Bausch + Lomb Biotrue™: Q&A with Srini Venkatesh

Bausch + Lomb recently announced its first new product in five years, Biotrue™ multi-purpose contact lens solution. Srini Venkatesh, Senior Director, Global Vision Care R&D at Bausch + Lomb, kindly agreed to participate in a Q&A with packagedesign.com on the Biotrue™ product, positioning, and packaging. 

Q: Recently Pentagram completed a redesign of the renu brand as well as the  Bausch + Lomb identity. Was the Biotrue brand identity and package design completed as part of this global strategy?

A: Yes, the Biotrue primary and secondary packaging was part of our global brand strategy. One of the things we are doing at B+L moving forward is segmentation based on what we call "Market Insight Driven Innovation." When talking to our doctors and consumers we are trying to understand what they want and then taking those findings and utilizing them to influence our product.  We received a lot of feedback both pre- and post-launch that they like seeing the product, which gives a sense of trust and knowing when they run out of solution. Therefore the primary packaging for the multi-purpose solution is available in a clear bottle, allowing contact lens wearers to see exactly how much solution is remaining and to examine purity of the solution. The secondary packaging combines enhanced consumer convenience with a fresher and cleaner design. The color scheme it is in line with the bio-inspired product, which is the global trend of products in arenas such as cosmetic skin care products.  

Q: Were the name and tagline (Biotrue: Inspired by the biology of your eyes) developed internally or with an external consultant?  

A: The name and tagline were developed as a collaborative effort of internal resources working with external consultants. We conducted a lot of consumer research and there were multiple names that were considered but Biotrue was fitting because it was a bio-inspired product. People want products that behave easier in terms of their body so products are learning from nature's best ideas and behaviors and putting them back into your body. If you are trying to enhance the contact wearing experience, where better to learn than from the eye itself. So that is how the tagline came to fruition.

Q: Did you intend from the very inception of this project for the packaging to be PET and environmentally friendly?

A: From the beginning we wanted to go to the PET bottle because that is something we are doing globally. We initially did this with our renu fresh product and are moving toward this format for our renu sensitive product. Utilizing a PET bottle gives the product attributes better compliance and more robustness, which lines up with the bio-inspired story. The story evolved as we were developing the product. As we started to understand the clinical performance of the product and received feedback from some consultants we realized that using a recyclable plastic material for the primary packaging was essential to the story because it provides consumers with an environmentally friendly choice.

Q: Do any competitors have similar products or is B+L first to the market?

A: Biotrue is the first product in this category that is bio-inspired. While bio-inspiration has been applied in other fields and categories, it is the first to market in the optometric field and for contact lens care and solution. The innovative technology and formula are both a B+L patent. Biotrue™ is formulated to work like your eyes. By studying how the eye naturally works to clean, hydrate, and keep itself healthy, B+L developed a unique and innovative dual disinfectant formula solution that provides lens care but goes beyond cleaning your contact lens. The multi-purpose contact lens solution is the only solution that has a lubricant found naturally in your eyes, matching the pH of healthy tears and keeps certain beneficial tear proteins active. No other US FDA product contains this unique formula.
 
Q: Given your consumer base and following, did you have to do a lot of research how to position in the market in order to engage current buyers and attract new ones?  

A: This project started from an R&D perspective in terms of developing an innovative formula that would enhance the comfort of the lens wearing experience but also has unsurpassed disinfectant capabilities. So we had a target product profile from an R&D perspective, but as the product started to emerge through running over 6 clinical trials, we realized we had a very unique product. The marketing group started engaging in a number of market research studies and the positioning was developed as a result. Initially we were not thinking we were going to have a new brand. We thought we were going to have another product under the renu brand.  But as we received data from a clinical standpoint, we realized we needed a unique positioning to support the unique formula and technology. Around the same time, we were in the process of reinventing ourselves at B&L by being driven by market research innovation.  We had identified the "LOHAS" customer segmentation, a certain population of people aligning themselves with products that behave like their body. Right behind them were the early adapters.  We recognized that a 30 - 40% consumers segment was drawn toward this type of bio-inspired positioning and that is how we established its position in the marketplace.  

Q: How long from inception to final release did this product take?

A: It took about three years.  Clearly we have engaged closely with FDA, so the product had to go through a high degree of testing and FDA approval during a high time of high scrutiny for multi-purpose solution. We have put in place the right technology to make sure we have a product that is excellent for our consumers and at the same time have a high degree of safety and efficacy from a functionality standpoint. So yes, we are excited and proud to bring this product forward. While it is has taken time, we have a product that is robust and can bring Bio-inspiration to this category.

Biotrue is now available at retail stores across the U.S. For more information, visit www.biotrue.com.

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