Building more loving relationships in commerce
HEALTHCARE

Cialis

How Cialis Beat a Household Name (Without a Power Struggle)

Armed with true human insight about their consumers (and, as importantly, their consumer’s wives and partners), we were able to help the underdog Cialis overtake Viagra as the market leader and achieve over $20 billion in revenue.

Story

When Eli Lilly launched its erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis, we saw the beginnings of a David and Goliath story. Cialis was second to market and preparing to go into battle with Viagra – a market leader so big it had become a household name.

Solution

Rather than trying to beat the giant in size and power, we took an alternative approach. Our research found that Viagra’s masculine messages and four-hour window appealed to men but alienated half the target audience: their partners. Among women, Cialis’s reputation for gentler, yet longer-lasting, effects became a strength. Where as Viagra was a power tool men could use to show off their performance, we positioned Cialis as a support for loving, spontaneous relationships.

Results

Happily, the David and Goliath parallel still stands. Cialis has grown its worldwide revenues to more than $20 billion, overtaking Viagra as market leader in 2013. By 2015 it had left its main competitor behind, recording annual sales of more than $2.3 billion. It seems size isn’t everything.

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