Word of mouth versus TV ad
Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s Gaglin advertisement, featuring movie actress Park Bo-young / Courtesy of Dong-A
Dong-A counts on star marketing; Green Cross uses echo effect for drug promotion
By Park Hyong-ki
Companies can spend millions of dollars to advertise their new products and hope to attract consumers in this world of many choices and options.
There are, of course, others that do not spend a dime for conventional marketing, but are able to produce a hit through word of mouth.
Whichever the case, both can happen through pure luck.
But luck can only follow careful and delicate planning especially in an era of overflowing content.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s mouthwash Gaglin and Green Cross’ vitamin pill B-Max illustrate the point.
Dong-A, which is best known for its energy drink Bacchus, used traditional media such as television to advertise and market the mouthwash.
Last year, the company signed a contract with movie actress Park Bo-young as its Gaglin model to feature it not only as a cavity prevention and breath freshener product, but as “clear and transparent” mouthwash.
Transparent here means the mouthwash does not have a color pigment. It looks like water.
After airing its first TV ad starring Park Bo-young during prime time, it became an instant hit with many young followers.
The company said it was able to see an increase of 40 percent in its sales of Gaglin in the second half of last year, compared to a year earlier.
“The features of the product matched with the image of the actress well,” said a Dong-A spokesman.
The exact sales figures cannot be disclosed before Dong-A Socio Holdings announces its 2017 annual results, he added.
The company has recently made another ad starring Park, who became a star in the blockbuster comedy “Scandal Makers.”
Park is only signed to promote Gaglin, not other Dong-A products, it noted.
Dong-A is widely known to use local bankable stars to promote its drugs. Early last year, it also signed a contract with comedian Lee Kyung-kyu to be its model for its digestive medicine drink.
Green Cross’ vitamin B-Max / Courtesy of Green Cross
Green Cross, a vaccine maker, recently hit big with its vitamin pill called B-Max.
Its sales surpassed 10 billion won last year, without using mass media platforms such as TV and radio to advertise the drug.
Sales of the pill grew 30 percent on average per year since its commercial release five years ago, the company said in a press statement.
It attributed the success to word of mouth marketing.
The drug, which is sold at local pharmacies not supermarkets, marks Green Cross’ first direct-to-consumer drug.
It said the company implemented online marketing such as posting internet ad banners and using social network services, but not TV to promote the vitamin.
“We positioned it like that from the very beginning without having to rely on mass media,” a company spokesman said.
B-Max enabled the company to launch a consumer healthcare division to further develop and promote drugs directly to consumers.