X/Procure® - Electronic Procurement & Media Solutions

Norgine Pharmaceuticals embarked on a year-long campaign with X/procure® – Primedia Unlimited’s subsidiary specialising in direct-to-pharmacists advertising. The company tasked X/procure®™ to focus on its constipation-relieving product – Movicol. The objective was to become number one in the laxative category and the result was an amazing 48.6% increase over the 12-month campaign period. “In June 2005 the product was 2nd in the IMS category, behind competitor Agiolax,” says Deon Lewis, Managing Director for X/procure®. “However, the benefit of our system allowed targeted communication to reach pharmacists directly, thereby educating and reminding them about Movicol as an alternate means of treatment. The results speak for themselves!” An aggressive advertising campaign including a linked advert, whereby a product or category search can be linked to the desired product, screen saver and banners were the tools used to promote Movicol. Whilst Movicol gained significant market share, competitor Agiolax lost close to 24% of its market share during this time, according to IMS and X/procure® generated research. 

Cipla Medpro approached Primedia Unlimited subsidiary X/procure® to aid the company in achieving brand domination and top of mind awareness with pharmacists. Apart from seeking actual measurement of its products vs competitor’s performance in the pharmacy, Cipla wanted to be X/procure®’s preferred generics partner through its unmatched database reaching over 1100 ordering- and 700 dispensing- pharmacies. “To achieve the brand dominance Cipla Medpro was seeking, we suggested 3550 advertising screens to increase interaction at point of order, point of dispense and point of sale,” says Deon Lewis, Managing Director for X/procure®.“At point of order, we ensured that the majority of Cipla generics were visible to the pharmacist, reinforcing the brand, increasing the propensity of ordering and maintaining top of mind awareness,” he says. ”Again at the point of dispense, and as a result of the advertising, pharmacists were encouraged to suggest alternate Cipla treatments while engaging with consumers. Brand awareness was reinforced at every point of interaction.”“Finally, at the point of sale, the teller had an opportunity to suggest complimentary products to boost last minute purchases and endorse in-store promotions,” concludes Deon.