Besides this, J&J has also been offering free 15-day trial packs of Acuvue and one month

trial packs of Vistavue through its ECPs. The ongoing scheme will continue for the next six months.

The intention of the twin schemes and a host of other marketing activities that J&J has been investing in is to encourage as many product trials. ``Disposable contact lenses are perceived to be expensive vis-a-vis other vision-correctionoptions like spectacles and conventional lenses,'' says Rahul Patani general manager, J&J, vision products.

Indeed at Rs 2,800 Vistavue, J&J's one-month contact lenses do appear to be expensive when compared to ordinary lenses priced at Rs 1,500. However J&J is asking potential consumers to factor in the cost of maintaining the lenses--the cost differential between the two varies from Rs 1.50 to 50 paise per day. This is because disposable lenses do not require enzymatic cleaning at all.

The company has chosen the platform of comfort to build the brand. J&J is the only company which is advertising its disposable lenses in print, audio visual and outdoor media currently. Direct marketing has been used extensively as well: in a recently concluded campaign, the company's ECPs sent out over 1.5 lakh direct mailers. In a similar effort that kicks off next week, the company intends to reach out to over three lakh consumers.Below-the-line activities that include product trials and schemes are yet another thrustarea. ``We want the consumer to actually feel the Acuvue difference. We also want to reach out to a wider audience of all SEC A1 A up to B consumers, in the 18-34 age bracket who need vision correction,'' says Patani.

The strategy makes sense. The universe of contact-lense wearers in the country currently consists of a small six lakh consumers--which is just six per cent of the total potential market. Hence in the interest of volumes the company is ardently trying to woo the image and appearance conscious youth who would rather not get caught with their spectacles on.

Besides the young and endearing boy-meets-girl story line of the recently released ad, J&J is also investing in a host of college-level promotions across all major cities, in a bid to catch the young consumer's fancy. Such events also offer a unique opportunity to collate a database for the DM campaign.

Unlike J&J, competitive vision care players like Bausch & Lomb and CibaVision are concentrating on the high-volume, lower end of themarket only. Says Patani: ``Our weakness is our greatest strength. Unlike the other players in the market, we have just one product line to concentrate on viz, disposable contact lenses.'' On the anvil next: a proposed doubling of the distribution network to 1,000 ECPs by the end of this year, and the launch of new products from J&J's international vision care portfolio. But first, the company is intent on giving as many consumers as possible the taste of wearing nothing at all.