Pyrocalm Control Case Study: A heart-warming read for all challenger pharma brands
It can seem like a David and Goliath situation. Pitching a challenger brand against the big players in a very crowded pharma market is not for the faint hearted. You’re often looking at squeezed marketing budgets versus the bottomless pockets of well-known brands, little or no in-house marketing expertise versus global-scale agency capacity and zero comms experience versus the pick of PR prowess.
It’s not easy. And the odds are stacked. Or so you’d think.
None of that deterred international pharmaceutical manufacturer Dexcel Pharma. They had the innovation, development and manufacturing capabilities to bring a new over the counter (OTC) heartburn and acid reflux treatment to the market.
And while they did face the challenge of all the above, you could say they picked the right David to take on the heartburn and indigestion Goliaths – our MD and lead strategist David Wadsworth.
We’re also on the same page as Dexcel Pharma when it comes to company mantras, ‘Where others see obstacles, we see opportunities’…
Find out how we helped Dexcel Pharma to not only build national attention for the launch of a new product with unique USPs but also gain ground on well-known brands while attracting the attention of major retailers to see that all-important increase in market share.
Back to the beginning
As an associate member of the PAGB we have access to its regulatory advertising services which, combined with our sector PR and design experience, ensures compliancy and efficiency when it comes to handling the often-complex nature of consumer and trade facing pharma and healthcare industry communications.
Clearly this was an advantage from the very beginning.
Not only did we have the in-roads, experience and knowledge to assist PAGB member Dexcel Pharma and their fledgling brand Pyrocalm Control, we also had the systems in place to quickly kick start a strategic route to greater consumer and trade brand awareness.
We began by gaining a greater understanding of the product, the gastro medicine market, the key challenges, target audiences and personas and main competitors.
Innovation was at the forefront of development for this product so when it came to USPs we had plenty to work with.
Not only was Pyrocalm Control launched as the first OTC branded omeprazole 20mg product on the market, it’s also a product that can be used to treat heartburn during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Something its key competitors couldn’t claim.
As heartburn is a common side effect of pregnancy Pyrocalm Control provides another treatment option for mums-to-be who have failed to find long-term symptom relief through lifestyle changes and OTC antacid and alginate treatments which temporarily relieve the condition rather than tackling the cause.
Our introduction to Dexcel Pharma came through the PAGB – the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of branded OTC medicines, self care medical devices and food supplements in the UK.
Alongside forming mission and vision statements and a new tone of voice for Pyrocalm Control, we implemented a pivotal marketing mix strategy to fire up brand recognition and awareness among targeted consumer audiences.
We launched a ‘Block it at the source’ trade campaign in tandem with CIG Healthcare Partnership – which owns a portfolio of pharmacy-facing magazines and pharmacy training services – to bring greater brand awareness and product understanding among pharmacists and their teams.
Setting the design tone
As an associate member of the PAGB we have access to its regulatory advertising services which, combined with our sector PR and design experience, ensures compliancy and efficiency when it comes to handling the often-complex nature of consumer and trade facing pharma and healthcare industry communications.
Clearly this was an advantage from the very beginning.
Not only did we have the in-roads, experience and knowledge to assist PAGB member Dexcel Pharma and their fledgling brand Pyrocalm Control, we also had the systems in place to quickly kick start a strategic route to greater consumer and trade brand awareness.
We began by gaining a greater understanding of the product, the gastro medicine market, the key challenges, target audiences and personas and main competitors.
Innovation was at the forefront of development for this product so when it came to USPs we had plenty to work with.
Not only was Pyrocalm Control launched as the first OTC branded omeprazole 20mg product on the market, it’s also a product that can be used to treat heartburn during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Something its key competitors couldn’t claim.
As heartburn is a common side effect of pregnancy Pyrocalm Control provides another treatment option for mums-to-be who have failed to find long-term symptom relief through lifestyle changes and OTC antacid and alginate treatments which temporarily relieve the condition rather than tackling the cause.
Our introduction to Dexcel Pharma came through the PAGB – the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of branded OTC medicines, self care medical devices and food supplements in the UK.
Alongside forming mission and vision statements and a new tone of voice for Pyrocalm Control, we implemented a pivotal marketing mix strategy to fire up brand recognition and awareness among targeted consumer audiences.
We launched a ‘Block it at the source’ trade campaign in tandem with CIG Healthcare Partnership – which owns a portfolio of pharmacy-facing magazines and pharmacy training services – to bring greater brand awareness and product understanding among pharmacists and their teams.
A multi-channel approach
Every element of PR, creative and digital was linked to firm objectives and KPIs and we worked on brand positioning and identity to give Pyrocalm Control a strong foothold in a highly competitive market
We created a social media presence for the brand across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and expanded owned PR activity through the creation of blogs on the Pyrocalm Control website, providing supportive and informative advice to heartburn sufferers to allow them to make informed decisions on preventing and treating their symptoms.
We launched a consumer ‘Help block it at the source’ media campaign, working with trusted parenting publications and platforms such as Mother & Baby, Healthy Child and Emma’s Diary, national newspapers and lifestyle magazines to reach our varied target audiences.
These include mums-to-be, those with busy working lifestyles and an older demographic more likely to suffer from heartburn.
All of this activity was underpinned by a PPC campaign across Google and Facebook Networks, Spotify and YouTube.
Targeted and consistent, it helped to put Pyrocalm Control on the OTC heartburn treatment radar, giving it the initial amplification it needed among consumers and the trade.
Generating ripples within the existing market
The set audience reach KPI for 2021 was a minimum of 1.5m consumers.
The end result for PR and media campaign activity was an incredible 12.9m-plus!
We continued to apply the same foundational brand building tactics throughout 2022.
And we ended a successful and ground-breaking year for the brand with a festive activation – tis more likely to be the season for heartburn! – introducing the out-of-home (OOH) advertising for the first time.
Targeting commuter audiences across key London Underground stations and national radio advertising on Heart and Smooth FM, we rolled out a ‘No time for heartburn’ campaign.
This was supported by press advertisements in the Metro, PPC, Facebook, Instagram and Google Network ads and festive heartburn advertorials across national newspapers, supplements and lifestyle magazines.
2022’s activity gave the brand a combined audience reach of 30m – yes, that’s around half of the UK population – helping to position Pyrocalm Control as a truly emerging household brand.
Disrupting the market
Initially available in community pharmacy and online pharmacy outlets, mid-way through 2021 Pyrocalm Control’s presence caught the eye of its first major high street retailer with Superdrug launching the brand into nationwide stores and online.
This sparked a real turning point for this challenger brand and in 2022 – just 18 months into our strategic partnership there was a flurry of interest and subsequent buy in from the UK’s largest multiple retailers including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Boots, Home Bargains and B&M.
Smashing targets and stratospheric stats
Our initial 2021 targeted and combined approach through PR and digital campaigns saw an audience reach of over 13m, far exceeding its 3m objective.
- In 2022 their new website gave a stratospheric boost to stats, increasing organic users by 137% YOY and organic sessions by 118% YOY.
- The number of keywords ranked grew 859% (from 39 to 374 in total) and organic impressions increased 925% in Q1 2023 compared to Q1 2022.
- Paid users increased 468%, paid sessions increased 508% and visitors to the site from Pyrocalm Control’s social channels grew 4,517%
It’s social channels also took off.
- Facebook following grew 84% YOY, engagement increased 207% and reach increased 2,777%.
- On Instagram following increased 1,210% YOY alongside an increased reach of 693% and a 945% increase in engagement.
The marrying of PR and digital helped to drive huge growth in brand awareness and product sales and, of course, a much-coveted increasing market share.
The buoyancy of the marketing impact and increasing profitability of Pyrocalm Control continues to attract larger marketing budgets YOY, allowing us to expand our strategic horizons, goals and of course the excitement of taking Pyrocalm Control to new, unexplored frontiers!
Here to take on the challenger!
There’s so much more to come for this ‘challenger brand’ which now holds a significant share of the heartburn and indigestion market.
OOH campaigns are set to go national, we’re running targeted PPC on Spotify and YouTube, and we’re heightening the creative application of the brand as we speak.
So, to end this David and Goliath story with a marketing morale…
The to-date success of Pyrocalm Control isn’t just a heart-warming tale for Dexcel Pharma and us as a pharmaceutical marketing agency, it’s an incentive and example for all those challenger brands out there who are fighting for attention among the much larger, well-established brands.
It’s proof you don’t need those bottomless pockets.
What you do need is high-quality and value for money strategic expertise, ambitious marketeers, solution-led strategies and in-depth market knowledge and understanding – along with a team of digital, PR and design experts who take the time to get under the skin of your business.
And that’s Cornerstone design and marketing.
We have a reputation for working with some of the UK’s best-known healthcare and pharmaceutical brands alongside leading OTC medicine manufacturers and suppliers.
From results-driven strategic campaigns to marketing research, re-branding, design, PR, digital and web development, we have extensive experience in both B2B and B2C creative communications.
We’ll leave the last word to our client…
Cornerstone are a unique PR/ Marketing Agency who provide one of the most competitive holistic services versus many competitor agencies. The team are knowledgeable in their field of expertise, enthusiastic, fun, extremely creative, joint collaborative thinking, positive approach to new and existing projects, always ahead of the game, and great at managing tight deadlines and last-minute requests. I would recommend this agency with no hesitation; their work speaks for itself!