Vicks revamped its iconic Cough Drops based on consumer feedback, launching the Double Power variant with Ayurvedic ingredients. Vicks also unveiled a campaign ‘Vicks ki Goli Ab Ho Gayi hai Badi’ with its brand ambassador Ranveer Singh, aiming to connect with a diverse audience. Their strategy integrates traditional and digital media, leveraging cricket and Bollywood for mass reach, while focusing on CTV for targeted engagement. Their multi-product approach, including the successful launch of ZzzQuil Natura, addresses consumer needs and builds brand awareness effectively.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Sahil Sethi, Category leader, Consumer Healthcare, P&G India to find out more.
Q. Why was the decision taken to revamp Vicks Cough Drops?
Vicks Cough Drops has helped generations of Indians speak up with a khich khich free voice. Committed to build on this legacy we are always listening to what our consumers want and incorporating these insights across our product formulations and packaging. Our consumers told us that they were looking for their preferred cough drop in a bigger size that can help relieve symptoms of throat irritation and cough. This prompted us to embark on our First-Ever ‘Double Powered Transformation’ of India’s Iconic Triangular Vicks Cough Drops in almost two decades.
The result is the New Vicks Double Power Cough Drop – a superior product for relief from sore throat and cough formulated with a proven mix of effective and well known Ayurvedic ingredients such as Menthol with added natural honey and ginger. The new formulation is designed to be stronger with 2X Menthol comes in three different variants in cooling menthol, soothing honey, and warming ginger – developed and tested with Indian consumers. Consumers can now pop in their favourite and well-loved cough drops for better, fast, and long relief, with superior cooling and great taste. Ab Vicks ki Goli Khao, Badi Rahat Pao
Q. How does Ranveer Singh’s personality fit in with the brand’s message?
Ranveer’s authenticity and fearless voice aligns with what Vicks Cough Drops stands for. Ranveer brings a sense of free-spiritedness and genuine connection to everything he does, much like how Vicks has been, a comforting presence in households for generations. His ability to connect with a diverse audience helps us convey the message of enhanced relief with Vicks Double Power Goli in a relatable and engaging way.
Q. What are the various legs of the marketing campaign going to be?
Our marketing strategy focuses on leveraging a mix of traditional and digital media to maximise reach, visibility, and availability. With powerhouse brand ambassador Ranveer Singh unveiling this First-ever Double Powered Transformation, we are connecting with a wider and more diverse audience, bringing the message of enhanced relief to every household. As we now call it – Badi Goli Badi Raahat.
Q. How has the marketing message been conceived to build relevance among younger viewers?
Vicks has a rich legacy of trust and efficacy that spans generations. This legacy has shaped our marketing approach by ensuring we stay true to our core values while innovating. We highlight our history of reliability, effectiveness and relevance in our campaigns, assuring all of our consumers including the younger viewers that the new Vicks Double Power Goli continues to help them speak up through life’s crucial moments with a khich khich free voice, and now also comes with ‘Badi Raahat’.
This has been the message at the core of our new Ad featuring Ranveer Singh and Ronit Roy in a quirky and funny context. ‘The Sabse Badi Khabar’ idea was rooted in the fact that this is indeed the biggest news for the brand – being the brand’s first-ever double power transformation in over 2 decades and being a superior formulation that was developed based on consumer feedback.
Q. This is the fourth new product for Vicks India In the last 15 months. Is this the result of listening to consumers?
Absolutely. Our recent product launches, including the new Vicks Cough Drops, are a direct result of listening to consumer feedback. We prioritize understanding their needs and preferences, which drives our innovation and product development process. It’s all about delivering products that truly meet the evolving demands of our consumers and fortifying our century long commitment to providing relief and care.
Q. Are cricket and Bollywood equally effective in delivering mass reach for Vicks India?
Indeed, both cricket and Bollywood are incredibly effective in delivering mass reach across India. Cricket isn’t just a sport here; it’s an emotion that unites people from all walks of life. Similarly, Bollywood, with stars like Ranveer Singh, are looked up to by millions. While we cannot share details of our approach for competitive reasons, at Vicks, we are always scouting for impactful platforms and opportunities that can help maximise brand visibility and engagement.
Q. Is CTV growing in importance for Vicks India?
Connected TV (CTV) helps in reaching a more targeted and engaged audience with personalised content. For Vicks Cough Drops, with CTV we now have another medium to connect with our consumers and deliver our message effectively while measuring the impact with precise analytics. It’s all about meeting our audience where they are with relevant and impactful content.
Q. Last year Vicks entered the sleep aid category with a product. A multichannel marketing approach was followed. What was the result in terms of building brand awareness?
Conditions such as occasional sleeplessness continue to be underdiagnosed and undertreated due to limited awareness. Vicks ZzzQuil Natura is a pioneer in this category and stands as the World’s No.1 Sleep Aid Brand.
With more and more consumers seeking to understand and address long sleep latency, our multi-channel focus marketing approach is helping improve education and awareness on the category by (1) building awareness on long sleep latency and its impact on quality of life (2) equipping consumers with required information and support (3) helping consumers understand the supportive role of ZzzQuil Natura with its carefully selected ingredients known for their ability to promote fast and natural sleep (4) sharing experiences of others who have benefitted from the product.
The consumer response to Vicks ZzzQuil Natura has been very encouraging with a large majority of consumers rating the product favorably post usage on E-Commerce platforms. It is doing well in the category of Herbal and Nutritional Supplements on major e-commerce platforms. Given the rising incidence long sleep latency in India and the proven success of Vicks ZzzQuil Natura in the rest of the world, we look forward to serving the needs of a large population of consumers in the country.
