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Fame and the pharmacy, by Euromonitor International Celebrity-endorsed non-prescription medicines are rare, as the OTC healthcare industry knows how risky it can be to link the fortunes of a brand to the popularity of a star. However, there is marketing potential in celebrity endorsements too and according to Euromonitor International, OTC players should consider applying the power of celebrity to raise consumer awareness of medical conditions or circumvent advertising restrictions. The Charlie's Angels effect
Traditionally OTC advertisements have used “responsible” individuals to win-over consumer trust – such as a doctor or an academic - or they have featured someone suffering from the ailment or health issue in question, as seen in GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) 'Real Quit' campaign for NiQuitin, which documents one smoker's battle to kick the habit. However, the pharmaceutical industry has also discovered that finding a celebrity to endorse a product, who resonates with consumers, is an even more successful formula. Using a recognised figure either suffering from an illness themselves or close to someone who is, not only promotes the treatment, but, by leaving it unbranded, also protects that treatment from potential PR disasters. Former Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd, for example, promotes hormone replacement therapy for Wyeth by recounting her difficulties as she went through the menopause. Wyeth makes the hormone replacement treatments Prempro and Premarin although neither brand is mentioned in the advertisements. Smoking cessation products need star support
The OTC industry could try a similar tactic. Euromonitor International predicts that celebrity endorsements would work best in slow-moving or low-value sectors, or in countries where direct-to-consumer advertising of medicine brands is banned, such as EU nations. Celebrity-endorsed educational campaigns could also be useful in promoting treatments to little-known conditions or those that are hard to diagnose, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Smoking cessation aids is one particular sector that could benefit from celebrity endorsement. The social acceptability of smoking is now at an all-time low and smoking bans are spreading. Yet according to Euromonitor's research, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) brands are only predicted to grow by an uninspiring 7% in the US to 2009, meanwhile tobacco sales are set to grow by more than 9% over the same period. The anti-smoking message could clearly benefit from an awareness campaign fronted by a celebrity well-known for quitting cigarettes, such as UK supermodel Liz Hurley. Hurley has been fighting her smoking addiction for years. A beautiful woman, her fight could be linked to the damage the habit can do to a smoker's looks. Famously, she also sucked on a baby's dummy as a cigarette substitute. The supermodel is also a mother and this image could signify the dangers of smoking while pregnant. Celebrity doctors - combining fame and credibility
If associating a brand with an actor, sports star or supermodel seems too risky for the OTC industry, there is a “middle way”, according to Euromonitor International. Through the sponsorship of programmes fronted by well-known medical professionals, OTC players can benefit from both the cachet of fame and the credibility of an expert. A prime example would be Dr Gillian McKeith, holistic nutritionist and star of UK reality series You Are What You Eat, who could do for slimming supplements and digestive remedies what celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has done for school dinners. For further detail about this article and other related findings, please visit Euromonitor International by clicking here.
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