has typically been on the shelf,” she said, pointing to Benefiber’s claim that it will not change the taste of the food or drink into which it is mixed, as an example.

[Editor’s note: This story was contributed by “The Tan Sheet,” which provides in-depth coverage of the OTC medications and dietary supplements sectors.]