Digital, social, mobile gives Mentholatum momentum with the millennial market
For The Mentholatum Company, improving the quality of its marketing efforts — and hence, doing an effective job of reaching its target demographic in the New General Market — is heavily predicated on shifting more activity to digital, social and mobile platforms.
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The company’s Rohto eye drops have a strong millennial following, and it continues to strengthen its connection to these customers through two-way dialogue that incorporates digital and social media. The Rohto line features a variety of formulations to provide the desired cosmetic benefit of whitening via its redness relievers (Rohto Cool and Cool Max), as well as alleviating multiple symptoms, such as redness, dry eye, itch and burn (Rohto Ice). Accordingly, Mentholatum used a “Zombies” campaign to engage consumers, taking advantage of the recent pop culture phenomenon seen “everywhere from TV programming, video games and merchandise to events and more.”
“Using the Rohto success as a guide, we’ve refined our approach on other key brands,” said Mike Carroll, VP sales and marketing. Metholatum’s marketing campaign for OXY acne medication is “heavy on digital and social activity,” with an app that delivers individualized daily acne care regimen and education. The app was developed under the umbrella of the OXY 28 Day Challenge campaign, which promotes the correct use of OXY pads, face washes and spot treatments for optimal efficacy. The app allows teens and young millennials to get an acne care regimen by self-diagnosing their condition, and subsequently, to measure progress with before and after pictures, as well as receive reminders to increase compliance and show clear results. An influencer program — centered on key bloggers who share the OXY 28 Day Challenge with teens and their moms via a blogging page, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest — supports the campaign.
By “communicating directly with core acne consumers, we have the ability to strengthen not only our brand, but the entire acne category for our retail partners,” Carroll said. “Our message emphasizes that seeing positive results requires a regimen and time. Knowing how to use OTC acne treatments properly increases efficacy, ultimately encouraging consumers to return to the category.”
Initiatives to connect directly with current and potential new customers also extend to more established categories, like chest rubs. The issues of strong scent and messy application — which have typically driven away previous category users — have been addressed in the company’s most recent Mentholatum launches, with digital and social media directly communicating the advantages of the new formulations to “a new emerging core consumer in ways that broad-based advertising never could,” Carroll stated. Social media support via Facebook was recently implemented to bolster existing retail promotions and demonstrate how Mentholatum chest rubs satisfy consumers’ desire for natural cold-cough remedies. Market share increases trended 50% above control markets in those areas.
Celebrity mentions and social influencers complement these efforts. A recent feature in Allure magazine cited Rohto eye drops as a “Top 9” product actress Charlize Theron cannot live without. “These types of mentions drive social media activity of our highly loyal followers and further strengthen the premium positioning of our brand,” Carroll noted. Social influencers, specifically bloggers that address topics relative to teens and/or moms of teens, are critical to the success of the OXY 28 Day Challenge platform. Most of these bloggers, Carroll observed, “have frequent tips on beauty and skin care. Our focus initially was for preparation for prom, and we will repeat our message later this summer with back-to-school prep.”
Carroll suggested that retailers, too, can work independently and with brands to help them better serve the needs of the emerging consumer. For example, they can cross-merchandise Rohto eye drops in beauty and cosmetic aisles, helping to arm shoppers with a new trick to brighten their face and complement their makeup with beautiful, brighter eyes while increasing sales and profits by serving a previously unknown need. The OXY 28 Day Challenge encompasses full digital assets that can easily be incorporated into digital platforms maintained by Mentholatum’s retail partners.
Retailers can also revamp stores to better cater to the New General Market, without frustrating shoppers, Carroll asserted, adding that shopper education and guidance work across all categories. When it comes to eye drops, easy-to-read information about what different eye drops do for each symptom and suggestions for alternative usage — such as redness relievers for cosmetic and beauty purposes — can make the eye drops category easier to shop. Similarly, in the acne category, offering tips on how to take care of acne and separating products that have active ingredients from those that don’t can greatly improve shoppers’ understanding, boosting sales.