Kylie Padilla joins Watsons endorsers

ASIAN HEALTH and beauty retailer Watsons has announced the inclusion of actress Kylie Padilla into the ranks of Watsons-label brands many endorsers: actor Edu Manzano, actress Lorna Tolentino, actress/ host Iya Villania, host Tessa Prieto-Valdez, and singer Christian Bautista.

The entry of Ms. Padilla marks Watsons Philippines’ efforts to encourage younger customers to try its label products.

“We were looking for someone in their twenties and she’s perfect for the role,” Viki Encarnacion, marketing director of Watsons Personal Care Stores, Phils., Inc, told reporters during the launch on March 16 at the Makati Shangri-La.

Watsons branded products spans a broad variety, from medicines to personal care products, and currently occupy “15-20%” of the entire Watsons market in terms of sales.

“We started pretty late in introducing our branded products... but it’s been growing,” said Ms. Encarnacion, before adding that popular brands like those under the Unilever umbrella still dominate sales.

“Of course we won’t be as aggressive in marketing as big-name brands because we don’t have that much money,” she said, noting that “word-of-mouth” is the strongest marketing tool and it works very well for them.

And since the company currently has six “Switch and Save” ambassadors — Watsons claim that by switching to their products, a customer can save up to 80% on prices — Ms. Encarnacion said that they will not be adding any more soon.

What Watsons will be doing soon is adding to its products as it “keep[s] on top of trends.” This will include the introduction of two- step face masks and the expansion of its popular collagen line, from ingestives to personal care variants.

SUMMER AT WATSONS

Aside from announcing Ms. Padilla as the brand’s newest endorser, Watsons also announced its annual summer campaign called, “Make Your Summer.”

The campaign, which started eight years ago, differs from its previous installments as Watsons has decided to go the “holistic route” and include other personal care items in the promotion.

“This time we’re shifting gears... we included hair colors, our cosmetic range, and slimming products,” Kim Reyes, group category manager of Watsons Philippines, told reporters during the launch on March 9.

Brands included in the promotion are Nivea, Vaseline, Banana Boat, Beach Hut, Solstice, Biore, Sunplay, Belo, Neutrogena, Cetaphil, Celeteque, Kojie San, Hawaiian Tropic, Dermplus, Ponds, and Olay.

Aside from deals and a more prominent display for participating products in stores, Watsons is also running a raffle for all SM Advantage Card holders where a P500 single-receipt purchase of qualifying products will get a customer one raffle entry.

The raffle, which runs until April 26, will see five shoppers winning trips for four to either Batanes, Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, or Davao. —