GSK Consumer Healthcare
GSK Consumer Healthcare has made great strides in boosting the allergy, digestive and smoking cessation categories at its retailer partners’ stores.
For allergy, GSK developed new in- and out-of-store activations that are being tested at different retailers, and its brands are changing their narrative to address sufferers’ issues. Consequently, the category, after being flat to even slightly declining at times over the past few years, has begun growing again: For the latest 52 weeks ending Sept. 8, total allergy was up 0.8%, with GSK’s Flonase pacing this growth. Private label has also benefited, up 2.4% as education on different product alternatives increases.
GSK, with such digestive health brands as Prevacid, Tums, Gas-X, Ex-Lax and Benefiber, is championing new go-to-market strategies. The company is now partnering with retailers to better segment the category and develop more targeted shopper marketing activities. This work is paying off, as the $5.7 billion category grew 2.3% in the 52 weeks ending Sept. 8. Unit sales have increased as well, up 1.8%, meaning that current users are buying more, and new users are entering the category.
Key pillars focusing on quit motivations, in-store execution and shopper targeting provided the foundation for a new go-to-market smoking cessation strategy, which has seen concrete merchandising changes as it rolls out to retail. This, combined with new mini-lozenges from GSK’s Nicorette, have kept the category growing while helping more smokers quit. While the category was up 1.7% last year, for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 8, the category increased 2.1% as category growth further accelerates, with Nicorette driving this growth.