Taking their Himmath narrative, to the younger demographic, Iodex roped in influencers for the new campaign. Bineet Jain talks about the campaign & marketing strategy in the context of GSK India's pain-relief category which consists of Crocin, Iodex, and Otrivin.
Iodex has been there in the market for almost 100 years, now. From the house of GSK Consumer Healthcare Ltd., the brand has always focused on one of the nagging issues in the country – excruciating muscular pain.
As the brand navigated from the narrative of ‘Iodex Maliye Kaam Pe Chaliye’ and ‘Pain should not come in the way of your life’, it focused on being an ally of the consumers. With the launch of Iodex Rapid Action Spray, the brand extends its narrative around #Himmat of people through influencers like Bani J and Sunil Chhetri.
We speak with Bineet Jain, Area Marketing Lead - Pain & Respiratory Health (Iodex, Crocin, and Otrivin)- India Sub Continent to further understand the Iodex digital marketing strategy.
Behind ‘Thodi Himmat, Thoda Iodex’ Campaign
With the campaign, the brand intended to create awareness around the new product and to extend its flagship campaign, ‘Thodi Himmat, Thoda Iodex’ to a younger and physically active cohort.
According to the WHO’s Global Burden of Disease study, one in every fifth person is likely to be suffering from pain with muscular pain being a frequent condition that can hamper one’s spirit and prevent them from going that extra mile in life. Jain explains, “Through this campaign, we aim to be people’s everyday ally by helping them stretch further and explore their true potential. We are talking to the modern world representing a progressive India,” Jain shared.
Keeping the core communication around - excellence is not a destination but a journey and the road to success requires courage or Himmat to stretch beyond a comfort zone for personal transformation. The brand aims to celebrate stories of #Himmat of people as part of the campaign. This is done by carefully weaving in its product offering around musculoskeletal pain encountered during physical activities and how Iodex can be the companion to help mitigate the problems towards the path to success for people.
Iodex Marketing Strategy & Media Mix
Jain shares, “We are trying to maximize the focus to strengthen our digital marketing footprint to reach a much wider consumer base that we can engage with.”
With an array of products and a targeted audience, the media mix for the brand is finalized basis the core target audience for each of the offerings as several products cater to a wide range of TG.
For example, while on one hand, Iodex Ultragel leverages TV to build mass awareness for people, Iodex Rapid Action Spray has a strong presence on digital to connect with the youth.
In 2022, Iodex India also forayed into sports marketing as one of the official sponsors for the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Live matches.The brand is available across different platforms including e-commerce as per the customer's preference.
Being a legacy brand, Iodex has consistently leveraged the traditional media channels as part of its marketing strategy but has been relatively less active on social media channels. However, they became more visible on digital in the last 18+months and is at a nascent stage for their social media journey.
While Iodex still communicates about its offerings through GSK India social media pages, the brand has been active on Facebook and YouTube and launched its Instagram profile page with a global footprint, keeping a focus on the native language of the regions.
For example, the Iodex Instagram page for Srilanka comprises posts in their official languages that include Sinhala and Tamil.
Digital footprint:
YouTube – 13K+ Subscribers
Facebook – 4730 Followers
Instagram – 400+ Followers
Jain shares how it does not look at each of the social media platforms as best or better from one another. Instead, the brand attempts to harness the strengths of each of the platforms to cohesively communicate the brand message to the target audience.
The Iodex marketing strategy on social media is to create brand awareness and interact and engage with the target consumers through interesting content. With a different social media strategy for each of the platforms, Iodex aims to share the collective offerings from the brand to its audience.
On social media, the current hashtag used by the brand is #ThodiHimmatThodaIodex.
Instagram & Facebook
To begin with, on Instagram Iodex keeps a focus on influencer marketing and contest campaigns. With posts in vernacular, the brand makes efforts to tap into the visual appeal of the platform.
“We partner with various influencers and do brand partnership to drive home our message”, added Jain. Facebook works in tandem with Instagram, with business updates amongst other news.
YouTube
YouTube brings an ensemble of campaigns executed by the brand in the past 3 to 4 years in various languages. Jain highlights that the focus is to reach the masses through the channel.'
The brand also showcases the new product launches through its Masthead and videos.
The measurement metrics for the campaigns revolve around reach, engagement, and the movement on mind measures. Jain asserts, “The favorable measures against benchmarks is the way to measure the success and hence a desired return on the marketing efforts.” Eventually, all efforts should build brand love and business growth, he explains.
Key Consumer Trends
Iodex is a homegrown brand and keeps its communication strategy focussed on connecting with Indian consumers. Jain clarifies, “Our communication centres around the idea that one must reach their goal despite the challenges, hardships, and pains they face along the way, and Iodex is here to empower them in their journey, and we communicate the same across our social media channels.”
One of the key trends leveraged by the brand is tapping influencer strategy. As the brand caters to a wide TG ranging from elderly to Gen-Z and Millennials, the influencer outreach programs help Iodex India to further develop trust and connect. Jain highlights that the brand will continue to engage with the influencers who have shared values with Iodex India.
Another noticeable trend in the category is that topical pain relief like Iodex is no longer confined to a household item. It is now also being actively used in sports and by fitness enthusiasts. With the emergence of online retailers, there is a shift among consumers to buy the products online for the brand.
Jain encapsulates some of the other consumer trends in the pain management category:
Specialization coupled with product innovation, thereby offering more specific need-based solutions for specific ailments
The shift in consumer attitude toward self-care: cost-effective and ease of use
There is an opportunity for the growth of pain management products in India owing to the rise in consumer demand. While brands currently seek to strike a balance in messaging, the future portends market alteration, increased competition, and a need for creative and aggressive marketing practices, shares Jain.
Pain is an important area addressed by GSK Consumer Healthcare with its portfolio of brands such as Iodex and Crocin. Jain opines that the brand enjoys strong equity for these consumers owing to the legacy of these brands. “Pain Relief is a very important category for GSK Consumer Healthcare and therefore, we will continue to address the unmet needs of consumers with the right innovations”, he concludes.
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