359. Out-of-Stock, but Never Out-of-Mind: BIOGESIC, Print Ads 1987

DON'T TAKE RISKS, TAKE BIOGESIC, Print Ad, 1987 

BIOGESIC  has been in the news lately, as the popular paracetamol brand has suddenly gone out of stock—along with analgesic, anti-pyretic, cold and cough medicine brands-- in the midst of the ongoing covid surge. The supply situation was so bad that even one netizen asked John Lloyd, current BIOGESIC endorser, for the much-needed tablets.   

A Biogesic out-of-stock  meme circulated during the covid surge, CTTO

BIOGESIC has been in the market for over 50 years, a product of the pharmaceutical firm, United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB). For decades, anti-fever and pain brands available  locally were paracetamol and aspirin-based, like Cortal, Cortapen, Medicol, Bayer’s Aspirin. The introduction of acetaminophen products expanded the market, and by the late 1970s, Tylenol, the widely-used American brand from McNeilab of Johnson & Johnson, was launched in the Philippines, along with its cold medicine counterpart, CoTylenol.

Tylenol became a huge threat to BIOGESIC and other local brands, as it was sold on the basis of safety—it does not cause stomach upset like aspirin does, which can irritate the stomach lining. Tylenol was also sold on its American leadership (America’s #1 Pain reliever), to capitalize on the so-called colonial mentality of Filipinos. 

CHILDREN'S BIOGESIC SYRUP PARACETAMOL, 1987

All that changed when Tylenol products in the U.S. were laced with cyanide in 1982 by still-unknown criminals, resulting in 7 cyanide deaths in Chicago. The product was pulled out of the Philippine market, and by 1986, BIOGESIC took over the safety theme with the absolute claim: “The World’s Safest Pain Reliever”—in reference to its pure paracetamol ingredient, not the brand. In 1987, a children’s syrup version was even introduced.

BIOGESIC never let go of this safety positioning, and has served the brand well, especially when the “Ingat” campaign, featuring celebrity actor John Lloyd Cruz, was launched in 2007. Marketing pundits believe that the consistent brand messaging of BIOGESIC  paved the way for Filipino consumers to continue trusting the product for aches, fever, and pain, as it continues to be the leading choice for paracetamol in the market—if people can only find it in drugstores today!

SOURCE: John Lloyd and 9 Years of “Ingat”. The Manila Times: https://www.manilatimes.net/2015/05/23/lifestyle-entertainment/show-times/john-lloyd-and-nine-years-of-ingat/185906, 23 May 2015