Sensodyne rides on Shatabdi to address 'sensitivity'

GSK Consumer Healthcare shifts focus from traditional outdoor formats to Shatabdi trains as the consumer touch point for its ongoing campaign, 'Wake up to Sensitivity'.

GSK Consumer Healthcare recently rolled out a campaign titled, 'Wake up to Sensitivity' which urges sufferers to shake off the inertia and switch to the desensitising toothpaste Sensodyne.

Launched in 2011, Sensodyne is GSK's oral healthcare brand targetted at people with sensitive teeth. Surpassing its competitor Colgate in 2013, Sensodyne was named India's No.1 'dentist recommended brand' for sensitive teeth last year by TNS, an independent market research firm that surveyed over 500 dentists nationwide. While it seems like the brand/category has arrived, not only in terms of growing awareness, but also market share, Prashant Pandey - marketing director, GSK Consumer Healthcare, gives us another perspective on the issue.

"In India, 35 per cent of adults suffer from sensitivity, out of which, currently, only one in five sufferers take any remedial action. This could be visiting a dentist or using specialised toothpaste for sensitive teeth. The rest either live with the problem or have devised strategies to cope with it, for example: avoidance of food that causes sensitivity and waiting for hot beverages to cool down before drinking them," says Pandey.

'Wake Up to Sensitivity', he informs, is an initiative to educate consumers and diagnose their condition through various activities, like the 'Chill Test' or the pen and paper test called 'Sensitometer'. It aims to raise awareness, aid in self diagnosis and inspire sufferers to take curative measures to deal with the problem.

Conceptualised and executed by the brand's agencies - Grey Worldwide, Wunderman Digital and Mindshare - the campaign that began in mid July will run for 30 days across mediums including print, digital, radio and television. The emphasis, however, will be on on-ground activation and sampling initiatives in Shatabdi trains, corporate houses and modern trade outlets, along with door-to-door sampling, where the offline 'Sensitometer' test will be administered simultaneously.

The digital campaign will lead the user to the online version of the test, ending with an option to ask for a sample of Sensodyne on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, website and mobile.

Although GSK has used these channels to popularise the brand earlier, the difference this time is that the audience is being nudged to take action. Elaborating further, Pandey says, "Last year, our core intent was to establish tooth sensitivity as an issue in India and reiterate the proposition that a sensitivity-free life is a no-compromise life. This year, we are popularising the tool to self diagnose tooth sensitivity on various media channels. As word-of-mouth has emerged as a critical lever to drive trials, we will also be seeking stories of relief from real users and share their positive stories on radio call-ins, mobile and social media platforms, thus inspiring others to change."

Last year, GSK rolled out a campaign to connect with over 20 lakh people through the 'Sensodyne Roadshow', featuring a canter that travelled across areas with high footfalls in various cities. This time, the scale and reach of the campaign has been extended to 45 Tier 1 and II cities, where the aim is to connect with over two crore people. Door-to-door sampling is currently underway in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. For Shatabdi sampling, GSK has chosen routes in and out of Delhi.

Vibha Desai, an independent advertising and marketing consultant, thinks that the campaign will be "high on reach and impact," particularly because of the choice of the consumer touch point. "Unlike a billboard or kiosk where you just pass by the message, railways give you a captive audience that is essentially bored," she says, adding that, in such a situation, they will be willing to listen to new ideas.