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Contents
Page

Executive Summery 4
Question 1 5
Question 2 6
Question 3 8
Conclusion 14
Bibliography 15
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Executive Summery

‘Disprin , an old drug for a modern society’ (Reckitt Benckiser 1950 advert).

Disprin is dispersible tablets that contain the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid,
otherwise known as aspirin. The brand name Disprin was chosen to link the active
ingredient ‘aspirin’ with its dissolving nature and Disprin quickly became popular
with the medical profession – hence the early advertising slogan: "Take an aspirin – I
mean a Disprin". Disprin became an international brand in the 1950s owned by
Reckitt Benckiser , when it appeared on shelves across the globe, including South
Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It is now available in over 70 countries and has
been synonymous with effective analgesia for over half a century.
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QUESTION 1

Disprin has a product range as a result of the following:

 Disprin evaluated consumer needs over the years and reacted to them
by introducing a variety of products to meet those needs

 Core value of the commitment to manufacture innovative medical and

consumer driven products

 There are at least ten different types of headaches

 Pain experienced amongst consumers varied (head to toe) and Disprin

catered for that with their product range

 Disprin wanted to increase their market share and distinguish

themselves from their competitors as well as strengthen their brand

Brand loyalty is the extent of the faithfulness of consumers to a particular

brand, expressed through their repeat purchases, irrespective of the
marketing pressure generated by the competing brands. Disprin already had
the market share; by creating a product range Disprin could use that to further
strengthen their brand, maintain their market share and ensure that the
consumer had a choice of products which serviced their needs as well as
distance themselves from competitor’s products. Disprin wanted brand loyalty
as that was key to keeping the market share. The consumer already trusted
the Disprin brand as it was internationally recognized as fast, effective relief
from pain. By Disprin introducing a product range consumers naturally went
out and purchased the range of products that Disprin introduced as they knew
and trusted the brand. Consumers’ are very sensitive when buying new
products but when they can relate with a particular brand they are more
trusting and likely to make a purchase. Consumers therefore showed loyalty
to the Disprin brand.
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QUESTION 2

Introduction
Disprin is a Broad Based medical product, meaning it meets the needs of a broad
spectrum of people suffering from Pain or Fever or Both.
Disprin is also available over the counter and available to purchase with out
restriction. Disprin in South Africa has 2 major over the counter competitors, Panado
and Grandpa, The market leader is Panado with 33% , Disprin with 25% & Grandpa
10%.
Disprin is a trusted product as the brand was formed in the 1950’s ,its name is well
known locally and internationally.
Disprin’s pricing varies upon the product strength and product quantity , with Disprin
available to be purchased as an individual tablet or in industrial amounts for Hospitals
and different strengths.
It is Noted that Disprin is used not only in the advent of pain and fever but also as
Cardiac Arrest preventer in cardiac patients.

On defining a market segment for the product

I will be using a Consumer Analysis –Segmentation Strategy

Geographic- Disprin is used every where in the country across all provinces

Demographic- The product is used by all sexes and genders and ages. But in
particular interest is that the product is consumed more frequently by individuals
between the ages of 23 – 45 , as this age group encounters more stress in daily living
which often results in a Headache’s , which they use pain killers to ease the pain.

Behavioural- The product is consumed through out the year but there is a distinct rise
in sales during the autumn and winter periods, due to the increase in the influenza
virus infection.

Psychographic segmentation – Product lends itself as a personal choice, but it is

purchased by its availability, Disprin can be obtained in Petrol garages and basically
any where, including Funeral Parlors.

Using the above mentioned tools to define a market segment it is in my opinion that
Disprin uses a Multi segment strategy with 3 smaller niche markets within it. Below
is a list of pros and cons on the theory of a multi segment strategy.

Pros (multi segment strategy)

 Shift excess production capacity.

 Can achieve same market coverage as with mass

marketing.

 Price differentials among different brands can be

maintained
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 Consumers in each segment may be willing to

pay a premium for the tailor-made product.

 Less risk, not relying on one market.

Cons(multi segment strategy)

 Demands a greater number of production
processes.

 Costs and resources and increased marketing

costs through selling through different channels
and promoting more brands, using different
packaging etc.

 Must be careful to maintain the product

distinctiveness in each consumer group and
guard its overall image.

Conclusion

It is in my opinion that Disprin operates in a Multi Segment Strategy, with 3 niche

markets with in it ,which needs to be capitalised on in the promotion strategy,

1st of the niche markets being the winter and autumn months, influenza season

2nd being the 25-45 age group (high stress factors)

3rd being the cardiac patients, where it has been proven that a disprin a day can avert
an oncoming cardiac infarction.
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QUESTION 3

Self-medication is the use of a registered medicine (Schedule 0), without a doctor’s

prescription, to treat or to prevent symptoms of minor ailments, either on an
individual’s own initiative or following the advice of a healthcare professional. People
are demanding greater independence and responsibility for their own healthcare. They
are more assertive, more questioning and more concerned about the options available
to them. It is the case for analgesic; these over-the-counter medicines are now for
generation part of our day to day life.

The market of analgesic such as aspirin or paracetamol is huge and

competitive with number of brand competing. Disprin and its two
competitor’s panado and grand-pa are part of that market. THE
three brands of over-the-counter medicines that people are most
aware of are Panado, Disprin and grand-pa and they have
maintained those positions from 1995 to 2008(as shown on the
table below).

The 2010 survey in the analgesic market tells us a different story about the positioning
of the three leaders; the results are compiled in the next table.
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An analysis of each brand would give us a better understanding of their positioning in

regard with their market today.

Grand-pa brand

Grand-Pa is a fully South African brand, enjoys high awareness and is a household
name. In fact, the fine white powder has been around since before the First World
War, and this time, it truly is a home-grown, South African success story. For nearly
40 years, the brand has been positioned as the analgesic that will “help you to cope,
offering strong, fast relief from headaches to enable you to carry on with the task at
hand. Grand-Pa Headache Powders were launched in 1916 and later acquired by the
pharmaceutical giant GSK in 1972. Grand-Pa Tablets were subsequently launched in
1981. The brand has a heritage of trust and proven performance owing to its potent
triple action formulation which combines paracetamol, aspirin and caffeine. The
grand-pa range includes:
• Grand-pa powder
• Grand-pa tablets

GOALS
Increase their part of the analgesic market.

FOCUS

Meet the customer’s needs

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STRENGTHS

• 100% South African brand(Patriotism is in favor of the brand)

• Contain both aspirin and paracetamol

• Does not need a doctor prescription

• Can be found almost everywhere nation wide

WEAKNESSESS

• Lack of variety in the range

• Not appropriate for children

• Lack of very strong pain killer

MARKETS SHARE

According to the 2010 survey, grand-pa (Powders regular) market looks as shown on
the table below.

% of people Of the people Of the people Of the people % of people

aware of the aware, the % familiar, the familiar, the retained (Most
brand who are % who would % who have often User)
familiar with consider bought in the
the brand buying the last 4 weeks
brand
93% 83% 78% 32% 24%

It appears clear that Grand-pa need to work on the quality to attract and retain the
customers. From the 78% of the people who are considering buying, only 32% are
really buying and from these 32% buying only 24% will keep grand-pa as their
favourite pain killer.
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PANADO

Paracetamol is sold in more than 85 countries and marketed under several trade
names. Trade names for paracetamol include; Crocin (India), Dolex (Colombia),
Panado (South Africa), and in North America, Johnson and Johnson's Tylenol is the
leading trade name for paracetamol. In 1955, Panadol was introduced to hospitals in
the United Kingdom. It was advertised as being "gentle on the stomach", since other
analgesic agents at the time contained aspirin, a known stomach irritant. Panadol was
originally available only by prescription in the UK, but is now available over the
counter. Panado (paracetamol) is the healthcare professional’s choice for many patient
groups for whom other painkillers may be unsuitable, such as children, the elderly,
asthmatics and those with stomach disorders.
In South Africa, panado is a well-established brand which belongs to the South
African company; Adcock Ingram Ltd. Panado has expanded beyond the original
familiar white tablet and is now available in various shapes and forms catering for
the different needs of the consumer. The Panado range includes:

• Panado original ( which is a pain reliever and fever reducer suitable for all
ages from six years-old)
• Panado ActiFast ( which is formulated in a special way to be absorbed
twice as fast as ordinary paracetamol)
• Panado Extra ( which contains caffeine for 30% extra pain relief with an
extra boost)
• Panado Ultra ( which combines paracetamol with codeine for stronger pain
relief and fever reduction)

GOALS
Increase their part of the analgesic market.

FOCUS
Meet the customer’s needs

STRENGTHS
• Large variety in their range(for adults, children, elders and from
small to strong pain)

• Does not need a doctor prescription

• Can be found almost everywhere nation wide

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• Now offers an innovative and unique ‘spartan’ pack with improved

safety closure (tamper proof & child resistant).

• Dissolves easily

WEAKNESSESS
Not as known as grand-pa is (advertisements)

MARKETS SHARE
According to the 2010 survey, panado (Tablets) market looks as shown on the table
below.

% of people Of the people Of the people Of the people % of people

aware of the aware, the % familiar, the familiar, the retained (Most
brand who are % who would % who have often User)
familiar with consider bought in the
the brand buying the last 4 weeks
brand
92% 89% 86% 34% 24%
It appears clear that Grand-pa need to work on retaining the customers. From the 86%
of the people who are considering buying, only 34% are really buying and from these
34% buying only 24% will keep panado as their favourite pain killer. In comparison,
Panado attract more but retain lesser than grand-pa.

DISPRIN

The brand name Disprin was chosen to link the active ingredient ‘aspirin’ with its
dissolving nature. Disprin became an international brand in the 1950s when it
appeared on shelves across the globe, including South Africa. Disprin offers
distinctive products with modern formats and a range of effective pain-killing
ingredients such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. Disprin range is now much more than
soluble aspirin, the recent launch of Disprin Cold + Flu in certain countries,
specifically for cold and flu sufferers, means that more patients can benefit from the
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pain-killing, fever-reducing, anti-inflammatory properties of Disprin. The disprins

range includes:
• Disprin regular strength(For pain and fever)
• Disprin extra strength(For fast relief from pain and fever)
• CODIS(For adult pain )

GOALS
Increase their part of the analgesic market.

FOCUS
Meet the customer’s needs

STRENGTHS
• Good variety in their range (Adult pain, need of fast pain relief)

• Dissolves easily

• Known for generation(Long trust relation with the customer)

WEAKNESSESS
• Poor marketing (The brand awareness tend to decrease over the
years)

• Not appropriate for children

• Lack of very strong pain killer

MARKETS SHARE
According to the 2010 survey, Disprin (regular) market looks as shown on the table
below.
% of people Of the people Of the people Of the people % of people
aware of the aware, the % familiar, the familiar, the retained (Most
brand who are % who would % who have often User)
familiar with consider bought in the
the brand buying the last 4 weeks
brand
88% 80% 78% 13% 06%

It appears clear that Disprin need to rebuild deeply its strategy on how to attract (New
pack and more advertisements), and retaining the customers (Better quality, more
varieties...). From the 78% of the people who are considering buying, only 13% are
really buying and from these 13% only 6% will keep Disprin as their favourite pain
killer. In comparison, Disprin attracts and retains lesser than grand-pa and panado.
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The new positioning shows that Panado is still leader of the market and Disprin has
moved at the third position, right behind Grand-pa. The raison of their position in the
market can be explained by the fact that: Brand loyalty is high in the pain relief
market, with consumers staying with the brands that suit them. Episodes of pain are
not generally seen as the time to experiment or change pain killers.

Conclusion

From the summative answers in the above case study, it is clear that Disprin
has the capability of being the market leader and remaining at the fore front of
over the counter medication. It will have to re-strategise its market promotional
activities with the intent of reminding the public that the main ingredient in
Disprin ,ie.asprin, and has been used from the beginning of time, and the
Product Disprin should be marketed as a Natural Pain Inhibitor rather than a
Drug.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

• www.wikipedia.org

• www.mypainrelief.com

• www.wikia.com

• www.disprin.com

• www.fastmoving.co.za

• www.adcock.co.za

• www.patientsville.com/medication/disprin_side_effects.

• www.assistpainrelief.com

• www.medicines.ie/.../Disprin+Direct+300mg+Chewable+Tablets

• Case study on Disprin