Prilosec Arrives in Style at Retail

Procter & Gamble this week rolls out Prilosec over-the-counter heartburn medication with a campaign that a company spokesperson says is five times larger than previous in-store programs. P&G claims it has 450,000 P-O-P displays at accounts nationwide, including significant signage at key partner Wal-Mart's stores. Since the beginning of September, Wal-Mart has been plugging Prilosec's arrival across its in-store radio and TV systems, along with shelf talkers and counter mats in its pharmacy areas. Placement also includes front-of-store signage -- which usually is dedicated to DVD releases. Pharmacy and OTC employees, who received special training on the medication, sport Prilosec buttons. Product samples will be given out throughout September. In-store activity at other accounts includes multiple freestanding displays, employee buttons and branded purple shirts, informational brochures, and window clings. P&G is expected to spend a total of $100 million to market "the purple pill," including the formation of a Zero Heartburn loyalty club. Members receive exclusive offers and information on sweepstakes and promotions throughout the year via e-mail. Manufactured by AstraZeneca PLC, Prilosec was previously a prescription drug. Meanwhile, P&G is facing a lawsuit from Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co.--makers of the heartburn drugs Mylanta and Pepcid AC--stating that the company's ads falsely insinuate that the drug cures heartburn in one day. The United States District Court in the Southern District of New York last week granted a preliminary injunction preventing P&G from claiming that the drug stops heartburn for 24 hours with one dose. P&G maintains that its ad claims are true and that it will add the words "a day" to its claim that one pill gives 24-hour relief if the current ruling stands. A federal lawsuit filed by Johnson & Johnson-Merck is pending. In other campaigns launched this week, General Mills and Smucker's rans FSIs touting their tie-ins with animated kids properties. Mills is hosting a mail-in offer for a three-episode Yu-Gi-Oh! DVD in support of property-themed SKUs in the cereal, cereal bar, yogurt and fruit snack categories. The DVD offer is linked to a $1 coupon off any two Mills cereals. Meanwhile, Smucker's lets consumers send in three Snackers UPCs to receive five Hamtaro! trading cards. ShoPro Entertainment's Hamtaro ! airs on Cartoon Network; 4Kids Entertainment's Yu-Gi-Oh! ! plays on Cartoon Network and Kids' WB.

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