Branding
Brand names are important in the consumer healthcare context. They hold a vow of quality, help build public trust, and are part of everyday life.
What is a brand?
A brand is more than just a trade name on a box. Self-care products are freely purchased by people looking to meet their health needs. Because of their safety profile, they can be acquired through various retail channels. Manufacturers must therefore ensure that their product is easily recognizable and conveys all necessary information for responsible use.
They do so, for example, by including on the packaging and labelling:
- distinctive colours, fonts and configuration;
- indication(s) for which the product is to be used;
- the name of the active ingredient(s) contained, as well as dose, form and pack size of the product;
- warnings, such as “not for” messages, when specific population groups could be put at risk;
- icons or other visual imagery to draw attention to key differences and/or safety information.
Brands and packaging are important elements ensuring that self-care products are used responsibly by the persons buying them.
The value of brands for people
A brand name (and logo) helps revive a person’s awareness of a product they might have used in the past or have seen on advertising. It helps them in their decision-making when they are pursuing healthcare needs.
Several studies and research already recognise the importance of brands to the public:
- An independent shopper study conducted by Queen’s University in Northern Ireland in 2009 found that nearly 80% of surveyed people chose a particular non-prescription medicine because they were familiarized with the brand name.
- A 2014 study by Aker, et al., supported by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association in the United States, found that, at the time of purchase, a majority of respondents look for a brand they know and trust. Nearly all respondents (87%) use the brand name of the self-care product when trying to find the solution they need. Over 75% state they typically use the same brands repeatedly and are loyal to brands, most often because of their demonstrated effectiveness.
- Consumer research on self-care products conducted in 2018 by BACHI, the Belgian Consumer Healthcare Products Association, found that 77% of respondents tend to always buy the same brands of non-prescription medicines. “Having a good experience with the brand” was reported by 53% of respondents as the element having the most weight when choosing the same brand again, followed by the pharmacist’s (46%) and the doctor’s (44%) recommendations.
Communication (including advertising) improves public awareness of treatment options available to them and, subsequently, their health literacy. People develop a bond with brands because brands are the focal point of communication and advertising.
Brands and trust
Brands represent more than a name: they embody a promise of quality and a commitment to deliver safe, effective self-care products. The self-care industry builds trust through innovation, not only by introducing new products (such as those transitioning from prescription to non-prescription status) but also by continuously improving existing ones.
Developing, launching, and maintaining self-care products requires significant investment. Well-established brands that have stood the test of time are among the industry’s greatest assets. Manufacturers often expand a brand into a family of products (umbrella names) by adapting ingredients or formulations to meet diverse consumer needs. This approach enables innovation, such as improved taste, easier use, enhanced formulations, advanced packaging technologies, longer duration of action, alternative modes of action, and solutions for multiple symptoms.
Umbrella names
Umbrella names for non-prescription medicines group multiple medicinal products under a single brand, strengthening recognition, trust, and clarity in the self-care environment. This approach helps avoid the complexity of numerous individual product references and supports informed choices.
Brand names guide users in selecting the right product by conveying the brand’s meaning, therapeutic area, and target population. They achieve this through clear descriptors, qualifiers, and visual cues such as color differentiation. It is essential that umbrella names remain sufficiently distinct to prevent confusion, ensuring appropriate product selection and safeguarding user safety.
An industry guidance outlines the key principles for developing effective umbrella names for non-prescription medicines that resonate with users while remaining sufficiently distinct to prevent product confusion, with user safety as the top priority.
Brands: a pillar of responsible self-care
Brands play a vital role in supporting responsible self-care. Manufacturers contribute to this mission by strengthening brand distinctiveness and providing resources such as advertising, point-of-sale materials, online information, and guidance for pharmacists.
Well-designed brands and their associated materials help reduce the risk of confusion or misuse of self-care products. Their value should be fully acknowledged by all stakeholders – just as it is already recognized by the public – for enabling informed choices and promoting the responsible use of self-care products.