P&G Health ventures into the sleep wellness category in India

Vicks, from the house of P&G Health, has ventured into the sleep wellness category in India, with the launch of Vicks ZzzQuil Natura - an occasional sleep aid supplement. The brand already has a presence in the USA, Europe and Philippines.

 

It also launched a TVC for the same, which showcases how a good night’s sleep is essential for one to be feel energised the next day and do things as required. The film has been conceptualised by Grey India. 

 

 

On the sidelines of the launch, we caught up with Sahil Sethi, senior marketing director, P&G Health, who spoke about the insight behind the category launch in India, the marketing strategies, target audiences and the way forward for the brand. 

 

Edited excerpts: 

 

What is the insight behind launching this product in India?

 

We know that occasional sleeplessness is one big concern for Indians and that a lot of them are not getting a night of good quality sleep. Post-pandemic, there has been pandemic-induced occasional sleeplessness as well, which heightened this problem. The reason for bringing the product to India is to help our consumers by addressing the problem via this product for a good night’s sleep.

 

Why have you chosen gummy bears as a format for the product even though it’s only gaining popularity recently and mostly just among the millennials?

 

We always aspire to get irresistibly superior products to our consumers and make sure that they enjoy them. This particular format is very unique to supplements. It also adds to the experience that consumers have when they consume it versus other typical formats which are available for supplements.

 

Sleep supplements as sleep aids are met with quite the question. How do you plan on convincing consumers about the safety of the product?

 

There is not a lot that is happening in terms of creating awareness about sleeplessness. So, there definitely is a lot of opportunity for educating them in this regard. It is going to be a long-term task, which is what we believe that the series of activities we have planned will do. 

 

Do you have a targeted timeline to reach most of the Indian population? 

 

Habit creation is something which takes time and has done well in other markets where the product has been launched. I believe that even here, it will be well accepted by the consumers. I wouldn’t like to keep a timeline, since it is a continuous effort. 

 

What is the brand’s media mix going to comprise?

 

We always look at where our consumers are and what our consumers are consuming in terms of content and platforms. It could include digital TV or connected TV, digital media and social media. We continue to see how the different touchpoints are doing and evolve our mix based on that.

 

Are we going to see any other campaigns for this product anytime soon?

 

Definitely. There are tons of exciting activities planned and I am sure I will be able to share a lot more once we get there. But, we do have something aligned.

 

Your target audience is not restricted to one particular age group. How then, are you planning on marketing differently to different groups?

 

The prime prospect for this particular product will be people aged between 25-55. That is the age group that we are definitely looking into. Based on that, the media mix for the younger audience and the relatively older audience will be slightly different. 

 

Depending upon their consumption behaviours, we’ll understand how to target them better. This will be a new category for us and there will be a lot of learning and re-learning that will have to happen over the coming time.