Q&A: 100% OTC focus
Drug Store News recently spoke with Greg Bradley, president and CEO of Advantage Consumer Healthcare (Booth #368) about the OTC healthcare space.
Drug Store News: What does Advantage Consumer Healthcare do?
Greg Bradley: We are a full-service sales, marketing and supply chain company completely dedicated to OTC healthcare brands. From strategic planning all the way through to sales execution and supply chain management, we offer the full suite of capabilities brands need to succeed in the OTC healthcare space.
Our clients all have one thing in common: They have OTC healthcare brands and want to win in the marketplace. These include Rx to OTC switches, new brands that require great launch execution and existing brands trying to optimize their performance in the marketplace. Our clients like the fact that our capabilities in strategic planning, complete supply chain execution and HQ and retail selling provide them with a one-stop shop, turnkey solution.
DSN: What did you do before founding Advantage Consumer Healthcare?
Bradley: I’ve been in the consumer packaged goods industry for 29 years, most recently as head of the U.S. operating team for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. GSK is a great OTC healthcare company. During my tenure there, I was given the opportunity to execute five OTC switches and play a pivotal leadership role in multiple healthcare categories. This experience really taught me exactly what it takes to launch, develop and grow OTC healthcare brands. It also gave me a unique understanding of our clients’ needs, which I have tried to infuse into Advantage Consumer Healthcare.
DSN: What inspired you to start a new company in the middle of a recession?
Bradley: Great question. No doubt it’s tough to start a new organization in any economy, but we believe the opportunity to serve a growing need is truly there. Healthcare reform, coupled with the consumers’ desire to control their own healthcare choices, suggests that OTC health care at retail will continue to flourish. To meet this opportunity, we merged the know-how and focused capabilities of major OTC healthcare companies with the best-in-class resources of Advantage Sales and Marketing. The result is a comprehensive, effective and efficient solution for OTC healthcare brands.
DSN: You’ve won a lot of new business in your first nine months. Why have you been so successful?
Bradley: It’s been a great year for us so far, and we’ll be announcing more new clients soon. We picked up six key clients, including three OTC switches. As I mentioned before, we started Advantage Consumer Healthcare (AdvantageCHC.com) to meet an unmet market need. I think our laser-like focus on serving OTC healthcare brands is the reason behind our success. Across the spectrum of sales, marketing and supply chain capabilities, there’s a real and growing demand for OTC healthcare-specific expertise. We’re here to meet that demand.