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Case Study I Marketing a Women’s Health Product in a Difficult Environment By Naoma Welk n 2008, Rachel Braun Scherl and Mary Wallace Jaensch founded Semprae Laboratories, Inc. (headquartered in Saddle Brook, NJ) and took on the challenge of taking a product to market that was looking for its audience in an undeveloped category. Prior to Scherl and Jaensch taking over, the product’s original marketers had found little success in gaining enough traction in retail environments for Zestra ® Essential Arousal Oils , a clinically proven women’s sexual health product. The Principals Before they created Semprae, Jaensch (Chief Executive Officer) and Scherl (President) successfully ran The Jannick Group LLC/SPARK Solutions for Growth, a marketing company designed to provide strategies, marketing advice and expertise to Fortune 100 Rachel Braun Scherl Mary Wallace Jaensch companies. Jaensch noted that while at The Jannick Group, they learned how women’s lives were changing, the kinds of health issues they were experiencing as well as their needs in a variety of areas. Scherl and Jaensch’s extensive backgrounds in packaged goods training, combined with their extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical business, made them feel uniquely qualified to successfully market Zestra to women. The Product Clinical studies show that women of all ages and life stages, including those who had survived cancer and are living with other health issues, felt that Zestra improved their sexual experiences. Zestra is the first product established in clinical trials to heighten a woman’s sensitivity to touch and sexual satisfaction. Zestra is a safe, patented blend of botanical oils and extracts that is available over-the-counter. Topically-applied, Zestra is hormone-free, has no known drug interactions and is classified as a cosmetic. Clinical Trials Despite the fact that Zestra’s regulatory status as a cosmetic did not require clinical studies, Semprae Laboratories did conduct tests for the efficacy of Zestra to ensure optimal results and to confirm its effectiveness on women with a wide range of concerns and health histories. QualiLife Pharmaceuticals, Inc. conducted the study and the results were reported by Ferguson, David M. et al, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double Blind, Crossover Design Trial of the Efficacy and Safety of Zestra for Women in Women With and Without Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy (2003:29(s):33-44). The study concluded that Zestra provides significant improvements in desire, arousal and satisfaction for a broadly generalized group of women with sexual difficulties. Retail Launch Scherl explains, “We felt that the original, traditional retail launch had been problematic in terms of the business model and the necessary capital, but that the product really worked. We wanted to take on the challenge of marketing Zestra. We believed in the product and we knew that so many women who have tried Zestra have experienced fantastic results. We both feel it’s exhilarating to be able to help women.” Direct-Response Marketing Scherl and Jaensch focused on Direct-Response (DR) marketing, a form of marketing designed to solicit a direct response from consumers. Since the customer responds to the marketer directly, DR leads to instant feedback and the results can be tracked and measured. One common type of DR marketing is the infomercial (as in “Set It and Forget It.”) While at the Jannick Group, the duo explored the Proactiv Solution business model to provide insights to their skin care client’s global business. They found that Zestra has many similar marketing attributes of Proactiv in terms of what made it a successful DR-driven business. In addition, estimates suggest that 50% of men’s sexual dysfunction drugs were purchased online, so the same model would be a perfect fit for the Zestra DR campaign. Early on, they concluded that DR and the Internet would be the most practical ways to test the market. Television and Internet outlets During spring and summer of 2009, Semprae focused on Direct Response Television (DRTV) as a way to optimize the media plan. Things were going well once they identified the best working marketing channels. But then they reached an obstacle in the form of gaining clearance for their DRTV spots. “With claims around arousal, desire and satisfaction for women,” says Jaensch “we began to have trouble getting our spots cleared by many cable networks. There was no nudity, nothing risqué in the spots, yet a majority of networks would not accept them.” The company was having success online when they purchased branded keywords, but that strategy did not have the same reach or impact. In addition, search results for those key words often led browsers to non-related internet sites that were too medical or skewed to the other end of the spectrum. Finding ways to get exposure is an ongoing challenge. Scherl explains, “We had an opportunity to take a safe, topically applied, effective product to market – one that worked for a wide range of women, yet we can’t talk about it. It feels like we have the best-kept secret, but we want to spread the word.” 4 March 2012 | business matters
Public Relations Campaign To drive the business, the team launched a huge PR campaign by reaching out to newspaper and TV outlets, sharing the news that Zestra was being denied exposure. In September 2010, Zestra was covered in the New York Times and featured on “The View.” Over the next few weeks, Scherl and Jaensch appeared on “Nightline” and they received coverage in USA Today.com as well as a host of large regional newspapers. Zestra was also covered on The Dr. Oz show, The Today Show, Forbes.com, Rachael Ray, Tyra, The Doctors, Parenting, Lifescript, Your Tango and Blisstree.com. While that media exposure improved the knowledge of their customer base and helped sales, Zestra still had clearance issues. Approved ads on Facebook were later taken down and although they worked with WebMD on an ad that met the site’s specifications, in the end, WebMD refused to clear it. They also worked with NASCAR and TMZ without success. Last year the team designed a television commercial that was able to gain clearance, but Scherl says, “The communication was too vague and uninformative to drive purchase.” Physician Endorsements Some physicians who treat cancer survivors suggest that their patients should just be happy to be alive. However, that doesn’t address a survivor’s quality of life. Dr. Michael Kyrchman, an OB/GYN and Certified Sexual Counselor, is Executive Director of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine. He has been recommending Zestra to his female patients, many of them cancer survivors, for years even before Scherl and Jaensch became involved. He says, “I suggest Zestra to many of my patients who suffer from a chronic medical disease that impacts their ability to function sexually as well as to women who have survived breast cancer. Studies reveal that good sex helps men and women experience better overall health and wellness; people live longer and experience less chronic illness.” He adds, “Zestra has helped women who have diabetes, depression and heart disease.” Empowering women Kyrchman explains that women are suffering in silence; this is an issue that needs to be addressed. “After all,” he says, “we are in an age where we want to empower our wives, sisters and daughters to be educated, to vote and to be empowered in the work place. We need to put them on equal footing for sexual health and vitality.” Zestra is available at www.Zestra.com and at select leading retailers including Wal-Mart, Kmart, Meijer and Rite Aid. For more information about Zestra, visit www.Zestra.com. CONTACT: Rachel Braun Scherl President, Semprae Laboratories, Inc. Tel: 973.387.1720 • rbscherl@semprae.com Feel the Zestra Rush A scientific breakthrough in women’s sexual satisfaction, Zestra ® is a safe, patented blend of botanical oils and extracts. Hormone-free Zestra was developed because all women deserve to feel more, and it is the first product established in clinical trials to improve a woman’s feelings of desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction. Topically applied, Zestra increases a woman’s sensitivity to touch to enhance her sexual pleasure. After applying Zestra, the effects – the Zestra Rush – generally begin within 3-5 minutes, peak at 10 minutes, and last for up to 45 minutes. Safe Botanical Solution Zestra’s unique, patented blend of botanical oils and extracts creates deep pleasurable sensations. The botanical ingredients in Zestra include PA-free Borage Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Angelica Extract, Coleus Forskholii Extract, Theobromine, and the Anti-Oxidants Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Zestra’s botanical ingredients work together to safely and effectively enhance female sexual pleasure, sensation, sensitivity and satisfaction. Clinically Proven to Work Zestra is the first, topically-applied product established in clinical trials to improve a woman’s level of desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction. Two clinical studies were conducted involving over 200 women at leading research centers in the United States. Seventy percent of women reported improved sexual satisfaction – and this was achieved over multiple uses, indicating that Zestra works each and every time. These clinical trials documented Zestra’s effectiveness for a wide array of women. In addition to stories from women who have felt the Zestra Rush , Zestra is widely recommended by doctors and other women’s healthcare professionals. business matters | March 2012 5
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