The Challenge

Ahead of Indian generic pharmaceuticals company Cipla Medpro’s launch in South Africa, there was little awareness of the brand in the country. In the medical industry especially, brand trust and credibility is crucially important, which makes it even harder for a new entrant to succeed in a market dominated by a few global players. As manufacturers of generic medicine, Cipla Medpro also had to change the common perception that generic drugs are of a lower quality than their brand-name equivalents. Research shows that in a crucial situation such as the health of their child, respondents are more likely to choose a more expensive branded drug rather than the generic version even though it is a bio-equivalent replica.

The Task

Undertake consumer research and develop a strategy ahead of Cipla Medpro’s launch in the South African market.

The Strategy

Instead of trying to correct the perception around generic drugs as most generic manufacturers attempt to do, we used Cipla’s affordable pricing strategy to show that competitors were charging too much. In doing so, we allowed Cipla to differentiate from competitors’ promises about quality and affordability, and instead claimed a moral high ground that ‘health is a right, not a luxury’.

A creative campaign delivered this proposition with high production values in high impact media, creating an impression of credibility and positioned the brand as a social champion – finally, here was a company with a refreshing and challenging perspective. We also advised the company to rebrand as Cipla, dropping ‘Medpro’ and ‘Generics’ from their branding. With such little brand awareness at the time, this change could easily be done without much consumer reaction.

The Results

The challenging message and quality of advertising stood out from the category, allowing Cipla to punch way above its weight and create a stir in the industry. Before long, Cipla were faced with an unsuccessful take-over bid from a key rival, and the brand continues to function independently today.