GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s 42-year-old brand Eno (the brand was born in 1850 but launched in India in 1972), the leader in the Rs 750-crore antacid market in India, is looking to connect with the youth. The company’s research shows the brand appeals to an older audience-in the 30-35 year age group — while a larger section of the youth is also a potential target base what with the increasing incidence of gastric problems among this demographic profile.
So Eno has launched a cola flavour (Eno operates in the powder category of the antacid market) and the supporting campaign positions Eno cola as the ‘sahi’ cola (royal cola). The cola flavour is an outcome of GSK’s recent consumer insight data that says one in four consumers prefer cola-based carbonated soft drinks to treat acidity. The new flavour adds to the current list of Eno’s fruit-flavoured portfolio that includes variants such as orange, musambi, pineapple and guava.
With the cola flavour, GSK hopes to widen Eno’s consumer base and so its television commercial specifically targets the 16-plus age group, who are non-users of the brand but would like to try the product. This was, precisely, the brief from GSK to its creative agency Ogilvy & Mather.
Mind you, fighting on flavour is not new to Eno. Way back in 1991 the company tried to differentiate the brand on the flavour platform and relaunched Eno in a refreshing lemon variant. Since then it has launched other flavours like pudina to connect with the Indian consumer. Jayant Singh, marketing director, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH), India, says, “For years acidity in India has been treated through home-made remedies where ingredients like orange, pudina, musambi and lemon, that are perceived to have strong digestive qualities, have played an important role. Keeping this in mind, GSK has developed these flavours for Eno that would appeal to the Indian consumer.”
Eno, at present, is produced at GSKCH’s manufacturing units in Nabha (Punjab), Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh) and Sonepat (Haryana). “The engagement with wholesalers (60 per cent of volume gets sold through wholesalers) has been an important leg to get the product a wider distribution,” says Singh, adding, “Eno is sold across 1.5 million outlets in India. Along with display contests, a drive is being organised for the modern (retail) trade in the launch month (of sahi cola).”
The antacid market in India has three formats such as liquid (Gelusil, Diegene etc), tablet (Pundinhara, Diegene etc) and powder (Eno leads the instant powder segment with accounts for 99 per cent share).
Thumbnail Pictures’ Sudip Bandopadhyaya is the director of the new Eno Cola television commercial (TVC). The TVC shows an Indian arranged marriage situation and shows how excitement and acidity are integral to such occasions. “We wanted to present Eno cola as a functional benefit that provides the fastest solution to acidity, yet being an enjoyable option of remedy. Apart from the TVC and an innovative print advertisement, some below-the-line initiatives for Eno will focus on visibility at the point of sale and sampling at locations marked as ‘moment of suffering’ — such as restaurants and food courts where acidity is likely to occur after a tasty/spicy meal,” GSKCH’s Singh adds.