Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- OTC market enjoys buoyant sales
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- Figure 1: Best- and worst-case forecast of UK value sales of OTC analgesics and cold and flu remedies, 2010-20
- Oral remedies most popular form of pain relief
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- Figure 2: Ailments experienced and treatment sought in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Two thirds of users happy with general painkillers
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- Figure 3: Attitudes towards general and pain-specific painkillers, January 2016
- Oral remedies top cold and flu treatment
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- Figure 4: Treatments sought for cold and flu ailments in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Just a quarter of adults prep-buy cold and flu remedies
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- Figure 5: Behaviours ahead of cold and flu season, January 2016
- Emphasising diet in cold and flu season
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- Figure 6: Behaviours when infected with cold/flu, January 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Nurofen hit by negative press
- The facts
- The implications
- Insulating sales in the cold and flu market
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- OTC market enjoys buoyant sales
- Topical continues to drive analgesics market
- Cold and flu relief remedies drive segment sales
- Supermarkets perform well
- UK’s ageing population likely to boost usage of analgesics
- Negative headlines could impact analgesics market
Market Size and Forecast
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- OTC market enjoys buoyant sales
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- Figure 7: UK retail value sales of OTC analgesics and cold and flu remedies, at current and constant prices, 2010-20
- Stable sales growth expected
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- Figure 8: Best- and worst-case forecast of UK value sales of OTC analgesics and cold and flu remedies, 2010-20
Segment Performance
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- Topical continues to drive analgesics market
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- Figure 9: UK retail value sales of OTC analgesics, by segment, 2014-15
- Cold and flu relief remedies drive sales
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- Figure 10: UK retail value sales of OTC cough, cold and flu remedies, by segment, 2014-15
Channels to Market
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- Supermarkets perform well
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- Figure 11: UK retail value sales of OTC analgesics, cough, cold and flu relief and medicated confectionery, by outlet type, 2014-15
Market Drivers
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- UK’s booming population likely to drive OTC usage
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- Figure 12: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2010-20
- Massage could hit analgesics market…
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- Figure 13: Attitudes towards treating illnesses with complementary and alternative medicine, September 2015
- …whilst strong exercise levels could be a benefit
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- Figure 14: Participation in in-home and individual fitness activities, December 2014
- El Niño effect brings warmer winter
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- Figure 15: Average UK temperature, 2005-15/16
- Negative headlines could impact analgesics market
- Nurofen specific pain products banned in Australia
- Painkillers during pregnancy linked with infertility
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Analgesics
- Innovation slows in analgesics category
- Growth in demographic-targeted claims
- Exploring alternative advertising channels
- RB scrutinised over advertising claims
- Cold and flu relief remedies
- Cold and flu brands continue to innovate
- A fragmented market
- Advertising investment grows in cold and flu remedies category
- TV takes the lead in cold and flu market
- RB leads adspend in the cold/flu remedies category
Market Share
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- Nurofen continues to lead sales of OTC analgesics
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- Figure 16: Retail value sales of OTC analgesics, by brand, years ending November, 2014 and 2015
- Voltarol’s withdrawal from oral analgesics market reverses growth
- Lemsip sales outpace category growth for cold and flu remedies
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- Figure 17: Retail value sales of cold, flu and decongestant remedies*, by brand, years ending November, 2014 and 2015
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Analgesics
- Innovation slows in analgesics category
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- Figure 18: New product launches in the OTC analgesics market, by launch type, 2012-15
- Figure 19: Nurofen repackaging (Reckitt Benckiser), 2015
- Non-ingested remedies continues to grow share of total launch activity
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- Figure 20: New product launches in the OTC analgesics market, by format type, 2012-15
- Figure 21: Examples of new topical pain-relief launches, 2015
- Branded vs own-label
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- Figure 22: New product launches in the OTC analgesics market, own-label vs branded, 2012-15
- Growth in demographic-targeted claims
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- Figure 23: Fastest growing product positioning claims in the OTC analgesics market, 2014-15
- Colds, flu, coughs and sore throat remedies
- Cold and flu brands continue to innovate
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- Figure 24: New product launches in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief and medicated confectionery market, by launch type, 2012-15
- Launch activity boosted by medicated confectionery
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- Figure 25: New product launches in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief and medicated confectionery market, by sub-category, 2012-15
- Figure 26: Examples of medicated confectionery launches, 2015
- Liquid and non-ingested formats increase
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- Figure 27: New product launches in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief market, by format type, 2012-15
- Figure 28: Non-ingested and liquid decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief product launches for babies/children, 2015
- A fragmented market
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- Figure 29: New product launches in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief and medicated confectionery market, by top 9 ultimate companies and other, 2015
- Figure 30: Range extensions from Reckitt Benckiser in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief market, 2015
- The natural approach gains traction
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- Figure 31: Fastest growing product positioning claims in the decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief market*, 2014-15
- Figure 32: Examples of decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief products with a more ‘natural’ positioning, 2015
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- Figure 33: Examples of decongestive, cough, cold and flu relief products for babies/children with a more ‘natural’ positioning, 2015
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Analgesics
- Advertising expenditure remains consistent
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- Figure 34: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on OTC analgesics, 2012-15
- Television’s dominance begins to slip
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- Figure 35: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on OTC analgesics, % share by media type, 2012-15
- Novartis leads advertising expenditure
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- Figure 36: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on OTC analgesics, by top 10 advertisers, 2012-15
- RB scrutinised over advertising claims
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- Figure 37: Nurofen Express campaign, 2015
- Colds, flu, coughs and sore throat remedies
- Advertising investment continues to grow in cold and flu remedies category
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- Figure 38: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on cold, flu, decongestant remedies and medicated confectionery, 2012-15
- TV takes the lead in cold and flu market
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- Figure 39: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on cold, flu, decongestant remedies and medicated confectionery, by media type, 2012-15
- RB leads adspend in the cold/flu remedies category
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- Figure 40: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on cold, flu, decongestant remedies and medicated confectionery, by top 10 advertisers, 2012-15
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 41: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, January 2016
- Figure 42: Key metrics for selected brands, January 2016
- Brand attitudes: Trust highest for Lemsip brand
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- Figure 43: Attitudes, by brand, January 2016
- Brand personality: Panadol most likely to be viewed as ‘boring’
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- Figure 44: Brand personality – Macro image, January 2016
- Voltarol viewed as cutting-edge
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- Figure 45: Brand personality – Micro image, January 2016
- Brand analysis
- Deep Heat registers with older customer base
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- Figure 46: User profile of Deep Heat, January 2016
- Lemsip enjoys almost universal awareness
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- Figure 47: User profile of Lemsip, January 2016
- Voltarol deemed innovative
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- Figure 48: User profile of Voltarol, January 2016
- Halls Soothers offers good value
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- Figure 49: User profile of Halls Soothers, January 2016
- Nurofen brand trust knocked by negative media headlines
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- Figure 50: User profile of Nurofen, January 2016
- Panadol deemed least innovative
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- Figure 51: User profile of Panadol, January 2016
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Analgesics
- Headaches the most common type of pain
- Experience of musculoskeletal pain high across all age groups
- Women prove most likely to experience pain
- Oral remedies prove most popular form of pain relief
- Encouraging men to keep painkillers handy
- Cold and flu relief remedies
- Experience of cold and flu related ailments
- Oral remedies top cold and flu treatment
- Just a quarter of adults prep buy cold and flu remedies
- Emphasising diet in cold and flu season
Experience of Pain and Treatments Sought
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- Nearly three quarters of adults experience headaches
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- Figure 52: Pains experienced in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Experience of musculoskeletal pain high across all age groups
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- Figure 53: Musculoskeletal pains experienced in the last 12 months, by age, January 2016
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- Figure 54: Voltarol office workers exercise suggestions, January 2016
- Oral remedies prove most popular form of pain relief
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- Figure 55: Ailments experienced and treatment sought in the last 12 months, January 2016
Usage of Different Remedy Types
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- Paracetamol leads OTC painkillers
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- Figure 56: OTC formats used to treat ailments in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Older adults turn to topical gels and creams
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- Figure 57: Usage of topical analgesic formats, by age, January 2016
Attitudes towards Painkillers
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- Encouraging men to keep painkillers handy
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- Figure 58: Attitudes towards painkillers, January 2016
- Own-label is popular
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- Figure 59: Attitudes towards branded and own-label painkillers, January 2016
- Two thirds of users happy with general painkillers
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- Figure 60: Attitudes towards general and pain-specific painkillers, January 2016
- Over a quarter of users confused by which painkillers to take
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- Figure 61: Attitudes towards painkillers, cont., January 2016
Experience of Cold and Flu and Treatments Sought
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- Experience of cold- and flu-related ailments
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- Figure 62: Cold/flu ailments experienced in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Oral remedies top cold and flu treatment
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- Figure 63: Treatments sought for cold and flu ailments in the last 12 months, January 2016
- Young adults turn to topical treatments
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- Figure 64: Usage of topical remedies to treat cold and flu ailments in the last 12 months, by age, January 2016
- Opportunity to drive usage of cough medicine
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- Figure 65: % difference between the proportion of adults that had experienced cold/flu ailments, and proportion who had experienced and sought treatment, by ailment, January 2016
Cold and Flu Season Behaviours
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- Just a quarter of adults prep buy cold and flu remedies
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- Figure 66: Behaviours ahead of cold and flu season, January 2016
- Young adults least likely to buy ahead
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- Figure 67: Proportion of adults buying cold/flu remedies ahead of cold/flu season, by age, January 2016
- Traditional behaviours lead cold/flu cures
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- Figure 68: Behaviours when infected with cold/flu, January 2016
- Emphasising diet in cold and flu season
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- Figure 69: Proportion of adults who indicated that they “eat more healthily” before cold/flu season, and/or when infected with cold flu, by age, January 2016
- Men prove negligent towards cold and flu symptoms
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- Figure 70: Behaviours when infected with cold/flu, by gender, January 2016
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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