Eno takes on home remedies in a new spot

Eno, the over-the-counter (OTC) antacid brand from GlaxoSmithKline has taken on home remedies in its latest ‘Gadbad Gadbad’ campaign spot.

30-seconds long, it features a young chap who develops a bout of acidity after munching on a samosa while playing Ludo with his family. A family member offers him a glass of neembu paani but it fails to relieve him, Eno emerges as the saviour with its fast action formula that provides relief in just 6 seconds.

As per Sharda Agarwal, co-founder, Sepalika, a healthcare advisory, “Eno, in water, releases carbon dioxide. When this gas escapes from your stomach, it releases the pressure from bloating. That’s why you feel a huge sense of relief. Most antacid ads will end on a happily burping protagonist.”

We (afaqs!) were quite intrigued with the spot, especially the bit where a middle-aged guy recommends Eno to the young protagonist, is this a passing of the baton from an older generation to a younger one?

Vijay Sharma, area marketing lead, OTC (and expert marketing ISC), GSK Consumer Healthcare told us, “our ads and messaging for the last five years have been consistently targeted towards the younger audience. In fact, majority of our ads since 1990 have young protagonists as sufferers.”

And when questioned about target group (TG), “This commercial is targeted towards consumers between the age group of 25 to 44 years. They are the ones who like to enjoy food and life uninterrupted and are in constant search of solutions that allow him/her to do so,” replied the area marketing lead.

The stand out aspect of the ad is the brand taking on the home remedies which have become even more popular considering peoples’ increased focus on health and immunity.

We asked him if he was worried viewers will see it as Eno asking people to reject home remedies. Said Sharma, “We are not going against the traditional reasons for trial of home remedies, i.e. safety. We are just offering a solution that works faster. People try remedies for many reasons, and speed of action is just one of them. Eno works effectively in just 6 seconds, and that is the reason why we are convincing our consumers to switch to Eno- for faster relief."

We asked Agarwal if Eno, in featuring a young protagonist and having a middle-aged man recommend the brand to him passed the baton from an older generation to a younger one?

She told us that heartburn increasingly affects the younger age cohort in India is indeed true. “I’ve seen this in my own practice. Sedentary work life and late sleep time which seem normal and par for the course, are big contributors to the rising incidence of acidity today. So the ad does zone in on the right audience.”

Speaking about the burping which happens when the gas is released, she told us it opens your lower esophageal sphincter (LES), causing acid and food from the stomach to slosh back into the esophagus. Which is not where they’re supposed to be.

Second, Eno or any antacid, work by neutralising stomach acid. But you need stomach acid to break down your food. “You’re turning your ally into a villain! The real cause of acidity is counterintuitive- it’s too little of good quality stomach acid! So for lasting relief, you need to get more acid instead of trying to dousing it,” she signed off.