As it brings a brand beloved in Mexico stateside, Bayer is stoking nostalgia and a sense of family and tradition to improve its reach among the Hispanic population in the U.S.
The company’s Aspirina pain relief pills are now available for purchase in select Walmart and Walgreens stores in the U.S. According to Bayer’s launch announcement, Aspirina boasts a 99% awareness rate in Mexico, and about two-thirds of consumers there use it regularly.
Due to that high level of brand recognition, Bayer suggested that Aspirina represents “reliability, familiarity and their heritage” for Hispanic consumers in the U.S., who may have grown up seeing their parents and grandparents use the brand. The company, therefore, invited those consumers to “rediscover a brand that feels like home—a trusted companion in the journey of life.”
With 500 mg of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) aspirin per caplet, Aspirina is comparable to “extra strength” versions of Bayer’s branded Aspirin products; the standard “Genuine Bayer Aspirin,” in contrast, contains 325 mg of the NSAID.
The Bayer Aspirin website also lists Aspirina Cafeína, which combines 500 mg of aspirin with 32.5 mg of caffeine.
Aspirina features bilingual packaging, with drug facts in both Spanish and English, and its page on the Bayer Aspirin website also offers a Spanish translation.
Bayer cited in the release estimates that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is expected to grow from 19% currently to nearly 30% by 2060, emphasizing “the importance of connecting with this vibrant community.”
“Many Hispanic communities still face inadequate access to healthcare and consumer goods. As the fastest-growing demographic group in the U.S., the Hispanic population presents a unique opportunity for Bayer,” Mohamed Atef, Bayer’s global brand lead for Aspirin, said in the announcement.
“By adding Aspirina to the U.S. portfolio, which has a strong equity in [Latin America], we are placing the consumer at the center of our strategy,” Atef continued. “Data shows that 70 percent of Hispanic consumers feel a strong connection to their country of origin, making it essential for brands to honor and reflect this sentiment.”
Bayer isn’t alone in ramping up efforts to reach the fast-growing segment. Many companies in the biopharma and medtech space have put out Spanish-language campaigns in recent years. Just last fall, for example, Exact Sciences, maker of the popular Cologuard colon cancer screening test, debuted its first commercial in Spanish and hired popular telenovela star Carlos Ponce for a bilingual awareness push—all in what a company exec described as a “thoughtful and culturally relevant” attempt to improve the disproportionately high rates of colon cancer among the Latino community in the U.S.