Q&A: Foundation Consumer Health moves from concept stage to shelves

Formed in 2014, Foundation Consumer Healthcare is bringing both venerable OTC products and new opportunities to market, Steve Howard, the company’s chief marketing officer, told Drug Store News. The following is an excerpt of Drug Store News’ interview with Howard heading into NACDS Total Store Expo.

Drug Store News: Foundation Consumer Healthcare has a strong product stable featuring such legacy breadwinners as St. Joseph and Bronkaid, among others. Is that the company’s MO — legacy brands?

Steve Howard: We aren’t simply focused on long-established legacy brands, as evidenced by our recent acquisition of Theravent — a groundbreaking OTC treatment for snoring. … But our legacy brands are strong brands with loyal consumer user bases that have performed well at retail over many years. We begin by profiling the consumer and then invest to reintroduce consumers to the product. For instance, for Bronkaid, the leading OTC asthma therapy, we recently launched a dual-language website [with] consumer messaging in English and Spanish to provide information and purchase incentives to consumers for this important therapy.

DSN: What is Theravent? What attracted Foundation Consumer Healthcare to snoring?

Howard: Snoring is exciting for a number of reasons. ... With 50 million to 70 million frequent snorers in the U.S. adult population, this is a significant issue. … [It’s] the third-leading cause of divorce behind money and infidelity, [and] is a really prevalent issue. We have a full-blown national launch planned for this product, with significant resources devoted to broadcast media, as well as efforts targeting the critical sleep physician community. Our retail partners are enthusiastic about the launch, and we will be on shelf in roughly 30,000 doors in mid-September.

DSN: Overall, what’s the company’s secret sauce? What do you look for in brands you promote?

Howard: We bring a particular blend of expertise to the table. Our company consists of industry experts with deep, functional expertise in all of the areas that come together to make brands successful in the OTC space. … We have tremendous logistics [and] manufacturing partnerships, marketing expertise, regulatory legal knowledge and relationships with the retail community that make us a smart partner for either a small brand seeking to take their idea to the next level or a new-to-the-world concept that wants to commercialize its idea.

DSN: How do you seek to optimize your partnership with retailers?

Howard: [We have] people who understand what’s important to the retail community. Together with our partners at Advantage Consumer Healthcare, we have decades of [experience] manufacturing, marketing and solving consumer’s OTC health needs.

DSN: What’s the bottom line?

Howard: We’re in both [legacy and new-to-the-world brands]. … [But] the big splash [this year] is Theravent. Opportunities like Theravent don’t come around very often, and when you think about it in terms of 50 million to 70 million snorers, and our significant efforts to point out that the answer is truly right under their nose, it spells success both for the retailers and for us.