Rx EDGE^® Experience in the Overactive Bladder Category
Fuels Outstanding Results

The Challenge

Overactive Bladder (OAB) is a common condition in older adults, affecting some 17 million American men and women today. Normally, when the bladder is full, the brain signals it to contract, thus triggering the urge to urinate. However, in those with OAB, the muscle surrounding the bladder contracts spasmodically, causing sustained bladder pressure and an urgent need to urinate at unpredictable and inconvenient times. Because OAB often results in loss of control, it causes embarrassment, diminishes self-esteem, and affects quality of life. It can also interfere with work, daily routine, and intimacy as sufferers become self-conscious and limit their activities.

Many people with OAB are unaware that prescription drugs can treat the condition and are too embarrassed to talk to a doctor or pharmacist. Instead, they rely on urinary incontinence products, such as pads or liners, to protect against leaks. Therefore, the marketing challenge for OAB prescription medications is to help men and women understand that OAB is a treatable medical condition and encourage them to speak with their doctors or pharmacists. Numerous brands within the category have found Rx EDGE to be a high-impact way to reach these consumers in the pharmacy environment.

On Target Execution

Capitalizing on the versatility of the Rx EDGE program, OAB brands have utilized a variety of tactical approaches. Within a year of their respective launches, two brands deployed Rx EDGE nationwide with in-store consumer education programs that helped extend the reach of their television advertising campaigns. Materials were designed to inform and assure older adults that OAB is a bone fide clinical condition and that prescription medications could be an effective solution.

A critical benefit of the Rx EDGE program is that it gives marketers the ability to target a key audience by store location. For one OAB brand, information dispensers were located in the aisle with incontinence products. In the campaign for another, information dispensers were installed in feminine-care aisles as well as aisles with incontinence products.

Previous Rx EDGE in-store promotions for OAB pharmaceutical products have shown that consumers who self-treat their bladder-control problems with pads and liners are a willing audience ready to take action when exposed to messages about new treatments. In fact, prior campaigns increased prescription sales by 6 to 8 percent..

The Results

In the campaigns for the newer brands, matched panel research was conducted comparing sales in pharmacies that executed the program vs. a control group. Results showed an average 12.9% increase in prescription sales in pharmacies running the Rx EDGE promotion in the feminine hygiene products aisle. In the stores in which the program was available in the incontinence products section, the outcome was even better, with research data showing an impressive 29% sales increase.

This research dramatically demonstrated that patients who were buying liners, pads or adult diapers to help control their problem were very receptive to learning about prescription medications for OAB. Clearly, their immediate need for treatment made the in-store brand message more compelling in the aisle with incontinence products.

In the OAB category, Rx EDGE put its comprehensive experience to work in order to insure the best possible outcomes for a variety of brands. Targeting the right consumers in the right store location can make a big difference in increasing pharmaceutical sales. .

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