Pharma brand appoints MindShare in China

MindShare will be overseeing a signficant hike in media spend for the Guangdong-based pharmaceutical business which is planning a push into new markets and a greater focus on brand building for its lead products in 2006. The company has picked a selection of key products to front its concerted branding push. Specialising mainly in herbal teas and treatments for minor ailments, WangLaoJi is seeking to raise its game against around a dozen similarly-named products from rival firms differentiated only by their packaging and their logo. MindShare is working on a media plan to break WangLaoJi out of this commoditised category by placing its products in different media environments that support their brand essence. Media so far has concentrated on newspaper buys, coupled with some local provincial TV. "Next year, the channel mix will be very different," said MindShare Guangzhou's general manager, Siew Ping Lim. MindShare is also seeking to boost WangLaoJi's profile as it expands geographically, where the company, which has roots in traditional Chinese medicine, faces further challenges communicating its offer to new audiences. WangLaoJi currently uses a number of local firms for its creative. MindShare won the business after a final shootout against ZenithOptimedia, culminating in the two agencies competing on fee in two separate rooms. Media was formerly run inhouse.