BUSCOPAN PR campaign Romania

Action Romania March 2008

Requirements/ Your brief :

Following a four-year history as Prescription Medicine in Romania, BUSCOPAN is now being re-launched as an OTC medicine, therefore a strong brand awareness for consumers needs to be built, to support and complement the advertising campaign to start in the autumn, including TV.

Target audience: women, living in urban areas, high income and high education, focused on quality lifestyle.

Background:
Buscopan: Number 1 worldwide medicine against abdominal pain caused by the stress of modern life Premium price, top quality, for 50 years on the market, highly successful In Romania, it has been sold as a prescription medicine since 2004, this year it has shifted to OTC Awareness at the level of pharmacists and doctors is relatively high, consumer awareness is very low

Background:
In an informal mystery shopper tour of pharmacies, it was revealed that pharmacists indeed know the product but: Most of them were not aware that the product is already available without prescription They say there have been very few prescriptions for Buscopan in recent years, therefore their conclusion was that doctors are not aware or in favor of it People dont know the product, they could buy it only if we recommend it

Background:
The key competitor in Romania, No - Spa, is offering a lower-price product, entirely chemically processed, and has a market share of 80% with strong promotion and visibility BUSCOPAN will start an advertising campaign in the autumn but there are no restrictions to communicate the brand earlier through other means The PR campaign should continue after the ATL one starts, to maximize impact

Communication objectives:
Educate key media in relation to the benefits of Buscopan

Strengthen brand awareness in the mind of end-consumers and communicate product qualities
Inform the KOLs (the pharmacists) about the products status change (BUSCOPAN is now being re-launched as an OTC medicine and can be recommended without prescription) Prepare the ground for future communication, in a consistent manner that will ultimately help boost sales

Key Messages
Proposed key messages to be further refined BUSCOPAN improves the quality of modern life For an active, modern woman, always in action, BUSCOPAN is an ally for a busy, stressful lifestyle Based on a plant extract, BUSCOPAN is the efficient remedy against abdominal pain and digestive discomfort Buscopan is the No.1 remedy worldwide against abdominal pain

These key messages will be communicated constantly through all tools, to lead to increased brand awareness

Proposed strategy:

Given the above elements, Action PR recommends a cost effective, ongoing PR campaign (April-December and beyond), to raise awareness of BUSCOPAN, through three key sets of tools: Media relations, focusing on consumer and lifestyle media, as well as general media Consumer PR, through online communication, PR stunts or events focusing directly on consumers, sponsorship opportunity B2B activities, targeting mainly pharmacists (KOL program) The three main directions should alternate, being very impactful in different ways. Whenever possible, any other tool or event to be communicated through media relations, for an increased impact. This mix of activities will provide an effective feedback with regards to which tool would be the most effective and which should be used more often going forward Given the very aggressive ongoing campaign (mainly ATL) run by No-Spa, this mix should be intense, creative and different for strong results

Proposed Tactics
Media relations PR Blitz Media Competitions Other tools ongoing media relations support, press office function Consumer PR Online campaign Sponsorship support Consumer caravan, Be aware, be comfortable KOL program Health conference

I. Media relations tools PR Blitz

Instead of organising a media event, we recommend the campaign to start in a very intense but different manner for the following reasons:
While Buscopan is being re-launched as an OTC medicine, we cant talk about a proper launch, since the medicine has been on the market for some time As a result, the results would not justify the high costs of an event The PR Blitz is a classical PR tactic used to directly interact with the media representatives and have the opportunity to present the key messages in an effective and tailored manner The main target of the PR Blitz: print media journalists, from dailies and weeklies to consumer/ lifestyle Main steps:

1) 2)

Raising the curiosity through a 2-part teasing Revealing the message through a PR blitz or a direct mailing

PR Blitz: Step 1 The teasing

A book with traditional recipes will be delivered to the targeted journalists (e.g. traditional Easter recipes; heavy, greasy courses, etc)

After two days, the journalists will receive an anonymous kit with traditional remedies for stomach ache and an explicative letter written in a humoristic manner. The identity of the sender will remain unknown.

PR Blitz: Step 2 News-desk visits

An Action PR representative will visit the main editorial rooms where the teaser has been sent. A small gift containing the product, the press release and an incentive will be delivered and the identity of the sender of the teasers will be revealed The impact is high and the message can reach not only the targeted journalists, but also all the people present in the editorial room at the time.

Option 2 Direct mailing campaign, as an alternative to the PR Blitz

A direct mailing is an alternative method to deliver the message The product together with the press release and a small incentive in an special package will be delivered by a messenger to the journalist that received the first two teasers Advantages: smaller costs Disadvantages: the message is noticed by less people and the impact in smaller than when you deliver it personally and have the chance to talk with the journalists and explain what is the novelty and why it must be communicated.

Media competitions
In the summer period, we propose a campaign of advertorials with a contest, in 3 large audience magazines, in order to cover the lifestyle magazines audience
The advertorial should have a nonconformist format, and be written in an amusing style (Brigit Jones diary type for example) To be sure that the advertorial is read and the message transmitted, it should contain a contest of stories sent by the readers with the same theme as the one covered by the advertorial text. Also, the prize should be related to the theme, not necessarily something expensive, but effective.

Proposed publication: Cosmopolitan, Avantaje and Prevention

Ongoing media relations support

An ongoing media relations campaign, started with the PR Blitz, will reinforce the message Media relations will be conducted as a reinforcement for the ATL campaign as well as an independent tool to strengthen the brand

Examples of media relations tools: Press trip In order to underline the unique way that Buscopan is produced, we recommend inviting a key journalist to a production unit, to see and learn Press releases Announcing the start of the ATL campaign, in media and marketing publications everything about it columns and

Interviews Mainly in daily and business media, with the product manager, on how important Romania is as a market for Buscopan etc. By communicating the targets and commitment to the market, we communicate the brand in an indirect manner

Features Modern life trends on how to fight stress and food disorder, in which BI representative is quoted as an expert (E.g. Buscopan Product Manager)
Press office function As the informative campaign advances, there will be media enquiries to be PR will collect questions and draft answers responded. Action

II. Consumer PR Online campaign

Starting with May we propose to start a campaign of posts on the specialized forums and chatrooms, to spread the word on Buscopan This is a very effective tool, particularly since the target audience is Internet frequent user We propose this timing in order to correlate it with the first information about the product that will appear as a result of the PR blitz unrolled in April The campaign should go on for an indefinite period; the discussion on these forums should be monitored all the time and comments posted frequently in order to rise the products awareness. Target: young, well informed people who use mainly the internet as a way of information

II. Consumer PR Online campaign partnership with womens portal

Since Internet is gaining ground by the day, the web community for women is more powerful every day We suggest a partnership with a womens portal for a package of benefits that will contribute to an increased awareness, including a column signed by Buscopan product manager, which will present and launch for debate digestive problems, stress-caused discomfort etc. We recommend FEMINIS.ro, a relatively new portal, developed by the same team that launched the first women portal, the very successful Eva.ro. The package could contain a by-lined column, a competition and a banne, with long term visibility

II. Consumer PR Sponsorship support

To make Buscopan brand increase coolness, we recommend an association with a really cool brand, highly appreciated by the target group Razvan Mazilu, one of the most successful entertainers, prepares a new show that will surely become a hit Due to RMs reputation, the show will benefit from strong media partnerships, that will also include partners logos The show will premiere in the autumn, with a strong promotion campaign starting September (shows poster, including partners logo, published heavily in media) The timing is great, a decision needs to be made soon, as other companies in the sector have expressed strong interest

Rzvan Mazilu nseamn sli pline i un public copleit la finalul fiecrui spectacol Romnia Liber ...un geniu n dans, un artist complet, o persoan de impecabil calitate uman Ziarul Financiar/ Ziarul de Duminic ...un 'brand' cu succes garantat Radio Romnia

II. Consumer PR Sponsorship support

We recommend the main key message to be communicated through the sponsorship opportunity to be Buscopan worldwide leadership in its sector (the principle being leaders associate) The presence of the logo on the poster (hence media) and show leaflet will encourage spectators to look for further information on Buscopan We could negotiate a package of benefits for BI This sponsorship opportunity can bring many benefits including: Brand awareness and improved perception (it can be extended to both BI and Buscopan) Visibility in media through media partnerships, that will complement the ATL campaign, therefore reaching more people with an effective cost Reaching potential target audience directly An especially written teasing leaflet with key information on Buscopan could be offered to the spectators, in the lobby of the theatre

Be aware, be comfortable! Consumer awareness campaign

An activity with direct impact on the target group can be organised around Easter, through a Buscopan mini-caravan in selected gyms or/ and beaty salons in Bucharest, as a pilot phase Objective: increase brand awareness and encourage representatives of the target group to start using Buscopan Mechanics: a Buscopan representative wearing green and yellow T-shirt will visit gyms and beauty salons (the selected venues will be contacted in advance to make sure they are willing to help) The clients will be offered yellow and green balloons and will be given an informative letter, written in a tailored manner and describing briefly the Buscopan advantages, as a reliable ally for Easter The selected gyms can be offered some Buscopan pills, for their first-aid kit, or a mini first-aid kit from Boehringer, including Buscopan

The launch of www.buscopan.ro

The launch of an interactive site where consumers can read the latest news from the medical area, but also lifestyle novelties, and where they can ask for advice from a medical authority can be an effective PR tool. A lot of information can be spread to the large public and the consumers reaction face the product can also be easily evaluate it. The launching of the site will be communicated through a press release. It can be also briefly announced at the end of the advertising TV spot or on the product package.

III. KOL Campaign Health Conference

Considering that the KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) are very important in the increasing brand awareness of Buscopan, we recommend a health conference to be organized in partnership with a highly recognized KOL, dr. Oana Cuzino, editorial director of a large audience magazine Ce se intampla, doctore?and also the hostess of a TV show with the same name on PRO TV. The conference will be unrolled under the umbrella of the theme "Help yourself guidelines for strong, independent women

III. KOL Campaign Health Conference

The conferences agenda will contain speeches of specialists in domain of interest for an active women and activities to illustrate ways that modern, active women can use to face the stress of the daily life (workshops of personal development and personal care - nutrition, gynecology, sport, yoga) Timing: The third week of May Speakers: dr. Oana Cuzino, as host, and specialists in each domain from the conferences agenda The audience will be formed by important VIPs women and readers of CSD? Magazine. Special invitation to attend the conference will be sent to pharmacists representatives in order to reach also to this important target for the dissemination of information to the final consumer.

IV. Insert of product sample in a lifestyle&medical magazine Ce se intampla, doctore?

Information about the health conference will appear in June's issue of the magazine. The message sent by the health conference can be reinforced by inserting sample of the product in the magazine package. This way, the consumers will have the opportunity to test the product and discover its qualities. If, for any legal or practical restrictions, the medicine cannot be distributed via the magazine, we recommend another type of insert, such as a Holiday Calendar to be inserted in the magazine, as a creative means to inform women that they should have Buscopan travelling with them during the summer holidays The whole concept of the insert can be developed in detail if the initial feedback is positive

Activities Time Line

No. Activity

April

May

June

July

August

September

Octomber

November

December

W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5

Teaser activities for PR Blitz 1 PR Blitz in the main lifestyle redaction 2 Posts on specialised forums 3 Health conference 4 5 Insert of product sample in a lifestyle&medical magazine - CSD? Advertorial campaign with an interactive contest www.buscopan.ro launching campaign 6 Continous site updaiting 7 Media pitches for cover stories in daily publications

Proposed Media List:

Relevant media to be selected for each type of activity. Media list to be updated on a regular basis.
News agencies Rompres Mediafax NewsIn Print media general (health column/ page/ supplement) Romania Libera, daily Jurnalul National, daily Evenimentul Zilei, daily Adevarul, daily Curierul National, daily Cotidianul, daily Gandul, daily Online Cardio.ro Dr. Maximilian Constantinescu
Print media business Banii Nostri, weekly, Sanatate (Health) supplement Ziarul Financiar, business daily Capital, business weekly Specialized media with a lifestyle approach Ce se intampla, doctore?, health monthly Sana, health monthly Prevention, health monthly

Lifestyle/ womens magazines Avantaje Tango Cosmo Bolero

TV

Sanatateatv.ro (online TV) Realitatea TV

Agency Services
For maximum efficiency, we suggest a retainer approach (flat fee for at least nine months, April-December, for a proposed fee of 1,500 EUR per month, equivalent of only 15 agency hours per month, on average. The retainer fee will include the full support for three of the following activities: PR Blitz (estimated time project-based 50 hours) Online informative campaign (estimated project-based time 16 hours per month, 4 hours per week) Sponsorship support (negotiating package, managing partnership, providing materials, estimated project-base timing 15 hours) Media competitions (estimated project-based time, 6 hours per competition, 3 competitions) Ongoing media relations and press office function, to support awareness and maintain relation to key media (estimated time 12 hours per month) On top of these ongoing activities, other proposed activities can be considered one-off projects and can be implemented if budget is available. Detailed proposals can be prepared for the activities that receive positive feedback. Health Conference with Oana Cuzino Be aware, be comfortable sampling campaign Feminis campaign www.buscopan.ro launch Depending on client feedback, detailed costs (third-party costs) will be provided for each type of selected activity.

THANK YOU!