Repositioning a Health Product Often Pushed Under the Rug

Challenge: A health start-up had developed a new OTC product for light bladder leakage sufferers and wanted to position their product in a way that would resonate with women under 40. Even though bladder leakage has a highly negative impact on women’s lives and health, many women avoid talking to their doctors about it out of embarrassment and shame. Because our research was exploring a space that is highly sensitive and challenging, we needed to create a research approach that felt completely safe and supportive for the women who participated.

Approach:  We conducted a short but intense 3-day online community that explored the journey women went through: symptoms, the search for appropriate products, and seeking information about their condition. Because of the lack of appropriate incontinence products on the market, many women retrofit other products to meet their needs – demonstrating a real consumer need and gap in the marketplace. The exercises and testimonials given by the online community were illuminating for our client and cathartic and empowering for the participants.

Result: The research opened up new vistas for how the client thinks about the product, the positioning, and the relationship with its customers. By understanding the patient’s journey, our client was able to position themselves as offering not just a product but an information and support network.