GSK takes smoking cessation to a new level with mini lozenge
PARSIPPANY, N.J. GlaxoSmithKline announced Tuesday the launch of its new Nicorette Mini Lozenge, a smaller smoking-cessation lozenge that dissolves three times faster than stop-smoking lozenges currently on the market. The lozenges will be lined-priced with existing smoking-cessation products and will be sold at U.S. retail healthcare centers as three small vials, each containing 27 lozenges.
The new mini lozenge is expected to drive incremental growth to the category, suggested Roger Scarlett-Smith, in an interview with Drug Store News, because the smaller lozenge size actually satisfies different usage scenarios. “It’s an opportunity for people to use it in a more situational way,” Scarlett-Smith said. For example, the small vials can be discreetly carried in a pocket for the person “on the go.”
And because there are three vials per package, they can be strategically placed in trouble areas for the person attempting to quit smoking, i.e., in the glove compartment box for a person inclined to smoke while driving.
“Smoking is an addiction, and when trying to quit, smokers may need help to address physical nicotine cravings as well as behavior change,” stated Drew Pinsky, the addiction expert featured on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab who has agreed to help promote the product. “Products, like the new Nicorette Mini Lozenge, can help address the physical symptoms associated with quitting.”
As part of the launch, GSK is launching a “Mini Moments” contest on its new Nicorette Facebook page at www.Facebook/Nicorette.com. The page is designed to help connect smokers interested in quitting, allowing them to provide each other with support throughout the quitting process. The contest offers them the chance to win an opportunity to meed addiction expert Dr. Drew.
Dr. Drew also will be promoting the Mini Moments campaign to his 1.9 million Twitter followers.
GSK plans to fold advertising of its Nicorette Mini Lozenge into its “Quitting sucks … Nicorette helps it suck less” campaign with some updated television spots. The campaign takes a slightly different tact than traditional smoking-cessation advertisements — instead of warning smokers of the health consequences associated with smoking, the “Quitting sucks” campaign speaks more to the benefits. “What we really wanted to do was advertising that was for smokers but against smoking,” Scarlett-Smith said.
In addition to the launch of the new Mini Lozenge offering, GSK will also be rebranding its line of Commit lozenges under the Nicorette banner, meaning now all of GSK’s smoking-cessation lozenge and gum products will be branded Nicorette.