Deborah  Wilkes is Editor & Publisher of OTC bulletin, the business newsletter for the consumer healthcare industry. Co-founder of OTC Publications Limited, which launched OTC bulletin in 1993.  Deborah is Chair of the Judging Panels for OTC Bulletin and OTC Marketing Awards, and is actively involved with industry bodies and is regular speaker at industry events.

Q: As an industry insider what keeps you fascinated by the OTC health sector?

From an international perspective, the steady flow of shifts in business strategy and the rapid pace of mergers and acquisitions in the consumer healthcare industry.

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the OTC sector today for eg:  the high street chemist/branded suppliers/overall?

One of the biggest challenges is forecasting how the difficult economic environment will affect the different product categories within the consumer healthcare sector.

Q: How do you think OTC retail is changing/may change in the next 5 years

Over the past few years, more OTC medicines have become available from supermarkets and other non-pharmacy retail outlets. This trend seems likely to continue over the next five years. Meanwhile, pharmacies may take a more proactive approach to their OTC business, as their prescription dispensing business comes under pressure.

Q: What do you see as the impact of online retailing on the sector?

Online retailing is becoming more important for OTC products, but the uptake varies considerably from one category to another.

Q: With the growth in online and multiples in the sector what do you see as the future for independent pharmacies?  What is their usp and what support do you believe manufacturers must offer them?

The future looks tough for independent pharmacies, but many are located close to doctors surgeries and have a steady flow of customers picking up prescriptions. A lot more could be done to encourage customers to buy more healthcare-related products while they are in independent pharmacies.

Q: How do you think branded suppliers can maintain their position against own label value developments? What advantages do brands have?

Building brand loyalty is very important. Some manufacturers have done a very good job of building loyalty to their OTC brands, but others could do more.

Q: What do you think are the main challenges in marketing OTC products?

Working within the regulatory constraints that apply to marketing campaigns for OTC medicines, and dealing with the increasing regulatory caution as regulators become more risk averse

Q: What advice would you give to someone planning a career in OTC marketing?

The marketing budgets may not be as big as for other consumer brands, but consumer healthcare – with its regulatory constraints – is a fascinating and challenging area of marketing.

Q: How important is innovation for brands and retailers in the sector?

One of the most important forms of innovation in the OTC market – switching – can create completely new OTC product categories by taking prescription medicines and making them available OTC from pharmacies. More generally, innovation keeps brands one step ahead of the competition and retailers own-label products. Many innovations in the consumer healthcare sector in recent years have focused on making OTC products easier for consumers to take or more portable for them to use anywhere.

Q:  How important are manufacturers in training and development of pharmacists and pharmacy assistants?

Manufacturers can play an extremely important role in training and development, particularly for independent pharmacies. When new OTC product categories are created by prescription medicines becoming available OTC from pharmacies, then it is absolutely critical for manufacturers to make sure pharmacy staff are fully prepared to handle consultations with customers.

Q: In your opinion, what makes a great marketer or account manager?

An inquisitive nature combined with an open mind.

Q: What is your view of RB UK as a player in your industry?

Good at building brand loyalty.

Q:  What is your favourite RB product, and why?

It is too hard to choose a favourite, but from RBs long-established portfolio, Lemsip comes to my rescue most winters.

Q:  What should be RBs next great product innovation?

A toilet cleaner that only has to be used once a year. RB would have lower sales volume, but the product could definitely command a premium price!

Me (second left) with the RB crew!

Last Sunday I ran the City 2 Surf – a 14km run (for fun!) from the city of Sydney to the iconic Bondi Beach, which this year became the world’s largest run (85,000 people took part). I ran the whole way, reaching a personal best time of 77minutes. Why would I do such a thing you ask? Running gives me a sense of achievement. It is not just about how physically fit you are, but involves mental toughness as well. It is such a great feeling when you cross that finish line and know you have reached your goal.

The sport of long-distance running can be likened (metaphorically speaking) to a career at Reckitt Benckiser. Here is how our culture and values relates to the race.

1. Continuous fast-pace: Everyone talks about the speed at which things happen here at RB, and once you get into your new role you understand why. The talent, ambition & sheer hard work of the people here allow us to get across the line first, just like I did on Sunday (ok, maybe I didn’t quite come first, but I definitely crossed the line!)

2. Passion & Motivation: just as you need passion to push yourself up that hill, the same passion is required to push your ideas & projects even further

3. Strategy & Performance: it is all about timing your run perfectly – pace yourself in the beginning and finish strong. Others will start off fast, but you will catch them later as they run out of energy. At RB, our strategies focus on targeted growth & beating the competition

4. Uphill & Downhill: The most famous hill in the City 2 Surf is Heartbreak hill. The name says it all – 1km of heart-break & hill. This is by far the toughest part of the course, but you must keep on going because if you stop, you will lose time. Being a graduate at RB, I have at times felt just as overwhelmed as I did on that hill. The graduate program is designed on a steep learning curve, but the harder you push, the quicker you will learn and reach level ground once again

5. Mental (& physical) Toughness: there is no question that running is hard. The demands on your body and the continuous voice in your head telling you to stop, but you don’t, because you have trained hard & have faith that it can be done. At RB, we work in a fast and demanding environment – a lot is expected from you, however the results & rewards are well worth it! (For example, the brand I work on, Dettol, reached its highest ever share in Australia last week!)

6. Thinking outside the body (or square): during the race, you will feel pain. It is important to let your mind take over from your body & focus on the things around you – spectators, other runners, supporters, the scenery – all while staying on track to complete that goal. At RB, thinking outside the square is key to driving growth & achieving the results we do (think recent innovations like the Dettol No Touch Handwash System, which has contributed significantly to category growth since launch)

7. Achieving Goals: Running is all about achievement – that first kilometre, the top of that hill. Achievement also defines who we are at RB, so consider if you too want to aim high to achieve your goals.

8. Tangible Results: Our performance is measured by the tangible results we see – Net Revenue, market share, new products coming to life – all of which is just as rewarding as the time on that clock when I finished my run and the medal around my neck

I have knocked off 14km, but I am still not satisfied – 21km is my next goal, stay tuned to see how I go!

Welcome to Bondi Beach!

The past 6 weeks have gone by so fast!  It’s hard to believe I just started my role as a Sales Analyst for Grocery Team here at the US headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey.  I’ve already travelled to Vail and Dallas for sales conferences, Carlisle, Pennsylvania for a client meeting and assisted my team in creating our 2012 planning presentations.

I didn’t know what to expect from a desk job at RB, but I haven’t spent much time at my actual desk.  I have learned so much, so fast and love the excitement here.  Right off the bat I received a full week of training.  I get to interact with so many different people on a daily basis and have been exposed to facets of RB I didn’t know existed.  There are some pretty cool events planned for the following weeks and I’m pumped to start blogging and keep you all informed.  Be sure to check back next week!

I am sure most people reading this will have heard about the worlds ‘ageing population’. One of the most shocking statistics I have heard is that by 2015 Japan is estimated to experience a 175% rise in tax to support their aging population – find this shocking? The UK is estimated to experience the same situation in 11 years! This will have a massive impact on the economy and the way we market products.

Some shocking statistics

• By 2025 the number of Americans over 60 will increase by 70%

• The largest increase in population by 2050 will be in Africa whose population is expected to at least double putting their population at 2.1 Billion.

• There are 4.1 working adults in developed countries for every child under the age of 14.

To put your business head on means that if we stick to our current target consumer we will be considerably limiting our market potential. Fewer children per adult only means that this situation will become more extreme.

Current Target consumer

Currently, most of our products are aimed at the female head of a household. Our typical Airwick consumer is a female aged between 45-64, who places great importance on the image of her home.

New markets

China, India and Africa represent white spaces and new consumers that we and many other industries are still figuring out. There are many challenges within these markets – infrastructure, affluence and understanding of a new consumer mindset are all key. It’s not as simple as taking a product designed for the European market and rolling it out to a developing market. Our cultures are completely different and so are the consumers. Fragrance preferences vary massively between countries. If you live in the UK, you are likely to prefer floral and fruity scents. However, if you live in the US, you will find a large proportion of food related scents like pumpkin pie.

How will this affect the FMCG industry?

If there are 4.1 adults to every child under the age of 14 in developed markets, then our current target consumer bracket will decrease in population by a factor of 4. That would have a massive effect on our sale volumes and profit. In order for our brands to be successful in future years we must look at the needs of an aging consumer but also ensure we do not neglect the base consumer.

We must adapt.

So why would want to gain the experience working for a company like Reckitt Benckiser? Here is my top 5 list:

Multicultural working environment

We have people from UK, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, etc. working at the same team! How amazing is that? You can improve your experience and your knowledge about other countries while working).

Ability to develop oneself through challenging projects

The fact that you are not a director doesn’t mean that you have less things to do, or easier things to do. You have to work just as hard!

Freedom to choose your own task priorities

No one doubts about the work you do. They trust you and give you all the responsability about a project. That’s not to say that there will be no help from your managers whatsoever!

Gain life experience

Working at RB is more than just another average job. It also helps you develop your personal life.

…However,
the best one, in my own opinion:

The opportunity to challenge yourself.

This is the best bit within RB. You must have the flair to challenge yourself and make your projects happen!