The Campaign

The Unbranded Prescription was an activation. Through a doctors communication programme we asked Doctors to prescribe Amylmetacresol & Dicholorobenzylalcohol - the two medicinal ingredients in every tablet of Strepsils, instead of Strepsils. Through a pharmacists' partnership programme, we made sure that every prescription with this Rx was given Strepsils. When patients asked the Pharamacist if they were given the right medicine, the Pharmacists pointed to the ingredients on the pack of Strepsils. And that's how we made Strepsils, 'Strepsils - a sore throat specialist' again.

The Brief

This activity was adopted a part of the client’s annual activation calendar. This is being taken up as the annual ‘on ground plan’ for the brand Strepsils. The budget is not shared with the agency as its confidential per client company policy. No separate budget was allocated for this.

Creative Execution

• Implementation : We conducted an extensive Doctor’s communication programme and a pharmacists' partnership programme. We made sure that doctors’ prescribed Amylmetacresol and Dichlorobenzyl alcohol and phramacists gave out Strepsis for every such prescription. When patients asked the Pharamacists if they were given the right medicine, the Pharamacists pointed to the ingredients on the pack of Strepsils. • Timeline: 11st March to 30th april • Placement : Delhi NCR. • Scale: We ran an extensive Doctors Communication Programme to communicate with prominent General Physicians and ENT specialists; and through a Pharmacists Partnership programme we partnered with high footfall Pharmacists in Delhi National Capital Region (which comprises Delhi along with satellite cities of Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and NOIDA) to bring this activation alive. The same model will be replicated across all major metros of India – that’s 10 cities with a population size of approx. 80 million overall.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

• Business impact – Immediate perception change is what we aimed for and business impact will only be visible in the near future. • Response rate – No response rate data was recorded. We only measured results via number of unbranded prescriptions received. • Impressions – 2500 + unbranded prescriptions received at our partner pharmacists. • Change in behavior – Patients of sore throat saw Strepsils as a medicine. • Consumer awareness – Patients of sore throat are now aware of medicinal credibility of Strepsils.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The activity involves a partnership with the Pharmacists who are the retailers for our brand. The idea concludes with the Pharmacists explaining the ingredients of our brand.

• Target audience : While the target audience was ‘sore throat patients universe’, the programme involved interactions in the form of conferences as well as one to one interactions with two key stakeholders in our business - the GPs/ENT specialists and the pharmacists. • Approach: Instead of using a standard poster on the pharmacy shop or any other conventional media, we decided to do an activation that made our consumers see Strepsils in a new light, and in a way that they would never undermine Strepsils’ medicinal credibility again.