• by Les Luchter , Yesterday

Pain reliever Tylenol entered the supplement space last week via parent company Kenvue’s Proactive Support brand, said to support joint comfort and mobility. 

A concurrent marketing campaign features actress/comedian Molly Shannon providing social media postings and earned media interviews, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kyle Richards in a sponsored show on Amazon Live, and posts from such influencers as corrective exercise specialist Tatiana Lampa and registered dietician/nutritionist  Kathleen Benson.

There’s also a paid ad campaign featuring a :15 spot running on streaming services like Amazon and Roku through September, with the buy also including WebMD, Pinterest, Meta platforms and programmatic video.

Amazon, Walmart, CVS and others are carrying the $19.99 product, with retail media in the marketing mix as well.

Agencies involved with the campaign include Donor, OneVue, Hunter and Weber Shandwick.

Unlike Tylenol, which fights pain through the drug acetaminophen, the new drug-free supplement relies on TamaFlex, a proprietary mix of turmeric and tamarind that has been validated in three clinical studies to “reduce joint discomfort and increase function and flexibility in as little as five days,” according to its developer, NXT USA.

Proactive Support comes in two versions: Muscle & Joint, which adds cucumber extract for the joints, and Muscle & Joint + Stress, which throws in sceletium extract “to promote calmness and manage occasional stress.”

While Tylenol’s launch announcement stressed the importance of increased joint support for adults aged 44 to 60, Jen Gow, Kenvue’s head of U.S. pain, tells Marketing Daily that “while you don’t age out of this product, the earlier you can start -- especially as you’re starting to feel joint discomfort -- the better, so you can be more proactive about your joint health."

That includes more than just taking the supplement. Gow elaborates that consumers should also do stretching and follow a strength training routine to “take an active role in managing joint comfort and flexibility.”

In a separate development, Tylenol has entered into a multiyear partnership as the first official pain reliever of the 12-year-old National Women’s Soccer League.

The partnership includes stocking and branding the league’s athletic trainer bags,  and receiving exclusive marketing rights in the pain category throughout the season -- including in-game advertisements, signage across all league games, a dedicated content series and broadcast integration during Rivalry Weekend.

“We’ve positioned these activations to support the hard-working trainers, celebrate athlete recovery, and spotlight the resilience of NWSL players throughout the season,” says Gow, calling the partnership as “a natural next step for the brand” in light of “soccer fandom at an all-time high.”

Tylenol had previously pledged $1 million for the Women’s Sports Foundation to provide grants to injured female athletes facing physical and financial setbacks.