Govt restrictions and marketing dilemmas: The silent campaigns of Nicotine Gum product

In 2023, the Health Ministry's Tobacco Control Division proposed prescriptions for all 2mg nicotine gums, restricting its over-the-counter access.

We are all familiar with the Smoking is Injurious to Health warning. To help people quit smoking, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) such as nicotine gums, lozenges, and patches come as an alternative. It offers products with less nicotine, like gum, patches, and sprays, to reduce cravings and make it easier to stop smoking. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has included it under the essential medicines list. In India, most smokers prefer using nicotine gums as part of NRT when they are given different choices.

As per a report from Research and Markets, the analysis of the NRT industry in India forecasts a robust growth trajectory, with expectations for the market to burgeon to a valuation of $75.74 million (approximately Rs 565 crore) by 2030.

Several healthcare brands sell nicotine gums such as Cipla’s Nicotex and Nicogum, ITC’s Kwiknic, Johnson & Johnson's Nicorette, Pfizer's Champix, and Birlaveda's Quitobac.

The starting price of Nicotex Sugar-Free Ultra Mint Chewing gum containing 2mg of nicotine is from Rs 91, while Nicogum 2mg Sugar-free Gum starts from Rs 63. Champix's starting price range is from Rs 1,800, and Quitobac's price range starts from Rs 33.

The advertising campaigns for these products could not be seen on any platforms anytime after 2019.

Nicotex launched several ad campaigns but lasted only till 2022. The series of campaigns include Chota Pack Badi Shuruat, We Believe You Can, Friends, and more.

ITC’s Kwiknic nicotine chewing gum launched a series of humourous campaigns aimed at people who chew tobacco.

Most smokers in the country have tried quitting in the past and failed because they do not know how to quit. They often do not understand how the category works. Sumanto Chattopadhyay, a freelance creative director shared that when he was working on Kwiknic's campaign, he felt the need to educate users on how to consume the gums.

"There is a particular way of chewing this gum. You will not have the right experience if you think it is like a regular chewing gum. So you have to chew it and then you have to keep it on one side for a while and then again chew it and that is how we presented it in our ads," he explains.

Despite the awareness around the adverse effects of smoking and consuming tobacco, the number of smokers continues to rise. The reality is that numerous individuals attempt to break free from smoking but struggle to succeed.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, 2016-17, nearly 267 million adults (15 years and above) in India (29% of all adults) are users of tobacco. The most prevalent form of tobacco use in India is smokeless tobacco and commonly used products are khaini, gutkha, betel quid (paan) with tobacco, and zarda.

What led to the absence of advertisements?

In India, regulations surrounding nicotine gum advertising are notable for their stringency. Currently, the government is considering further restrictions on the sale and promotion of nicotine gums across the country.

In 2023, the health ministry's Tobacco Control Division (TCD) proposed to limit access to nicotine products containing 2mg as well. The products will now require a prescription instead of being sold over the counter.

Viren Razdan, MD, Brand-nomics, a strategy consulting company, believes that this category’s revenue and market share are wafer-thin (very small). Often, companies are not able to sustain their marketing campaign because it is a huge investment and the product price is low.

“Nicotex has also a pack that costs below Rs 15. At this price point, it becomes difficult for companies to sustain marketing investments because firstly, acceptance of this product is very difficult because smoking is a habit. Secondly, the conversion rate is very low for people buying this,” he says.

Praful Akali, founder, Medulla Communications, an advertising agency specialising in pharma and healthcare communications, shares that his organisation had helped launch the category in India over a decade ago with the launch of Nicorette.

He emphasises brands invest heavily in category education – with consumers and with healthcare professionals. Most smokers in the country have tried quitting in the past and failed because they do not know how to quit. According to Akali, gum is just one of the many steps required to quit smoking – quitting is a journey that is intense for the first three months and then lifelong.

“Unless a brand is willing to invest in creating smoking cessation infrastructure, it will not be able to create a footprint in this category. Unfortunately, most brands are launching in this category using the quick fix of advertising and often end up misleading consumers with their advertising. Accordingly, the restrictions on advertising in this category are quite fair in my opinion,” he says.

Government restrictions affecting consumer accessibility

According to existing government regulations, only nicotine gums containing up to 2mg of nicotine can be sold over the counter, while those with 4mg require a prescription from a doctor for purchase. This regulatory landscape poses challenges for brands operating in the nicotine gum market in India, particularly regarding their positioning strategies.

As per Razdan, tobacco consumption is an extremely well-entrenched habit. Breaking through that habit by using these products in itself is a huge challenge. He explains, “If you look at tobacco consumption, laws, and the entire category and how it is growing, these campaigns in itself are not sustainable enough. The campaigns are government-driven which are statutory regulations and have become a blind spot.”

Naresh Gupta, co-founder, Bang in the Middle, an independent advertising agency, highlights that India has a comprehensive law called the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) passed in 2003 and is also a party to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This law governs nicotine gums too. The Drugs and Magic Remedies Act (DMRA, 1954) covers the advertising for this category.

The COTPA (2003) prohibits of advertisement of tobacco products and its regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution to reduce its use. The DMRA prohibits advertisements of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical properties, and makes doing so a cognisable offence.

“I personally think that the sale of nicotine gums needs to be monitored and should not be made available freely. Most of these therapies need careful monitoring and a health care professional should overlook the whole process. The target is to stop smoking, and that should not mean that consumers replace one form with another,” he adds.

Akali agrees and shares that he also believes that ASCI standards on claims are some of the clearest in the world. Marketing professionals should change their perspective to respect these standards rather than try to find loopholes within them.

Alternative marketing channels?

India has a very large population that is addicted to tobacco and is possibly among the world's largest market for chewing tobacco, apart from tobacco that is smoked, this category needs strict regulations. The question arises whether brands will look for alternative marketing channels to reach consumers effectively within regulatory boundaries.

According to Razdan, there is no visibility in the advertising or marketing landscape where these products have tried anything. Nowadays, several public places including airports have dedicated smoking rooms for travellers and these (cigarettes and tobacco) are the sitting ducks for such products to market themselves.

“I do not recall having seen any of these preventive products being marketed at such lounges. There are a lot of marketing opportunities that have come but I do not think anyone is investing in these new mediums. It is a dormant category because everybody knows that cultivating this category will take a lot of investment. I don't think the value equation settles for companies to make such huge investments. The positioning of these products is very soft and they work on an emotional route.”

Gupta highlights that today with online pharmacies spreading wings and working within the regulatory framework, distribution and placement are not an issue. The chemist network is robust in India and consumers can buy from any pharmacy, including the online one.

Akali says that he is not sure if brands are working on this front. He believes that brands need to identify channels for consumer education and support, be it apps, quitlines, WhatsApp chatbots, healthcare professionals, group therapy workshops, and more rather than trying to explore marketing channels.

“Once we’ve set this up, this is one category where referral programs work wonders because when a smoker has quit successfully, he definitely guides other smokers through the journey,” he adds.