CMYK

% Brand Story &

Strepsils
Sunil Shejwalkar

Read on ...................................

Restoring voices for 42 years

Strepsils is the world's first commercially available medicated throat lozenge. It has been in the Indian market for more than four decades and has lived up to its promise of being an expert in throat care, 'The Gale ka No 1 All Rounder'. The brand belongs to Boots Piramal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a 49-51 joint venture in the business of over-the-counter medicines, between the domestic Nicholas Piramal Ltd. and Boots Plc of the United Kingdom. Boots Piramal also boasts of several well-known brands like Saridon, Strepsils Icy, Sweetex, Clearasil, Lacto Calamine and Polycrol.
continues to stand for. Boots Plc, UK, first manufactured it in 1958. In the 1950s it was believed that chlorination of phenols (a certain class of chemical compounds) increased their antiseptic activity. Based on this suspicion, a chemical compound 2,4-Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol (Dybenal or DCBA) was synthesised. Research confirmed that Dybenal used in conjunction with Amylmetacresol (AMC, also developed by Boots) was a formulation effective against throat infections. While Dybenal is a good antiseptic, AMC provides excellent antibacterial activity. This formulation led to the genesis of Strepsils. However, there was the problem of devising a method to deliver the formulation. After considerable research, scientists identified Sucrose or liquid glucose mixture vacuum boiled to a liquid glass state in which the active ingredients could be incorporated along with tartaric acid. The last component not only improved the taste but also
Praful Akali, Product Manager, Boots Piramal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

ensured better efficacy. Strepsils, as a formulation, therefore, provides antibacterial activity as well as a coating and soothing action on the throat. The brand name is derived from the Streptococcus bacilli that are the most common cause of sore throats. Brand Evolution Strepsils was previously available only on prescription but over the years has been deregulated and acquired the status of an over-the-counter medicine. In India, Strepsils was christened Regular at the time of launch in 1963. Nine years after its launch, the product was diversified with the introduction of the Orange and Lemon flavours. The Ginger flavour was launched in 1977. Menthol was launched as the fifth flavour in the mid 1990s. Explaining the companys stand to launch the flavours, Product Manager Praful Akali says, It is not just a marketing gimmick. It is also meant to offer the customer a change in taste whenever he takes more than one lozenge during the day. According to Akali, Strepsils is an excellent remedy for sore throats and people will buy it regardless of the taste, but variety is also a form of value addition. In line with this thought process, Strepsils is the only throat lozenge brand in India available in five different flavours. Vicks

trepsils was launched as a medicated throat lozenge in the Indian market exactly 42 years ago in 1963. The total market for medicated throat lozenges is estimated to be Rs 430 million approximately. Strepsils commands a third of this market and in terms of volume, about 15 percent. Strepsils is sold only at chemist shops, due to regulatory reasons and the medicinal perception about the brand. It has a presence in almost 150,000 shops across the country. It has a price premium of 100 percent over its nearest rivals and still enjoys an enviable position in the market. A focus on efficacy, both in communication and in the product, a variety of flavours and premium packaging have been the distinguishing factors for brand Strepsils.

Genesis Strepsils was conceptualised as a throat care product and that is what it
58 Advanc'edge MBA September 2005

CMYK

 CMYK
% Brand Story &
Read on ................................... Cough Drops has only recently, in July 2005, launched two new flavours Asli Honey and Menthol. Halls, again, has launched its Fresh Lemon flavour only earlier this year. Recently, the company has also launched Strepsils Pain Relief for severe and painful cases of sore throats. They have also entered the cough syrups segment with Strepsils Cough Fighter. Strepsils has always stood for throat care. We have talked about being experts in throat care. But now the consumer has become a lot more educated and realised that even within throat care there are different needs. It was extremely essential for us to address all these needs to retain the image of a throat care expert. Launching the Strepsils Pain Relief and Cough Fighter just ensured that Strepsils maintains this tag, explains the product manager. Strepsils now has that edge over its competitors because it has cures for an entire gamut of throat related discomforts - from mild to severe sore throat and even cough. Brand Promotion The Platform of Voice Strepsils has always been promoted on the platform of voice, based on the consumer insight that a clear throat leads to a clear voice. The physical signs and symptoms of a sore throat are throat irritation and a loss of voice. Of these, the voice platform lends itself to creative utilisation across media and is more relevant to a consumer, since loss of voice disrupts normal life for the consumer. Strepsils is thus communicated as a brand that restores lost voice, enabling the consumer to move on with his life. Advertising Strategy As mentioned above, Strepsils has always been communicated on the platform of voice. Strepsils rose in popularity in the 70s associating itself with the MGM lion. Even then, the idea was to convey the nature (throat care expert) of the product. However, it is critical that we do not communicate that Strepsils gives you a roaring or a loud voice. It has always stood for a clear voice and the roar of the lion was the most majestic way of communicating the message, clarifies Akali. However, though old consumers were satisfied with the brand, and repeat usage was driving the brand, it was seen through research that new users were not being attracted to the brand. Further, the consumer relevance and approachability of the brand had to be enhanced. On analysis, it was felt that though the voice platform was working well for the brand, the execution had to be changed. Thus was born the new Strepsils brand icon - the animated Mr. T. As in previous Strepsils communication, Mr. T loses his voice in different situations and Strepsils helps restore his voice, enabling him to come up trumps each time. The animated character has several advantages it makes the brand more approachable, allows a creative license that makes the communication more interesting, and allows for usage of similar communication across countries with different cultural backgrounds. Mr. T thus appears in all Strepsils television commercials for all brand extensions worldwide.

However, while learnings from other countries can be utilised, the advertisement cannot always be replicated. We do not use the same communication worldwide as the context and culture in different countries are different. Hence, common communication is developed for a small set of countries that have similar cultures and communication objectives for the brands. However, we would not let any commercial that has been successful internationally go waste. Thus, there is a bank of Mr. T commercials that can be modified and utilised in India or other countries, explains Akali. To facilitate this process, Strepsils is handled by a common advertising agency McCann-Ericsson - globally. Television has always been a mainstay for advertising the brand, as Strepsils is a mass brand. Strepsils has the basic critical mass that is essential for any publicity drive on television, says Akali. However, Strepsils has now been using FM radio in a big way for advertising. Strepsils is a premium product and FM radio, primarily a voicebased medium, is fast becoming a rage in bigger cities. Strepsils communication talks about restoring a lost voice and there cannot be anything better than a voice-medium to communicate the message, opines Akali.
September 2005 Advanc'edge MBA 59

CMYK

 CMYK
% Brand Story &
Read on ................................... Activation property One of the advantages of utilising voice as a platform is that it lends itself to mass media innovations, enabling the brand to build this association costeffectively. To do this, Strepsils required a common activation property that could be utilised across different mass media like television, print and radio. Strepsils Clearspeak was developed to fill this need. Thus, Strepsils has tied up with newspapers and television channels from time to time. When topics of interest to our target consumer like the cricket World Cup, budgets, elections, et al are being covered, experts and laypeople, can voice their opinions through sections branded as Strepsils Clearspeak. Strepsils Clearspeak was launched during the cricket World Cup in 2003 when the opinions of known cricketers and experts were encapsulated in The Indian Express. Like any activation property, this works well for the brand because consumers who may or may not be paying full attention when your ad is being aired, come across Strepsils branding while watching, listening or reading about their area of interest. This also helps the brand do more than just buying regular commercial spots on mass media. Public Relations Public relations have played a critical role in building brand awareness. During seasons when people are most prone to illness, Strepsils remains in the public domain through press releases and advertorials that offer tips on sore throats and cough management. Strepsils also has a panel of throat specialists called the Strepsils Throat Care Advisory who offer their tips on managing sore throats and answer cough related queries. The advisory panel includes a voice consultant, a throat specialist and an ENT surgeon.
60 Advanc'edge MBA September 2005

This panel adds weight to press releases circulated on throat care by Strepsils and encourages newspapers and magazines to carry these articles with credits to the Strepsils Throat Care Advisory Panel thus carrying Strepsils branding, and enhancing Strepsils imagery as the throat care expert. Consumer Promotions For some reason, consumer promotions had not been well-utilised in the self-medication category. There was an innovative campaign on Strepsils where customers were offered a free thermometer along with a pack of Strepsils Cough Fighter during monsoons. This enhanced the image of Strepsils as a brand that cares and is trustworthy, feels Akali. Retail Visibility Besides maintaining presence in mass media, it is also critical for any brand to maintain visibility on the retail shelf. A key strategy for Strepsils in this area is brand block visibility, thus projecting all brand extensions Strepsils Core, Strepsils Pain Relief and Strepsils Cough Fighter together in retail. This ensures that the more established Strepsils Core helps drive the two newer brand extensions. Currently, Strepsils is introducing jars as a promotional Stock Keeping Unit that would drive visibility in retail. It has been seen that the current Strepsils cartons are placed by the retailer behind the counter while a pilot of the Strepsils jars proved that the jar was placed in the front of the counter, thus improving offtakes for the brand. Akali believes such simple innovative exercises are key for establishing retail visibility for the brand.

USP in the face of competition When it was launched in India, Strepsils had no competition. Even today, strictly speaking, there is no competition to Strepsils in the category of medicated lozenges. Vicks is a herbal lozenge while Strepsils is an allopathic one. Halls is looked at more as a breath freshener than as a throat lozenge. Considering this, the immediate competitor would be either Vicks or nothing at all, reveals Akali. He mentions a research that was carried out in which sore throats were classified into seven categories based on their severity. It was concluded that recourse was sought to other lozenges when the severity was lower down. However, in moderate sore throat (levels 3 and 4), Strepsils was the preferred remedy. The coughs syrups dominated the stage in cases that were still more severe (levels 5, 6 and 7). The USP for brand Strepsils is, therefore, its efficacy. It is perceived as an extremely effective throat lozenge that helps the brand justify the 100% price premium over its nearest rival. However, this efficacy is a double-edged sword, confining the product to a niche area of moderate sore throats, fenced by other lozenges on one side and cough syrups on the other. Therefore, to continue to grow at the impressive rate it has chalked up so far, Strepsils will need to attract new consumers into its fold. Will Mr. T and the aggressive marketing strategies help the brand do just that? Lets wait and see.
Information has also been sourced from Superbrands Journal

CMYK