Otrivin is counting on pollution superhero ‘Aerowin’ to help build brand awareness amongst children

Haleon’s Bineet Jain and Vivek Bhambhani of Grey Group discuss the idea behind the launch of a branded superhero character in ‘Tinkle’ comics.

Otrivin, part of consumer healthcare company Haleon, recently launched a comic book superhero character ‘Aerowin’, in partnership with weekly children’s magazine ‘Tinkle’. This initiative is a part of Otrivin’s ‘Actions to Breathe Cleaner’, a marketing initiative that it has been building on the past few months. 

The initiative aims to build "brand love" with children, says Bineet Jain, area marketing lead - pain and respiratory health (Iodex, Otrivin, Crocin) - India subcontinent, Haleon. 

In December 2022, the brand introduced ‘Pollution Capture Pencils’ made out of waste by-products. These pencils are a part of ‘Actions to Breathe Cleaner’ initiative. They were used in a sketch contest that the brand held at the Delhi chapter of ‘Comic Con India’ in December 2022.

About 400 children participated in the contest that saw them sketch pollution fighting artwork, as per Jain. ‘Aerowin’ is a product of the contest, he adds. 

“We invited children to create their own superhero. We aim to leverage the power of a superhero, who’s doing something good for society, especially around air pollution. Once we selected ‘Aerowin’ to be the superhero character, we brought it to life through our partnership with ‘Tinkle’.”

Jain believes that the initiative is a testament to the brand’s endeavour to improve health literacy and inclusivity.  Adding that the brand isn't really looking to measure the translation of Aerowin to sales for their 'Breathe Clean Nasal Wash', he says, “Beyond driving relief to our consumers through Otrivin, it’s about truly driving the purpose of the brand. Otrivin’s purpose is to help people breathe their best.”

The larger ‘Actions to Breathe Cleaner’ initiative is about promoting small actions that one can undertake every day. Such actions can help to reduce the impact of air pollution on one’s health, Jain adds.

“This is something that we will drive forth in the near future. The content and the storyline for ‘Aerowin’ will be created jointly by Otrivin and the Grey Group.”

Vivek Bhambhani, executive creative director - Delhi & Mumbai, Grey Group, the creative agency for Otrivin, states that the partnership with ‘Tinkle’ was undertaken because it’s popular with the audience base, kids, that they’d like to connect with. 

“Once the character was created, we decided to popularise that character by introducing it in Tinkle so more kids know about it. The character appears in the comic series in different situations. Then, kid characters are seen facing some pollution related issues after which Aerowin appears and helps them deal with it. These comics put forth the pollution issue in a compelling fashion and can really engage with our audience. They can understand the issue better and relay the messaging back to their parents”

The brand intends to keep ‘Aerowin’ alive for a long time. Its reach will be examined and then a call will be taken on extending the partnership. Jain also shares that the brand may look at giving the ‘Aerowin’ campaign exposure in other mediums, like digital, in the future.