The Issue
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was in the process of getting FDA approval to start selling their prescription diet drug, Alli, over-the-counter. Before it went over-the-counter GSK wanted to conduct qualitative research to gather insight into women’s desire to lose weight, their experience with other weight loss drugs, their reaction to various weight loss ads, their reaction to the drug, their response to ad concepts and actual ads for the diet drug, and reactions to certain features of the website.

The Challenge
Most women recognize that weight loss takes an entire lifestyle change – not a magic pill and not a quick fix they can do for a few weeks or a few months. These women know that losing weight is hard and they acknowledge that to lose weight it takes eating right and exercising. Additionally, women are savvy when they watch weight loss ads. They are looking for ads to be realistic, not misleading. Many have tried over-the-counter diet aids, but for the most part, women were leery of these weight loss aids and the ads surrounding them. GSK needed to learn how to address these concerns and overcome women’s skepticism regarding over-the-counter diet aids. They also needed to learn how to cut through the clutter of weight-loss advertisements and help women regard Alli as the best way to help them reach their weight loss goals, while assuring them of the safety of the drug.

The Outcome
With our help, GlaxoSmithKline successfully launched Alli as an over-the-counter diet drug.

The Methodology
Lake Research Partners employed qualitative research methods that consisted of both dyads and focus groups. The first phase of research was more exploratory in nature and consisted of dyads among two women who were either friends or relatives and who indicated they considered themselves overweight and expressed interest in losing weight. In the second phase of research, we used more traditional focus groups in order to conduct ad testing. Focus groups consisted of women who indicated their considered themselves overweight and expressed interest in losing weight, and we divided the groups by age. The research was used to determine responses to media outreach, including the Today Show and newspaper articles, as well as different campaign approaches.

The Team
Lake Research Partners (Alysia Snell)
GlaxoSmithKline