BEIJING: Cold medication Contac has been relaunched with a
television and PR campaign to rebuild trust in the brand less than 10
months after China banned the drug.
Tianjin SmithKline Beecham reformulated the drug without the banned
ingredient PPA as it wanted to retain the brand's edge in offering 12
hours symptom relief. The reformulation allowed the company to continue
marketing New Contac as an OTC drug, according to Grey Beijing, which
handled advertising for the brand prior to the ban.
New Contac hit the airwaves after a two-week PR blitz, involving press
events and road shows to major cities, which laid the groundwork for the
brand's return to national TV screens.
In the first phase of the advertising push, Grey used Mr Contac, an icon
from previous campaigns, to deliver a message of reassurance to the
public.
In the TVC, Mr Contac uses a magnifying glass to examine the packaging,
which features the Government's approval code plus details on the drug's
non-PPA formulation.
"We wanted to deliver a message of trust to consumers, while keeping the
brand icon alive," said Grey Beijing general manager Josh Li. He said
the decision was also taken to retain the name because of the value
attached to it as it was China's leading OTC cold medication.
Li said surveys found the brand enjoyed a strong relationship with
consumers.
"Eighty per cent of consumers in surveys said they would accept the
brand being reintroduced as Contac as long as it did not include PPA,"
said Li.
A second and bigger advertising phase is planned to for the winter
season.
The concept for the new ad burst will depend on how effective the first
phase had been, Li added.
Grey's relaunch assignment initially covered crisis management after the
brand was pulled from store shelves last November. The assignment was
later expanded to revamping the website and handling PR and event
marketing as well as the new ad campaign. Trade activities aimed at
retailers and drug stores are in the pipeline and will be localised for
provinces across China, Li added.
