How Dolo 650 rode on social media to become a superbrand

When some future historian writes about the pandemic years, banana bread and Dalgona coffee are sure to be mentioned as pandemic fads. India’s contribution to that list is probably going to be Dolo 650. The memes have come in thick and fast about this made-in-India antipyretic and analgesic pill. Indians having #Dolo650 in Covid 3rd wave https://t.co/rlBX1EPQV1— Kungfu Pande &#55356;&#56814;&#55356;&#56819;2.0 (@pb3060) 1642576330000Most consumed item in India ;-) #Dolo650 https://t.co/q6jXziuANL— &#55349;&#56805;&#55349;&#56814;&#55349;&#56826;&#55349;&#56814; &#55349;&#56806;&#55349;&#56834;&#55349;&#56820;&#55349;&#56814;&#55349;&#56827;&#55349;&#56833;&#55349;&#56821;&#55349;&#56814;&#55349;&#56827; (வாழப்பாடி இராம சுகந்தன்) (@vazhapadi) 1642614638000It’s dark humour, sure, as people try to make light of the dreaded coronavirus. But these memes could be treading a thin line, as paracetamol – the main ingredient in Dolo 650 – is a scheduled drug and cannot be advertised or promoted for fever in any way. “Dolo 650 is a meme, not a medicine,” says brand strategist Harish Bijoor, echoing what many on social media are saying. But that’s not how the medical profession sees it.What the law says“Any backdoor advertising or promotion for a medicine should not be allowed. This is leading to rampant misuse and non-judicious use of paracetamol, which can cause harm to patients,” says Dr Jayesh Lele, general secretary, Indian Medical Association.Under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954, promotion or advertisement of any drug claiming to treat a variety of illnesses, including fever, is prohibited. It’s also worth noting that in India, most paracetamol drugs, with the exception of GlaxoSmithKline’s Crocin, are ‘scheduled’ drugs. That is, they cannot be sold over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. The sudden surge in popularity has taken Micro Labs, the makers of Dolo 650, by surprise. Jayaraj Govindaraju, Executive VP (marketing) at Micro Labs says as much. “We have been taken by surprise. We have been promoting it to the doctors as per law, and there are statutory warnings on the pack.”Are memes ads?The big question is whether memes produced and shared by the general public can be considered advertising. After all, Micro Labs doesn’t seem to be behind the estimated 80-plus Dolo 650 memes in circulation on social media today.Also, there is a grey area within the law which companies/ marketers sometimes exploit, says an industry expert. In the past, some pharma companies promoted nutritional supplements, riding on the ayurvedic bandwagon.The trouble with memes that promote a specific brand is that it can lead to some people assuming that the drug can cure anything. Others may believe that because it’s a bit of a joke on social media, it won’t do any harm. Both views are erroneous, say experts. medium89088929While paracetamol is known to be a well-tolerated drug when taken within the prescribed dose range, overdosage may be associated with severe liver and pancreatic injury, they add. “Many patients are self-medicating without even a proper diagnosis – this may even lead to serious side-effects,” says Dr Lele. GSK Pharma, which has legacy paracetamol brand Calpol, has been quick to take the high ground. “As a responsible pharmaceutical company we promote our prescription products only to healthcare practitioners, including education for retail pharmacies, in keeping with the applicable drug law in the country. We do not advertise or promote any of our prescription brands in the media/social media,” says a GSK Pharma spokesperson. Creating a superbrandEven as there’s some worry about the ethics of social media prescriptions, the market for pain-relief medication, which includes paracetamol, has grown nearly four times since the pandemic started. The market is now valued at Rs 100 crore monthly. Dolo 650, the flagship Rs 350 crore brand of Micro Labs, has grown by 40-50%, and corners over half the share in the 650mg market. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r In terms of market value, Dolo 650 had a 46% share even before the pandemic — 650mg gave it the first-mover advantage as the default dosage was 500mg for these pills; that has grown to 57% (in December 2021). While Govindaraju of Micro Labs says that all paracetamol brands have grown, Dolo seems to have grown the most. Calpol 650, the other popular ‘scheduled’ paracetamol drug, grew (in value terms) from 16% in January 2020 to 17% in December 2021. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r For marketing professionals and advertisers, the Dolo 650 trend seems like a case study in creating a superbrand. “To an extent, Dolo has become a four-letter word brand of great utility and ubiquity for many during the pandemic. This in turn has led to a ‘Dolo 650 in every house’ kind of a movement,” says Bijor. “For an OTC, or for that matter prescription drug, this is a superbrand status. When a product becomes a superbrand, creators create memes — make fun of it even. In the bargain, the brand becomes larger than life,” he adds.This is not the first drug that has gone viral since the pandemic. Ivermectin, which was for a while considered a Covid cure, saw its share of memes. Most of those memes, however, encouraged people not to use ivermectin. In the case of Dolo 650, most memes revolve around the fact that it has become “India's favourite pandemic snack” which should be declared the “national tablet of India”. It’s difficult to regulate this kind of message. As Bijoor says: “In many ways, there is no regulation or regulator to stop it all. Here is the ultimate democracy of social media at play.”