Nexium 24HR sells well on promotion

Marketing efficiency can vary significantly across brands and across channels, according to a recent report analyzing the digestive category conducted by Competitive Promotion Report.

(Click here for charts and the full Category Review.)

Almost half of all Nexium 24HR units were sold on promotion for the 12 months ended June 14, but with $279 million in sales, they didn’t match the marketing efficiency of Prilosec OTC, which promoted half as many units and generated more sales ($284 million).

“Nexium 24HR, introduced in May 2014, has aggressively promoted its franchise, reaching more than 70% in units sold on promotion in some months,” said Scott Hanslip, EVP of Competitive Promotion Report. “As a result, Nexium 24HR displayed the highest average units sold on promotion (46%), almost twice that of Prilosec OTC (26%),” he added. Promotions on these proton-pump inhibitors exceeded that of the category (21%), Hanslip added. In comparison, the total units sold on promotion for the laxatives category was 12%.

CPR’s trade-spending analysis indicated that in the upper GI category, the four top national brands experienced lower retailer margin percentages versus the category average (excluding private label), according to Hanslip. The top brands also showed variance in margin percentages across class of trade. Prilosec OTC saw the highest margin percent (18%) in the mass channel; Zantac 150 (24%) led in the food channel; and TUMS Ultra (33%) boasted the highest margin percent in the drug channel.

According to ECRM, private-label brands offered the most circular ads in both upper and lower GI segments, at 7,340 and 8,373, respectively, far outpacing their national brand counterparts. With 23% of those units being sold on promotion, private label represented the greatest marketing efficiency as compared with national brands, with $819 million in annual sales.

Circular ad counts for the lower GI segment indicated that Metamucil offered the highest number of ads (4,300), while in the upper GI segment, Nexium 24HR boasted the highest number of circular ads (3,280).

“Specifically in the drug channel, Metamucil saw the highest count of ads for lower GI (3,844), while Nexium 24HR presented the highest number of circular ad counts (2,413),” Hanslip said. “In both the digestive health segments, private label dominated, offering the most ads for the drug channel (6,581 and 5,352, respectively).”

Drug Store News has partnered with Competitive Promotion Report and IRI on this exclusive report, highlighting the market performance of major brands in upper and lower digestive categories over the past 24 months ending June 14. This analysis was gathered using CPR, IRI and ECRM data in terms of growth in retail sales, retailer margin percentages and retailer ads in the gastrointestinal category.