With Rx EDGE^®, Men Get Straight Talk on Hair Loss

The Challenge

Men experiencing hair loss can feel embarrassed and self conscious and investigate almost anything that could help restore hair growth, such as transplants, hair thickening shampoo preparations and medications like Rogaine. For those unwilling to deal with balding, it can be difficult to decide what to do while sorting through an array of product claims made in advertisements and infomercials.

While male pattern baldness isn’t a medical condition, per se, men coping with it sometimes seek advice from physicians and pharmacists. They want to know what, if anything, works and if there are side effects or other physical complications from specific treatments. Since hair loss control is not covered by health insurance, men also want to be confident a product or treatment is right for them before reaching into their pockets month after month.

The brand team for the only oral prescription medication approved by the FDA to treat male pattern baldness faced the difficult challenge of convincing men to talk to their doctors about their hair loss and bypass over-the-counter remedies. The goal was to offer the opportunity to separate fact from fiction, understand underlying biological causes, and learn how medical treatment can restore lost hair growth. The brand team turned to Rx EDGE to develop an in-store promotional campaign to blend straight talk about male pattern baldness with information on how a prescription medication can restore hair growth or prevent further hair loss.

Program Strategy

The brand team sought to boost flat product sales by urging men concerned about hair loss to go the extra mile and become better informed about the condition. Rx EDGE was the primary media vehicle to reach the target audience. The firm’s in-store promotional approach supported the education-oriented marketing strategy. In the first Rx EDGE campaign, information dispensers were placed in pharmacy aisles containing specialty shampoos in 3500 CVS and Eckerd stores within the Rx EDGE network. The headline on the dispenser panel said “Still think you’re doing enough for your hair loss?” The intent was to reach men who wanted to control their hair loss but hadn’t decided to see a physician.

The pull-out information stated “Maybe it’s time you talked to the expert – your doctor.” It reported how the prescription medication either re-grew hair or stemmed further hair loss in 90 percent of patients evaluated in a clinical trial. The reverse side of the pamphlet had questions and answers about hair loss and its causes and basic product information.

The message in a second Rx EDGE campaign was aimed at balding men who had tried other medications. The panel teaser read: “Still think you’re doing enough for your hair loss? If you tried Rogaine, read this.” The dispenser insert showed side-by-side shots of twin brothers with male pattern baldness. One used the client’s medication, the other nothing. The difference was dramatic. One brother had moderate hair loss at the top of the head while the other was totally bald in that area. The copy explained the brother with more hair was treated for one year right after noticing his hair loss.

The Results

The second Rx EDGE campaign involved 5500 CVS and Eckerd stores. Matched panel research compared product sales in 91 stores that used the promotion with 71 control stores. Sales were measured for a 12 week period. The results showed that throughout the monitoring period the lift in prescriptions attributable to the Rx EDGE campaign consistently ranged between 2 and 5 percent. Clearly, the strategy of targeting men serious about controlling hair loss paid off with increased sales.

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