Dr Reddy’s bets on Sallu to promote pain killer

In reel life Bollywood macho star Salman Khan is at his best performing difficult stunts and breaking the bones of goons at will, much to the delight of his fans and audiences. In real life, pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories intends to cash in on Sallu bhai’s exploits and popularity and turn it into an advantage to push its pain killer, Nise gel.

In a first for the $2.1 billion dollar, Hyderabad company, Reddy’s has launched a TV commercial for better branding of its gel which is integrated with movie promos of Khan’s latest film, Kick . The promo shows a smartly-dressed Khan getting tough with the baddies and breaking their joints.

The next moment you see an ad with the tagline ‘Get tough on pain’ along with the gel and a prominently displayed Dr Reddy’s logo. Then the movie name pops up. While roping in of popular film stars by corporates for commercials is not a new phenomenon, for Dr Reddy’s the use of TV movie commercials marks an entry into digital marketing. Though the company did not respond to queries from BL citing the silent period as its board meeting is scheduled for July 30, the information obtained reveals that it wants to go all out to promote its brand amidst stiff competition from other companies.

As per IMS market data, there are about 130 products in the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic and antipyretic properties in the country today with a market size of ₹510 crore. A lion’s share of this market is dominated by Ranbaxy’s Volini followed by others. Launched last year, Dr Reddy’s Nise gel has not yet made a mark.

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