GlaxoSmithKline PLC’s Consumer Healthcare business could ease the pain of slumping sales for Excedrin Migraine with a campaign using "augmented reality" technology to open a window to the day-to-day struggles of migraine sufferers.

“The Migraine Experience” campaign could provide a much-needed bump for the brand's sales, which fell 11.4% from the year-ago period to $70.5m for the 52 weeks ended March 20, according to market research firm IRI's data from multi-outlet mass retail chains including convenience stores, military commissaries and select club and budget retail chains.

For the 12 week-period ended March 20, sales of the brand slipped 19.2% to $14.8m, Chicago-based IRI reported.

The multi-media campaign is the first major promotion for Excedrin Migraine (acetaminophen 250mg/aspirin 250mg/caffeine 65mg) since Novartis AG folded it and its other OTC brands into a consumer health care joint venture with GSK in early 2015 ([A#05150511008]).

Novartis' entry into the JV partly was influenced by the firm's desire to elevate the iconic brand after manufacturing problems at its Lincoln, Neb., facility in 2013 led to recalls of Excedrin and other brands and to a halt to OTC production at the site Also see "Novartis OTC Plant Troubled By Quality Failures A Year After Shutdown" - Pink Sheet, 6 May, 2013..

Excedrin Migraine was the first non-prescription medicine FDA approved to treat the symptoms of a migraine, including pain, nausea and sensitivity to light and/or sound.

Sales for Excedrin Migraine are higher than original Excedrin, which were up 1.54% to $69.05m for the 52-week period but flat at $15.8m, up 0.49%, for the 12 weeks, according to IRI's data (see table below).

Overall, the Excedrin brand has an uphill battle against competitors in the US analgesic tablet market. Private label analgesics dominate the $3.67bn category with sales of $1.23bn for the 52 weeks, up 2.5% from the year-ago period.

Bayer Healthcare LLC is the category leader among brand marketers, with total sales of $660.4m, down 2.1%, for the 52-week period, according to IRI.

Augmenting To Conceptualize Health Condition

Approximately 36m people in the US suffer from migraines, GSK notes in an April 6 release. The campaign will include two TV spots, an app and website advertising targeted to all consumers who suffer migraines, but particularly women ages 25 to 53.

“Excedrin's 'The Migraine Experience' campaign is a substantial program for the brand and for GSK Consumer Healthcare,” a GSK spokeswoman said in an email.

She noted the ads are among the first to use augmented reality technology to conceptualize a health condition. The technology, experienced through visual simulators like those commonly associated with virtual reality, creates common symptoms and sensations, excluding pain, that migraine sufferers experience.

The ads are intended to help other consumers better understand the experience of a migraine, says GSK. “Excedrin is proud to be driving the category toward fostering a more understanding, empathetic environment for sufferers,” the spokeswoman said.

An online ad features migraine patients accompanied by a spouse or friend who does not suffer the affliction and those persons' reactions to the augmented reality of what migraine sufferers commonly experience – symptoms including the appearance of spots or a light aura, disorientation and blurred vision.

“Once the non-sufferer experienced what his/her partner goes through during a migraine, their increased understanding led to a reaction full of empathy and love, which, until now, was harder to identify,” GSK says.

The ad is available on numerous websites and the firm will make the brand's Migraine Experience app available on Apple and Android for free in May.

GSK declined to discuss how much it is spending on the campaign or whether the campaign marks the start of an aggressive promotional push for the brand.

'Migraine Experience' Debuts Excedrin Advertising By Glaxo/Novartis JV

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